Isha Gramotsavam, a social initiative by Sadhguru aimed at bringing the spirit of sports and playfulness into the lives of rural people, is all set for its spectacular finale in front of the iconic 112-feet Adiyogi, Isha Yoga Center, in Coimbatore on September 23.
Anurag Thakur, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Sadhguru, Founder- Isha Foundation, will grace the occasion that will witness the display of India’s rural sporting prowess.
The 15th edition of Isha Gramotsavam has seen the participation of over 60,000 players from five southern states — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh — and also Puducherry, with cluster and divisional-level events taking place at 194 rural locations.
In the heart of rural southern India, Isha Gramotsavam has emerged as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Isha Foundation's tireless efforts are turning desolate villages, formerly plagued by addiction and despair, into thriving spaces of joy, unearthing latent talents and… pic.twitter.com/KJV2cy1jhw— Isha Foundation (@ishafoundation) September 12, 2023
With over 10,000 rural women, mostly householders, participating in events like Kabaddi and Throwball, Isha Gramotsavam stands as a testament to a silent revolution, empowering rural women in Bharat.
Explaining the celebratory spirit behind Isha Gramotsavam, Sadhguru said, “Isha Gramotsavam is a celebration of life through sport. A game can unite people beyond all social divisions. This is the power of sport — it can erase boundaries of caste, religion and other identities with celebratory playfulness."
Sadhguru shared on social media platform X: “This is not about becoming a competitive sportsperson, but just about being a Sport for life. If you can throw a ball with total participation & involvement, a ball can change the world. May you know the joy of Playing with abandon."
Isha #Gramotsavam is a celebration of Life through Sport. A game can unite people beyond all social divisions; this is the power of Sport- that it can erase boundaries of caste, religion and other identities with celebratory playfulness. This is not about becoming a competitive… pic.twitter.com/ujfP34X0Jd— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) August 6, 2023
Conducted since 2004, this year’s Isha Gramotsavam features volleyball for men, throwball for women, and rural games with Tamil Nadu additionally featuring Kabaddi for men and women. The winners in volleyball and throwball will receive Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively while men’s and women’s teams winning Kabaddi will take away prizes of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively. Competing players also stand a chance to win from a pool of prize money worth Rs 55 lakh.
“The unique aspect of Isha Gramotsavam is that all players in the team are from the same village. This is not a tournament for professional players but is a platform which encourages everyone to play. From encouraging everyone to take up some form of a game, to rekindling the fun of rural games and reviving dying traditional art forms, the whole initiative is carefully crafted so that the entire village comes together as a celebration and brings back the zest of rural life," says Swami Nakuja, part of organising team of Isha Gramotsavam.
Striking a chord with the participants and the rural folks all around, this year the Gramotsavam theme song has been sung by famous Telugu singer Ram Miryala. You can watch the catchy ‘Raa Aadu Aataadu’ (Come Play, Play a Game!) Gramotsavam Theme " rel="noopener" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here.
The past editions of Isha Gramotsavam have seen 8,412 teams, comprising 1,00,167 players. Isha Outreach, which is organising Isha Gramotsavam, has been recognised as National Sports Promotion Organization (NSPO ) by the Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs. In the year 2018, Isha Outreach received the “Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar" award from the Hon’ble President of India for Sports Development.
Sports celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, Olympic medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Karnam Malleshwari have earlier participated as special guests in the finals of the sports festival. Mithali Raj, PV Sindhu, Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan have voiced support for Isha Gramotsavam.