‘Khedan Watan Punjab Dean’ get off to a flying start

Aparna Banerji

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Jalandhar, August 29

The contingent of the 16 actual Arjuna awardees and sportspersons of the state handing a ‘mashal’ (baton) from hand to hand remained the highlight of the ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Dean’, which was declared open by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here today. The special baton march by 16 Olympians and Arjuna Awardees saw the participation from Olympian Baljit Singh Dhillon and athlete Manjit Kaur, ace Paralympian Rajinder Singh Rahelu, hammer throw champion Damneet Singh Mann, Asian Games gold medalist kabaddi player Gurpreet Singh, boxer Harpreet Singh Happy, rower Swaran Singh Virk and shuttler Pranav Chopra among others.

Initial hiccups

After initial hiccups and delays, the mega sporting event was held with much fanfare and celebration. Festoons and poppers displays marked the event at regular intervals. Hundreds of students dressed in traditional costumes descended on Guru Gobind Singh Stadium to keep the spirits high.

Singers enthral audience

The Nooran sisters started the cultural programme. The theme song evoking the sporting spirit of the state was also sung by singers Ranjit Bawa and Amrit Mann at the event.

National anthem skipped

While the national anthem was a part of the schedule of events to be held during the ceremony, it wasn’t eventually sung at the event. Until the time when audience left the stadium after the CM’s speech (followed by a tug-of-war and a volleyball match), the national anthem was not sung.

Souvenirs for guests

All dignitaries were given souvenirs at the end of the inaugural ceremony of the two-month-long mega sports event. The souvenirs included small jute bags with a logo of the event and key chains in the shape of rugby, cricket bat, hockey and boxing gloves.

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7 players on logo

The logo of the ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Dean’, which was released on Monday, features seven prominent players — late Milkha Singh, athelete Manjit Kaur, Olympian shooter Abhinav Bindra, cricketer Yuvraj Singh, hockey players Balbir Singh and Gurjeet Kaur and para powerlifter Rajinder Singh Rahelu. The young and old players have both been included to strike a balance.