Bhubaneswar: Sports and Youth Affairs Minister of Odisha Chandra Sarathi Behera is optimistic that the upcoming Ekamra Sports Literary Festival (ESLF) to be organised in the Temple City, November 2-3, will play a vital role in bridging the gap between sports fans and their icons.
ESLF will also create a great ambience for the forthcoming 14th edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup to be played at the Kalinga Stadium here from November 28 to December 16, the minister observed.
“Ekamra, the ancient name of the capital city Bhubaneswar, is reminiscent of the rich culture, tradition and heritage. This mega international event would emanate the glory and prestige of the state,” the minister tweeted.
Chandra Sarathi believes that Odisha always had a great potential for sports activities, but it has never been tapped well. “We had some great athletes and a galaxy of hockey stars in the past. The present generation of sports stars is also making the state proud continuously.”
The minister emphasised that the Odisha government is serious about sports and its development is among the government’s top priorities. “Our sportspersons are bringing a lot of laurels and glory, therefore, it is our duty to provide them with proper facilities and exposure,” he added.
The affable minister observes that development of sports also complements the development of several other sectors like tourism, culture, infrastructure and urban development.
“Now, we have added one more sector to it and that is literature. With the growth of sports in India lots of sports literature is being written these days, but there are few takers. They have a future market potential, but it requires some endeavour to reach these books to the readers and sports fans,” Chandra Sarathi said.
According to the minister, with Odisha emerging as the sports hub of the country there is no better place than Bhubaneswar to host the largest sports literary festival of Asia.
ESPL will be a great platform with the right scale and canvas bringing authors and sportspersons of national and international acclaim together. It will combine the written word with the burgeoning world of Indian sports as Indian sports stars are increasingly coming out with biographies, plus thousands of books are published in sport by various authors and journalists.”
Behera feels that the conclave of national and international sports writers, authors, athletes, players and coaches will draw fans from across the world to listen to the experiences and stories of over 30 reputed speakers.
“Won’t it be a kind of soul searching experience for the sports lovers ahead of the mega event like Hockey World Cup?” he signed off.
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