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The biggest annual sports fest of central India—Ranbhoomi was held at IIM Indore on March 3-5, 2017. The Fest witnessed various sports like cricket, CrossFit—branded fitness regimen, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, LAN Gaming, Badminton, Kabbadi, and Lawn Tennis, etc. Indoor Sports like Arm Wrestling, Chess, Snooker, and Table Tennis also witnessed huge enthusiasm from the participants with sportsmanship spirit.
The Opening Ceremony of the fest was graced with the presence of Fitness Icon and Bollywood Star Sahil Khan. Mr. Khan was also the judge for several fitness events like Body Building, Power Lifting, etc. Dr. Kapil Gupta from Genebandhu, a Delhi based NGO working for creating a platform for Stem Cell Donors to come together and help in saving lives of the patients suffering from diseases like leukemia or aplastic anemia was also present on the occasion. Every year thousands of Indians die due to leukemia or aplastic anemia because they are unable to find a suitable donor who can donate their bone marrow. These patients hold on to the hope of finding a donor till the end but die in this wait. Genebandhu conducted its first ever stem cell donation camp in Indore during Ranbhoomi.
The inaugural began with the lamp lighting ceremony by the guests. Professor Prashant Salwan, Faculty, IIM Indore then welcomed the guests and appreciated the efforts of Ranbhoomi Team. Sharing his experience of Bombay Marathon, he noted the importance of fitness and health. He gave examples of various top organizations and noted how being physically fit helped them in taking their organizations to a great height. He noted that the students these days are also fitness enthusiasts and know the importance of healthy life. Intellectual input and physical health is very important for a happy life, he concluded.
This was followed by felicitation of Mr. Sahil Khan by the Youth Icon India Award. Mr. Khan spoke about Powerlifting and fitness which is coming up in India and dragging our youth away from intoxicants and bads like alcohol and drugs and saying fitness is giving youth a way out.
This year again, the flagship events like triathlon, power lifting, arm wrestling and swimming were a huge draw and a great emphasis was also being given on different events like arm wrestling, street football, gully cricket, foosball and much more which gave participants an opportunity to bring out the best sportsmanship while enjoying the new sports.
The first day of the fest concluded with a lot of thrill among the various sports team, anticipating the excitement for the next rounds to be held tomorrow. The highlight of the second day of the fest would be DJ Night by Trap Domination with DJ Vylom.
The second day of the fest witnessed the next rounds of the events, followed by finals on the last day. The closing ceremony of the fest took place on March 5, 2017. The closing ceremony was marked by the presence of Mr. Sharad Kumar, Gold Medalist, Asian Para Games 2014 and Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIM Indore. Professor Krishnan congratulated the Ranbhoomi Team for organizing such a grand event. He noted that the efforts put-in by the team this year were noteworthy, which included the Sports Fest for underprivileged children.
This was followed by a short video message by Mr. Mariyappan Thangavelu, Gold Medallist, Rio Paralympics 2016.
Mr. Sharad Kumar then addressed the gathering. He began his talk by thanking the Institute for organizing Ranbhoomi’17. He then shared his experience of his journey with Paralympic Association and how it motivated him and his fellow-mates to achieve something for the country. ‘Doing something for the country, appreciating everybody, in whatever field anyone is good in, is what the Paralympic Association aims. Instead of making fun of especially-abled, we can motivate them to achieve heights in whatever field they excel in’, he said. He also mentioned that doctors may keep suggesting people like us that we shouldn’t go ahead with sports as our body may not support it; but we believe in spreading the message that we are no less than normal humans, and we need to come ahead and stand as examples for others like us, inspire others to try and make the country proud.
Ranbhoomi’17 witnessed more than 20 sports events, both indoor and outdoor. Every event saw great participation from the teams from various colleges across the nation. The winning teams were given the prizes and certificates during the closing ceremony. The overall championship trophy was bagged by IIM Indore.
On this occasion, the children from the government schools for whom a Sports Fest was organized on February 23, 2017; also received prizes for various competitions. The objective of this Sports Fest for students was to encourage healthy lifestyle and promote the idea of staying fit.
Ranbhoomi’17 concluded with lots of fun and fervor and enthusiasm among the participants, who spent three days filled with sportsmanship and thrill and excitement during the matches.