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New Delhi: After a gruelling 10 days on display, Isha Gramotsavam, India’s biggest rural sporting event enters its final day on Saturday (September 23). The grand finale will see participants from five states compete in kabaddi, volleyball and throwball summit clashes in front of the 112-feet Adiyogi, Isha Yoga Center, in Coimbatore. Sadhguru, founder of Isha Gramotsavam and Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Anurag Thakur will grace the occasion on the final day.
Participants from five states – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry have taken part in the Isha Gramotsavam 2023. The event, which started back in 2004, took place in 194 rural locations with 60000 players competing.
As many as 10000 rural women took part, mostly householders, in events like kabaddi and throwball. Their participation also provides a perfect platform for empowering rural women in the country.
In the heart of rural southern India, Isha Gramotsavam has emerged as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Isha Foundation’s tireless efforts are turning desolate villages, formerly plagued by addiction and despair, into thriving spaces of joy, unearthing latent talents and… pic.twitter.com/KJV2cy1jhw
— Isha Foundation (@ishafoundation) September 12, 2023
Into its 15th edition, Isha Gramotsavam 2023 features men’s volleyball, women’s throwball and rural games. In addition to that, Tamil Nadu also fielded men’s and women’s kabaddi teams in the competition.
The prize money for volleyball and throwball winners have been kept at Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively. The kabaddi men’s and women’s winners take home Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively. Notably, famous Telugu singer Ram Miryala sung the Isha Gramotsavam 2023 theme song.
“This is not about becoming a competitive sportsperson, but just about being a Sport for life. If you can throw a ball with total participation & involvement, a ball can change the world. May you know the joy of Playing with abandon,” Sadhguru wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Grand Finale of #IshaGramotsavam is on in full flow at Isha Yoga Center, in the presence of Adiyogi. An unforgettable display of the resurgant sporting spirit of rural India. pic.twitter.com/lgwFq1niFJ
— Isha Foundation (@ishafoundation) September 23, 2023
For the unknown, so far Isha Gramotsavam has seen 8,412 teams with the participants’ number reaching 100167. In the past years, legendary sports personalities like Sachin Tendulkar, 2004 Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and former weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari cheered the athletes at the festival.
Renowned sports personalities like Mithali Raj, PV Sindhu, Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan have supported Isha Gramotsavam in the past.
9:30 AM – 10:35 AM – Men’s Volleyball Finals
10:35 AM – 12:15 AM – Kabaddi Women’s Semifinals A & B
12:15 PM – 2:15 PM – Kabaddi Men’s Semifinals A & B
2:15 PM – 3:05 PM – Kabaddi Women’s Finals
3:05 PM – 4:05 PM – Kabaddi Men’s Finals
4:05 PM – 4:55 PM – Throwball Finals
4:55 PM – 6:00 PM – Closing Ceremony in Sadhguru’s Presence
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