In Gujarat, the National Games, garba and the start of election fever

In Gujarat, the National Games, garba and the start of election fever

In Gujarat, the National Games, garba and the start of election fever: Divyansh Panwar is relieved to not have to worry about numbers and quotas for a change.

Even though shooting, the discipline he plays and is a world cup medalist in, requires complete and utter stillness of both mind and body, the 20-year-old athlete would rather let free and shake a leg.

The Olympian from Tokyo explains, “I’m in Ahmedabad during Navratri, so I got to taste garba one of the evenings.”

A rower on the Sabarmati Riverfront, not far from the Ahmedabad Rifle Club in the city’s historic district, too can’t stop gushing about Navratri. Not in the sense of going out for a garba dance.

As it turns out, most hotels in the six towns hosting the National Games—including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Bhavnagar—have stopped serving non-vegetarian food in honor of the festival.

Because protein is so crucial to their diet, the organizers explain, “we have organized all meals for them at the locations.”

RSS

Large posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel are being erected at Sanskardham, an RSS-backed institution that is one of the Games locations.

These are a not-so-subtle reminder of the second great ‘festivity’ that is coming up, the Gujarat assembly elections, and can be found all across the city and state, including at major intersections, along the Sabarmati, on buses, and in railway stations and airports.

The biggest-ever National Games kick off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, amidst the electoral fervor and the vibrant colors of Navratri.

Since the paddlers need to be in China for their World Championship, the table tennis tournament was staged sooner than the others, and so the Games were unofficially launched last week in Surat.

To be sure, Prime Minister Modi will be the one to make the official opening statement. There will be a big celebration in his honor at the stadium named for him, state officials say.

Goa was meant to host the National Games in 2015, but those plans were shelved after they were disregarded for years.

Goa was unable to complete the project for a number of reasons, including protracted delays, rising expenses as a result of those delays, a shortage of funding, and the pandemic.

Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat’s sports minister, claimed that the state contacted the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) three months ago to express interest in hosting the event. In a matter of days, plans were finalized and put into motion.

During the next two weeks, around 15,000 athletes and officials from 36 states and union territories will compete in 35 different sports in a state with little sporting tradition outside of cricket.

IOA

The IOA mandated that all elite athletes attend the event earlier this month, and since then, nearly all of them have come upon the city with the exception of Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu, who have both cited ailments as the reason for their absence.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the funding for these Games had been boosted to Rs 2,000 crore at the same time as the IOA edict.

One official from the Sports Authority of Gujarat said, “A big part of the budget has been used to enhance the facilities and book hotel rooms.”

More than 1,500 hotel rooms in Gandhinagar, over 2,000 in Ahmedabad, 400 in Bhavnagar, and slightly fewer in Rajkot, Baroda, and Surat have been reserved for athletes and authorities.

The deployment of hundreds of automobiles and buses on the streets of these cities was not the biggest challenge; rather, it was the upgrading of venues in just two months that presented the greatest difficulty.

Since the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad was deemed unfit for swimming, the triathlon was relocated to Gandhinagar.

The rest, including the new skating rink whose floor quality has been questioned and the cleaning of the basketball court floor in Bhavnagar, the organizers maintain, has been finished on a “war footing.” Equipment for the pier was brought in from Pune and Bhopal.

Coach Ismail Baig of the Indian rowing team adds, “I have been here 24 hours to get things done for the past 15 days.” Officials in Bhavnagar claim that, for the past two weeks, they have consistently arrived at the venue at 6 in the morning and left at 2 in the afternoon.

Olympic bid

Since the host nations for the Olympics up through 2032 have already been picked, all of this is part of Gujarat’s campaign to host the games in 2036.

During a hearing earlier this year, the state’s advocate general stated before the Gujarat High Court that negotiations are underway with the International Olympic Committee and that the Games are likely to be held there in 2025.

Sanghavi claims that after successfully organizing the National Games, even larger events will be within reach. “We have the experience and are capable enough to deliver National Games in 90 days.”

A lot of the state’s readiness claims will be put to the test over the next two weeks.

The athletes are starting to settle into the groove, even if the competition doesn’t matter much to them in terms of ranking or selection.

Several other celebrities, including Chopra and Sindhu, will be in Baroda on Thursday morning, and they all plan to dance the garba with Panwar. Others may be spotted savoring a traditional Gujarati thali the night before the competition. That is, without the flesh.

Read More: Sports ground for the National Games tournament will be finalized soon