On Bihar’s Fields, Young Souls Chase a Nation’s Dreams
Patna: In the land of Bihar, where the echoes of Nalanda and Vikramshila whisper of ancient wisdom, a new chapter unfolds—one of youthful ambition and unyielding resolve. On May 4, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through a virtual address, ignited the seventh edition of the ‘Khelo India Youth Games’ at Patna’s Patliputra Sports Complex. For the over 6,000 athletes among 10,000 participants, these Games are a crucible of hope, where the sweat of village grounds meets the spotlight of a national stage, each effort a testament to their communities’ pride.
From Patna to Rajgir, Bhagalpur to Gaya, Begusarai to New Delhi, the Games, running until May 15, 2025, hum with the pulse of youth. Twenty-seven medal disciplines, including sepaktakraw—newly added after India’s gold at the ISTAF World Cup in Patna in March 2025—and esports as a demonstration sport, offer a canvas for over 6,000 dreams. “Each one better than the other, each one more talented than the other,” Modi declared, capturing the spirit of these young athletes who carry the aspirations of a nation.
The inauguration, attended by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State Srimati Rakhsha Khadse, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur, and officials from the Bihar government and Bihar State Sports Authority, marked Bihar’s debut as host of a major multi-discipline sporting event. “This is a very important time for Bihar,” Mandaviya said. “History tells us how Nalanda and Vikramshila were eminent knowledge centres. Now the same land will give us new sports development centres.”
Among the athletes are 939 young hopefuls—473 male, 466 female—training in Bihar’s 38 Khelo India Centres, part of 1,048 nationwide. In disciplines like table tennis, athletics, wrestling, football, hockey, weightlifting, archery, boxing, kabaddi, and wushu, they hone their craft under past champions, their eyes set on national glory. For some, the sepaktakraw court is hallowed ground, where India’s men’s regu team won gold at the ISTAF World Cup, a triumph Modi celebrated as 21 nations competed across seven events. Others, stepping into the esports arena, embrace a new frontier, their skills a nod to the future.
Mandaviya framed the Games as a turning point. “These Games are an opportunity to change Bihar’s image as a state capable of hosting big events,” he said. “A Viksit Bihar is part of Viksit Bharat, and now every sports talent in Bihar will get a stage and an opportunity to showcase their skills.” He emphasised talent spotting and grooming, vital for India’s ambition to host the 2036 Olympics, and announced Khelo India’s expansion into a year-round mission with School Games, Beach Games in Diu, Indigenous Games in South India, and Tribal Games in Chhattisgarh, embracing sports like Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Kho-Kho, Mallakhamb, and Yogasana. “The good times in Bihar sports have started,” he added, crediting structured training, athlete-centric approaches, and local support.
Bihar’s progress shines through. At the National Games in Uttarakhand, the state secured 12 medals, including a gold, its best-ever performance. The 38 Khelo India Centres, a State Centre of Excellence in Rajgir, Bihar Sports University, the State Sports Academy, a Sports City along the Patna-Gaya highway, and village-level facilities form a robust ecosystem. Nationwide, 34 Khelo India State Centres of Excellence, in collaboration with state governments, bolster this vision.
Modi, addressing the athletes, cast sports as India’s cultural heartbeat. “The more our sporting culture grows in Bharat, the more our soft power as a nation will increase,” he said. He pointed to Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Bihar’s cricketing prodigy, whose IPL success shows that “the more you play, the more you blossom.” With Khelo India University, Winter, and Para Games, national platforms thrive year-round, building confidence. The ₹4,000 crore sports budget, tripled over a decade, funds infrastructure, while the Target Olympic Podium Scheme and school-level training nurture talent. Modi highlighted emerging sports—Wushu, Pencak Silat, Lawn Bowls, Roller Skating—citing the women’s Lawn Bowls medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The athletes, competing in Bihar’s arenas, embody teamwork and sportsmanship, becoming ambassadors of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. Modi urged them to savour litti-chokha and makhana, weaving Bihar’s warmth into their journey. Beyond the field, sports open new paths—careers in physiotherapy, data analytics, sports technology, broadcasting, esports, and management, supported by National Sports Universities and the National Education Policy’s integration of sports. Mandaviya’s Sundays on Cycle initiative champions fitness, a shield against obesity.
Since its 2017 launch, Khelo India has fostered mass participation and excellence, sending athletes to the Olympics and Asian Games. For the young sprinters in Bhagalpur, wrestlers in Gaya, or archers in Rajgir, these Games are a beginning. Each stride, leap, and strike is a vow to their families, their state, and their nation. As they compete, they etch Bihar’s name on the map of hope, their dreams a beacon for a future where India’s youth light up the world, perhaps on an Olympic stage in 2036.
– global bihari bureau
