Essay on “Sports in India” Complete Essay for Class 9, Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Sports in India

The history of sports in India dates back to the Vedic era. The “guru-shishya” (teacher-pupil) relationship has always been an integral of Indian sport from time immemorial. Indian sport reached a peak of excellence when Buddhism held sway. It is more than likely that many of today’s Olympic disciplines are sophisticated versions of the games of strength and speed that flourished in ancient India and Greece. Chess, wrestling, polo, archery and hockey (possibly a fallout from polo) are some of the games believed to have originated in India.

During the era of the Rig-Veda, Ramayana and Mahabharata, men of a certain stature were expected to be well-versed in chariot-racing, archery, military stratagems, swimming, wrestling and hunting. Arjuna and Bhima, two of the mighty Pandavas, excelled in archery and weightlifting respectively. Bhimsen, Hanuman, Jamvant, Jarasandha were some of the great champion wrestlers of yore. The Mughal emperors were keen hunters of wild game, and passionate patrons of sports, especially wrestling. The Agra Fort and the Red Fort were the popular venues of many a wrestling bout, in the times of Emperor Shahjahan. Chattrapati Shivaji’s guru, Ramdas, built several Hanuman temples all over Maharashtra, for the promotion of physical culture among the youth.

Kerala’s martial art form, Kalari Payattu, is very similar to Karate. Those who practice it have to develop acrobatic capabilities, when using swords or knives to attack their adversaries, and even an unarmed exponent can be a force to reckon with. It is quite possible that some of our martial art forms travelled to China, Korea and Japan, but as in the case of Buddhism, atrophied in India. The technique of Pranayama or breathing control, which is a prominent feature of Tae – kwan – do, Karate, Judo and Sumo wrestling was one of the many techniques spread in the Far East by Buddhist pilgrims from India. Nowadays cricket, hockey, lawn tennis, kabaddi, kho kho and golf are popular sports in India.

India has a tradition of sports and physical fitness. In recognition of the importance of sports, a separate department was set up in 1982, prior to the commencement of the 9th Asian Games. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) was established in 1984 as a registered society in pursuance of a Government of India resolution. Its main objectives include the effective and optimum utilization of various sports facilities and all matters pertaining to sports promotion and sports management. Scheme of Grants for Creation of Sports Infrastructure has been in operation in the Department for more than 25 years. Under this scheme, State governments, state sports councils, U.T. administrations, local statutory bodies and registered voluntary organizations can avail assistance for creation of various kinds of sports infrastructure like play fields, indoor and outdoor stadia, swimming pools, velodrome and sports hostels. Under Grant to Rural Schools for Playfields & Sports

Equipment, Secondary and Senior Secondary School, fulfilling the prescribed conditions and located in a rural area, is entitled to claim a one time maximum assistance of Rs.1 lakh for development of a play field or purchase of nonconsumable sports equipment or for both. Under different schemes various provisions have been to make available facilities for practice and training to our National Athletics and Synthetic Surfaces. Since the commencement of the Scheme, 9 synthetic athletic tracks, and 15 hockey surfaces have been sanctioned grants and these either stand installed or are in the process of installation at various places in the country. Sports Federations, are financially assisted for conducting national championships, organizing coaching camps for preparing teams and for participation of the teams in international tournaments. Limited secretarial support is also given by way of reimbursement of salary of the paid Joint/Assistant Secretary of the Federation. There are 54 recognized National Sports Federations. The Indian Olympic Association is also treated as a sports federation for the purpose of support and financial assistance under this scheme.

To honour outstanding sportstars, various Awards have been initiated and launched by the Indian Government. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award are the major ones. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award scheme was launched from the year 1991-92 with the objective of honouring most outstanding sportspersons to enhance their general status and to give them great dignity and place of honour in society. Under this scheme, an amount of Rs. 1.00 lakh is given as award for the most   spectacular and outstanding performance in the field of sports by an individual sportsperson or a team. The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 as the highest national recognition of distinguished sportspersons. The awardee is given a bronze statuette of Arjuna, a scroll, and a cash prize along with a monogram, a blazer and a tie. Dronacharya Award was instituted in 1985 to honour eminent coaches who have done outstanding and meritorious ‘work on consistent basis, to motivate them to dedicate themselves with a singularity of purpose for raising the standards of sportspersons to highest performance in international events and bring glory to the country. The award is given to those who have produced outstanding achievements consistently during three years preceding the Award.