Pulwama: A well-manicured park in the heart of south Kashmir's Pulwama town sprang to life late on Tuesday evening with hundreds of spectators streaming into the park to witness a Kabaddi match.
The district administration organised an open night Kabaddi tournament as part of the Nasha Mukt Bharat programme.
"The tournament is being played under the banner of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The district administration wants to promote sports here. Presently, a cricket tournament is underway and soon we are organising a flurry of tournaments including football and badminton tournaments", said Dr Basharat Qayoom, District Magistrate (DM), Pulwama.
He said that he wanted more and more youth to participate in sports to keep the scourge of drugs off society.
“We should come together to fight against the drugs," said the DM.
Since 7 pm, spectators from Pulwama and other neighbouring villages made a beeline for the Floriculture Park to watch the game.
A spectator from Gusu village told Greater Kashmir that he was very excited to watch the match.
"It is for the first time that we are witnessing such a tournament in our district", he said.
A total of 8 teams were taking part in the tournament.
"It is a knock-out Kabaddi tournament. The final will be played on Wednesday," said an official.
He said that the teams came from different villages in the district to participate in the tournament.
Bilal Ahmad, a player said that the unique initiative would help in keeping the youth away from drugs.
He said that there should be more such tournaments. Bhat Musaddiq, a young social activist from the town, who organised many anti-drug rallies, told Greater Kashmir that the evening and night tournaments could prove crucial to help keep the drug menace at bay.
"Usually the addicts take drugs as soon as darkness descends," he said.
Musaddiq said that such tournaments could easily attract them towards the sports.
