Sports to the youth are as good as sunlight to a plant. The development of a society is possible if we invest the energy of the young ones in the right direction. Sports are a must for the growth of the young.
Towards youth and sports, civil society has a huge role and responsibility to shoulder. During the turmoil in Kashmir, sports too were the worst hit. Therefore, the youth got pushed towards violence without the blessing of sports.
Sports is a blessing: Sports bestow us with peace of mind, the true goal of life. Besides nourishing our bodies, it teaches us discipline and polishes our administrative potentialities.
Sports of any kind are a practical educational institution where we learn how to use our physical, mental, and emotional energies. And that everything which helps us exploits our faculties is a true blessing. It harnesses values such as patience, and teamwork, and strengthens our sense of togetherness is might.
Sports is a fence: Youth is such a period in ones’s life in which he moves faster towards the things he feels are overwhelmingly exciting. During this, he likes and wishes to be heroic.
But simultaneously in this period, he is not mentally so developed that he can distinguish right and wrong things the way an experienced person does. Thus satisfying his urge to be heroic can lead him astray.
Therefore, he needs to be protected. He needs to have a fence, besides parenting and other things, to save him from the influence of negative energies that can entice him towards violence, a way to show heroism.
No doubt, extremism is an ideological and political process. But its scope and influence enhance to a considerable level where the youth who belong to poverty have little access to education and do not have enough space for sports. Therefore, sports play a pivotal role in saving the youth from the negative influences of radical ideologies and other social evils.
Sports is a human right: United Nations has declared sports a human right. Every human right has a right to be respected. Thus sports have a right to be respected.
A promise to peace and development: Sports is a low-cost investment to get fat gains concerning human development and peace building. Sports in our societies make movements of joy and happiness. Some social scientists opine that there is a close link between sports and social development. Sports play a role in a country’s economy and politics.
Sports do have a corporate as well as political character. Sports at national and international levels have brilliant economic and political value. Sports events such as IPL at the national level and CWC, Olympic Championships, and FIFA World Cup have their economic, political and geopolitical values and characteristics.
Sports infrastructure in Kashmir: Due to insurgency in Kashmir, the sports infrastructure met ruination. Although from 1996 to 2014 governments have been formed, they ignored the significance of sports.
They did not pay attention towards the up gradation of the infrastructure. Like thousands of orphans who lost their parents in the insurgency at the hands of insurgents, sports in Kashmir are one of them who have lost attention. After 5th August 2019, sports infrastructure in Kashmir has seriously fetched the attention of the LG governance.
Some social researchers have contended that there is a close link between sports and the social development and general progress of society. Sports activism in various activities generates honor, dignity and the economy of the country.
At the community level, sports can be seen to provide a purposeful and peaceful environment for people to work together with the same goal, respect for elders and contribute towards the social and economic of society.
Last two peaceful years yielded tremendous results and great opportunities to sports players like Arif Khan represented India at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. Sadia Tariq won India a gold medal at the Moscow Wushu Championship. Bilquis Mir, Director of water sports, also became the first Kashmiri woman to be a judge at the Olympics. Emraan Malik has also made his name by being the fastest bowler in India’s IPL.
It is how the army in Kashmir wins hearts.
Sports need our attention. Let sports be given primary place, and let their be focus on it, and let us begin the development of the infrastructure for sports in the entire country in general, and in particular in Kashmir keeping its current political scenario in view. As mentioned in the lines above sports is a low-investment enterprise with fat gains, so the best is to make investments in its domain.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.
