As soon as a vibrant celebration of rural vigour, the Kila Raipur Video games appear to have misplaced their spark, leaving long-time spectators eager for the previous. This annual occasion, famously often called the Rural Olympics, used to draw hundreds with its thrilling lineup of bullock cart races, tractor sprints, and even elephant dashes. However now, the excitement has light, and so have the crowds.
Individuals exhibiting their abilities the through the Kila Raipur video games in Ludhiana on Friday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)
Amarjeet Singh, a 58-year-old ex-armyman and native resident, reminisced in regards to the glory days. “People came mainly for the bullock cart races. Without them, there’s no excitement left. It’s ironic to call these ‘rural games’ when there are barely any rural games left. Until the 1990s, this festival was packed and finding a place to stand was a challenge. My whole family, including relatives from other cities and even abroad, would visit just for this festival. Now, that craze is gone,” he lamented.
Yadwinder Singh, 52, shared comparable sentiments. “These stands were never empty before. Events like bullock cart races, camel races, mule races, and dog races have been replaced by professional games. The crowd now isn’t even 10% of what it used to be,” he mentioned, pointing on the sparse gathering across the stadium.
State govt but to resolve on rural sport
The absence of worldwide guests can be telling. The village’s former sarpanch Gian Singh famous, “Almost no NRIs visited this year, and there’s been no foreign media presence either, which used to be the scene when these games truly represented rural culture.” He added that the choice to restart bullock cart races is pending on the state authorities stage. “If the cabinet approves, we are hoping to organise bullock cart races separately before next year’s games,” he mentioned, clinging to a glimmer of hope.
The decline in conventional occasions has undeniably dulled the appeal of the Rural Olympics. With footfall decreased to a mere fraction of its former glory, the pageant awaits a revival that honours its roots.
On Friday, within the ladies’ 100m race, Simran claimed the highest spot, adopted by Rishita in second, and Kiranpal Kaur securing third.
In ladies’ 60m race, Sukhleen Kaur from Mohali triumphed, with Suneha Bhagwat in second place and Anya Bhagwat taking third. The women’ 400m race noticed Akshi Malik from Sangrur race forward to take first place, whereas Rishita Kaur from Chandigarh completed second, and Kiranpal Kaur from Amritsar rounded off the highest three.
Within the gruelling ladies’ 1500m race, it was Twinkle Choudhary from Jalandhar who crossed the end line first, with Mandeep Kaur from Bathinda in second and Pooja from Hoshiarpur in third.
On the lads’s aspect, within the boys’ 60m race, Arian from Meerut took house the gold, adopted by Sukhpreet Singh from Sangrur in second and Gurjot Singh from Patiala in third.
Within the boys’ 100m race, Harmit Singh from Sri Fatehgarh Sahib led the best way, with Gobind in second and Aadesh Garasa from Rajasthan taking third.
Lastly, within the boys’ 1500m race, Mohan from Haryana clinched first place, Prabhjot Singh from Sangrur secured second, and Sandeep from Haryana completed in third.