Fit India, HRD Ministry to launch special films to promote indigenous sports of India

Sports Ministry's flagship programme 'Fit India' is joining hands with the Department of School Education and Literacy of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to launch a series of special films promoting 10 indigenous sports of the country under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat initiative.

The series is aimed at creating awareness about not just the indigenous games but also the culture and heritage of the states to which they belong. Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat aims to create awareness among youngsters about the culture and heritage of states across India and the initiative aims to further that effort, as per an official statement.

These special films have been customised for school-going children to make them aware of the history and heritage of the state from which a game emanates, the particular sport as well as how it is played, it said.

The 10 episodes can be watched from Monday to Friday -- June 8 to June 19 -- at 11 am, on the Fit India YouTube page and MHRD digital platforms.

The short films have been curated in a manner to highlight and bring forth the origin, progress and other key aspects of each sport. The 10 sports to be covered in the series are Kho-kho, Gatka, Kalaripayttu, Mallakhamb, Thang-Ta, Sqay, Kabaddi, Roll Ball, Tug of War and Shooting Ball.

The indigenous sports of India cover a mix of very old sports, for example, Kalaripayattu, and some as recent as Roll Ball which has gained a lot of popularity and is now played in at least 50 countries spread over five continents.

Speaking about the association between the Sports Ministry and the HRD Ministry, Union Minister of HRD, Ramesh Pokhriyal said, "We are very happy to associate with the Sports Ministry's flagship programme Fit India, to promote indigenous games as part of the Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat initiative. This is an extremely important initiative, and one of the many initiatives that have been taken jointly by the Sports Ministry and HRD, including the Fit India Week celebrated at schools, Fit India School Certification System and special online sessions on fitness, health and immunity curated for school children during the lockdown."

Speaking about the unique initiative, Union Minister of Youth and Sports, Kiren Rijiju said, "Indigenous games are a focus area for the Sports Ministry. There are scholarships for athletes of these games and there is a growing interest among youngsters to pursue these sports."

"However, there is a need to mass base these sports, just like other sporting disciplines. This initiative, in association with MHRD, is an attempt to reach out to young Indians and showcase the rich heritage of our indigenous games. I am confident this will create more interest among youngsters to watch and perhaps even play these games," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )