AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV: Army organizes inter-village games in Gurez
As per the statement issued by Army here, Indian Army is celebrating Jashn-e-Azadi from 9 to 15 August 2021 in Gurez valley of district Bandipora as part of the nationwide campaign of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the glorious 75 years of India’s Independence.
The statement said that the much awaited inter village games was conducted on the sixth day of the festival, which was witnessed by more than 500 people including the locals, tourists, government officials and Army personnel from all corners of Gurez at the Army helipad in Dawar. Chief Guest for the event was Mateena Rajput, bollywood actress and model from Kashmir.
It said that various Inter village games such as tug of war, sand bag race, sack race, and lemon race for children were conducted during the event which was highly lauded and participated by the villagers with full élan and josh. Highlight of the event was the traditional pony race which is an inherent part of the Gurezi culture and is a highly acclaimed and participated event.
The Army statement said this event is being extolled as the Jashn-e-Gurez 2.0 which is being celebrated by the Army after a long gap of two years, primarily due to the COVID restrictions.
The aim of conducting such festivals is to reinvigorate the energy, enthusiasm and pride of the Gurez is towards the nation and to promote the rich and varied cultural heritage of Gurez in order to attract more tourists to this scenic valley, thereby positively impacting the socio-economic development of Gurez, it adds.
As per the statement, the grand finale of Jashn-e-Azadi will be conducted on 15th Aug at the Dawar Helipad from 11 am onwards where a colorful event comprising of Gurez mela and cultural shows will be showcased to the world.
It said that final round of Tug of War competition between the Army and Achoora village is a much awaited event for the locals, however, the spotlight of the event would be the free fall display by the Army and para gliding display by Gurpreet Singh Dhindsa, international paragliding instructor and his team from Bir Billing, Himachal Pradesh.
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