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Sports refer to the physical activities generally involving skill of competitive nature. An individual or group often competes against another for entertainment. Participation in sports ensures not only good health but also fresh mind, freeness, freedom. The evolution of sports in India can be dated back to Harappa and Mohenjadaro civilization, were people used to play using marbles. Though centuries have passed but still India is not deemed to be a respectable nation when it comes to sports. Even though, India has a huge population and a huge amount is spent on training and grooming of the players we still have not been able to achieve the desired results. What might be the reasons for this?
The reasons are due to corruption and political interference and also because of lack of infrastructure facilities. The need of the hour is that changes must be made from the grassroots, sports must be made mandatory from schooling and must be included in the curriculum. In our schools, however, games and sports are not given much importance. A period of half an hour or forty five minutes must be dedicated to games every day in schools. Some schools dedicate this timing for games only once a week. The education system must be reformed, equal importance must be given to sports and games. More emphasis must be given to rural areas because in urban areas athletes are said to get good facilities hence competitions must be held in a village level so that young talents can be identified and groomed .There are a wide range of sports in India like Cricket, tennis, football, hockey, Chess etc but it is quite sad to see that the interest and love which we show to cricket is not given for other sports. India has not yet won a gold medal in athletics at the Olympic Games, though the major chunk of India's population are youth. Abinav Bindra who won gold at the Beijing Olympics had the right amount of financial backing but what about the athletes who are not said to have a good job once they finish their carriers? It is quite dis-heartening to see the results of the recently concluded Asian games held at Incheon .Some countries which are less populated than India had ranked higher though India was able to finish only 8th in the overall medals tally by winning 11 gold's. It is the right time to salute some players like Sania Mirza , MC Mary kom, Yogeshwar Dutt and other athletes who had come to the lime light by winning gold medals in their respective fields.
The development of sports is not only measured by the amount of medals which we win in the Olympics but also depends upon how a country is healthy and disease free .Sports must be imbibed in our daily physical routine from the age of 3-70. Sportspersons display punctuality, diplomacy and self-discipline. Sports help us to face the challenges in life bravely. One would not be deterred by failures as they are the stepping stones to success. Such an approach would help one reorganize one's skills and work harder with renewed vigour, to achieve one's goal. A player develops team spirit, he learns to adjust with other person's shortcomings. A player respects and follows the rules of the game he plays. He, thus, becomes a man of principles.
We all are familiar with the maxim 'Health is wealth'. According to the World Health Organization, 'Health is a state of complete physical, the absence of disease.' Academics serve the purpose of nourishing the mind. But a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Thus participation in sports and games will improve the overall health of the nation and citizens.
Mahesh.K.Ram
