West Garo Hills (Meghalaya) [India], January 16 : Meghalaya Sports Minister Shakliar Warjri has said that the youth of the state should be connected to the state's traditional games and Meghalaya Games, inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, was a "historic event".
Participants across all the districts of Meghalaya will take part in the three traditional games - Mawpoin (a Khasi traditional game where two teams try to raise a pyramid of stones and get all the opposing team members 'out'), Rah Mukhrah (a Jaintia traditional game where the competitors carry a raw heavy rounded rock to the finishing line achieving the title of 'KI MAR') and Wa'pong Sika (a Garo traditional game, where two teams compete to push a bamboo pole towards the opponent's goal post).
Warjri expressed gratitude to the President for inaugurating the games. He noted like a large section of the population in the state she also belongs to the tribal community.
"I believe it is a very historic event. We decided to include these traditional games to keep them alive. The youth of our state, the children when they grow up, they should know what are the traditional games played in our state," the minister told ANI.
This is the fifth edition of Meghalaya Games.
Asked why the Meghalaya Games were not sustained despite their start about two decades back, he said it is difficult for him to go into reasons but they were held during the tenure of the previous government in the state.
Warjri said the state government will hold the games every year. "This year we've hosted in Tura, maybe next year in some other district of our state," he said.
The minister urged the youth to make best use of such opportunities.
"We as a government are dedicated to provide what's best for the youth of our state. And through this platform, we hope we see them grow. My message is to work hard and be dedicated. The government is there to assist you. We need to work closely with the youth of our state, to see them grow and see them shine at the national and international level," he said.
The President inaugurated the fifth edition of the Meghalaya Games in Tura on Monday and laid stress on using the country's diversity to boost India's global image in the sports arena. The games will continue till January 20.
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