Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the youth to put ‘playgrounds over playstations’ and highlighted the value of sports for a better community, family life, and national pride. On Thursday, PM Modi used a video conference to address athletes during the ‘Khelo India Dialogue’. Speaking during the discussion, Prime Minister Modi said that while a schedule for education is being developed, sports are also finding a place in it. When school sports are viewed as an integral part of life rather than merely extracurricular activities, the country will develop a sporting culture.
PM Modi’s Message To Youth
He advocated for a “playgrounds over playstations strategy,” citing children’s excessive use of smartphones, PCs, and gaming consoles.
“When time table is being made for career and studies, sports is also getting its place. This is the change due to which India’s trust in its sporting future is increasing. Sports culture is established when schools do not consider sports periods as a co-curricular activity, but as a way of life. This is how the talent pool is developed, and the children get support from their families. Sports centers are more important than screens. Playgrounds are more important than Playstations. It will only happen when our youth will take this approach forward,” he said.
PM Modi added that the spirit of sportsmanship is crucial for a strong family structure, a healthy community, and an improved workplace culture. Sports also help people become more competitive.
“We often hear that, for a healthy society, a good family system, and a better work culture, the sportsman spirit is essential. And this spirit is very difficult to learn without going to the sports field. Sports not only teach us to become champions, but sports also teaches us to become better competitors. Rising, falling… falling and then rising again… Sports brings this zeal within us,” he said.
The Prime Minister added that ‘those who play, they blossom’, emphasising that success in sports is more than just winning on the pitch.
“It signifies the blossoming of the individual and the family, as well as enhancing the nation’s pride. When an athlete succeeds, that success is not theirs alone; it elevates the identity of their family, boosts the prestige of their school and college, and strengthens the recognition of their district and state. The world begins to identify that city or state by the athlete’s name,” he signed off.