Indian Army organises cricket tournament to groom J&K youth`s future

Srinagar: There is a saying that "youth is the foundation of the country" and if the foundation is strong then the country will be strong. After having successful anti-terror operations, the Indian army has started new initiatives to groom the future of Kashmiri youth so that a strong nation can be built. 

The Indian Army today organised a cricket tournament in Srinagar's Army Headquarters. Around 16 teams participated in the tournament from all the districts of Kashmir Valley. 

The Indian army has been continuously taking initiatives to engage youth in the valley in different sports and cultural and educational activities so that youths can have better options to grow. 

The Indian army says that this tournament is the start of many such events. They will also be starting a female cricket tournament soon and those initiatives will definitely bring a change to Kashmiri youth. 

Abhishek Sahu, Major, Indian Army. Said "We have 16 teams in total and have been organised by Chinar Corps of Indian Army. All the matches, in the beginning, would be played in army headquarters and later we will be playing in TRC grounds. We are continuously being approached by youngsters and schools to organise such cricket tournaments. A lot of schools and colleges are approaching us to organise these tournaments."

"IPL has many Kashmiris but they lack the platform and we are trying our best to give them that platform. We will plan a football tournament and a special tournament with girls too. There is no positive engagement here with the youth, so many are involved in drug addiction and we want them to stay away from drugs and play sports. We will also be organising a lot of cultural programs too. A girl cricket tournament is in pipeline," he added.

The local cricket coaches in the Valley have appreciated the initiative taken by the Indian army. The local coaches say that it will put the Kashmiri youngsters in the right direction. 

Zahid Hussain, Cricket Coach said, "It's a great initiative by the Indian army to provide a platform for the youth to play sports. There are 16 teams and sports are as important as studies, there are so many youths involved in drugs these days and to keep them away, Sports plays a very important role. We should promote sports."

Students from various schools participated in the tournament and thanked the Indian army for providing a platform to showcase their talent. There are not many such opportunities for the Kashmiri Youth. Although Kashmir has a lot of talent but lacks the platforms where the youth can showcase it. 

Aslam a class 10th student said "Sports are extremely important for the youngsters and we stay fit if we play sports. This is a great platform and we can learn a lot and achieve great heights. We have come with a purpose to win this tournament,"

These kind of Initiatives by the Indian army are providing a platform for the youngsters so that they explore their talent and can make country proud.