Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah unveiled the anthem and mascot for the 36th National Games at EKA Arena, TransStadia in Ahmedabad. Gujarat CM Shri Bhupendra Patel and Union Sports Minister Shri Anurag Thakur also graced the event. Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said at the unveiling ceremony that the city of Ahmedabad will soon become the largest sports city in the world. Shri Shah said, “Ten years ago, when Modiji was the Chief Minister here, he started the Khel Mahakumbh. At that time, Gujarat was nowhere on the global map in sports.
Now we have Narendra Modi Stadium, the biggest stadium in the world and very soon we will also have the biggest sports city in the world,” Mr. Shah said while addressing over 10,000 people at the majestic venue. The Home Minister, who is also the MP for Gandhi Nagar, led a packed audience including Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Thakur at the glittering Curtain-Function. The country’s biggest sports extravaganza will be held in six cities of Gujarat from September 29 to October 12.
“We used to be mostly seen by the Gujjus as mere traders. But Modiji started the Khel Mahakumbh 11 years ago and the event became so big that as many as 55 thousand youth participated in this edition. We have even offered a whopping Rs 29 crore as prize money to the winners,” said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. “We are delighted that the National Games are back after 7 years and this will be the biggest and grandest ever,” Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said. “It usually takes years to organize an event of this magnitude, but Gujarat managed it in less than three months. It is all thanks to CM’s efforts, with IOA supporting our initiative in a big way. Over 12,000 athletes, officials and the support stage will enjoy not only the sporting extravaganza here, but also the garb,” he added.
Eminent dignitaries from the world of politics and sports including Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat Sports Minister and IOA General Secretary Rajeev Mehta were present on the occasion. Mayors of all the six host cities including Kiritkumar J Parmar (Ahmedabad), Hemali Boghawala (Surat), Keyur Rokadiya (Vadodara), Pradip Dav (Rajkot), Kirti Danidhariya (Bhavnagar), Hitesh Makwana (Gandhinagar) were also present. The Khel Mahakumbh winners, including the top 3 schools, districts and municipal corporations of the state, were felicitated shortly before the launch of the mascot.
Aptly named saavaj, a lion in Gujarati, the mascot represents India’s cultural heritage while providing a glimpse of a fast-growing India that is poised to once again become a global leader. Encapsulating the philosophy of Judega India, Jitega India, the anthem of the Games was rendered by Bollywood star singer Sukhwinder Singh. The lyrics of the national sports festival theme song inspire the youth of the country to unite and conquer historic places like the Statue of Unity and Sabarmati. Embellished with impressive sports scenes, the theme song captures the heart of how athletes triumph in the face of adversity.
