ITANAGAR, OCT 17:
Governor Lt Gen KT Parnaik (Retd) on Saturday urged the youth to embrace public service, uphold integrity and preserve Arunachal Pradesh’s traditional sports and cultural heritage while participating in the Seva Sankalp Utsav at Dera Natung Government College Ground in Itanagar.
Organised by the State Department of Youth Affairs, the event marked the culmination of a month-long programme featuring state-level traditional sports competitions and the street play ‘Namoh Seva – Ankahi Kahaniya’.
Addressing the gathering, the Governor said the festival brought together the spirit of service, sports, cultural heritage and responsible citizenship. He noted that the event commemorated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25-year journey in public service and urged young people to draw inspiration from his journey by upholding dedication, perseverance and integrity.
Parnaik called upon the youth to contribute to the vision of Viksit Arunachal and Viksit Bharat by 2047 through collective effort and service to society. He also highlighted the role of sports in promoting fitness, discipline, teamwork and mutual respect.
Describing traditional sports as a living expression of the state’s cultural heritage, the Governor called for the preservation of indigenous games such as bamboo archery, bamboo pole climbing and traditional running through competitions at village, district and state levels. He stressed that modern sports science, nutrition, physiotherapy, injury prevention and mental conditioning should complement traditional sporting activities to help athletes achieve their full potential.
The Governor also commended the street play for depicting the Prime Minister’s life and encouraged artists to use the medium to raise awareness against drug abuse, alcoholism and corruption through local languages, indigenous stories, music and theatre.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein highlighted activities organised across the state during the month-long celebration and spoke about Modi’s contributions to Arunachal Pradesh and the country. Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kento Jini briefed the gathering on the competitions and the government’s youth empowerment initiatives.
The programme featured traditional sports demonstrations and the felicitation of achievers, including Padma Shri awardee Techi Gubin, retired Inspector General of Police Take Ringu and social worker Deepak Nabam.
The Governor presented the Overall Team Champion Trophy to Keyi Panyor district, while Shi Yomi district secured the runners-up trophy.
Director of Youth Affairs Ramesh Linggi announced the results of the individual events. Thakngam Wangsu of Longding won bamboo pole climbing, Bacemso Pul of Anjaw won the Dali competition, Tachung Samnam of Shi Yomi won traditional bamboo archery, Chow Piyaseng Manlai of Namsai won bamboo stick running, and Dorjee Goiba of Shi Yomi won Gilli Danda.
In the team events, Kra Daadi won the women’s tug-of-war, while Keyi Panyor emerged victorious in the men’s event.
The event was attended by Namsai MLA and Sports and Youth Affairs adviser Zingnu Namchoom, Itanagar MLA Techi Kaso, Itanagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Likha Nari Tadar, State BJP president Kaling Moyong and Arunachal Olympic Association president Taba Tedir, among others.
