With the festival season about to begin in India, the country’s decorated Olympians and Paralympians have joined hands for the first time since Tokyo 2020 in a video that has been produced to support the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s (MOHFW) efforts to inspire and promote safe celebrations during the festival period to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases.
New Delhi [India], September 28 : The video titled #TyoharonKeRangCABKeSang demonstrates hope against all adversity and features India’s Olympic and Paralympic heroes reminding their fellow citizens to not let their guard down during their celebrations and to celebrate festivals responsibly. They also remind citizens of the continued importance of observing Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB), which means to maintain hand hygiene, maintain a distance of 6-feet, wear a mask, and vaccinate themselves if they are aged 18 years or over by logging onto the CoWIN portal or Aarogya Setu app. The video features national heroes who have not only vanquished odds like extreme poverty but persevered at the biggest international stage, winning Olympic and Paralympic glory for India to create history. They include Olympians: Javelin throw gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, Wrestling freestyle silver medallist Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Wrestling freestyle 65 Kg Bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, India’s first fencer to qualify for the Olympics Bhavani Devi, and the goalkeeper of India’s bronze-winning men’s hockey team PR Sreejesh. Paralympians: High Jump silver medallist Praveen Kumar, Archery bronze medallist Harvinder Singh, Club Throw finalist Ekta Bhyan, the first Indian woman to win two medals at the same Olympics / Paralympics with a gold in the 10m and bronze in 50m air rifle standing Avani Lekhara, Discus throw silver medallist Yogesh Kathuniya, and Badminton bronze medallist Manoj Sarkar. India’s Olympians and Paralympians, who had one of their most successful Olympics at Tokyo 2020, embodied the very spirit of India by rising up to the challenge, against all odds to win medals for the country. Through this video, the essence of their conquering spirit is captured, to encourage and inspire the 1.3 billion Indian citizens to similarly overcome COVID-19 by observing all COVID Appropriate protocols and urging others to celebrate #COVIDSafeFestivities. They say “Khathinaaiyon ka samjhdhaari se saamna aur samaadhaan nikaalna humari zimmedaari hai …Sports aur Zindagi mein!” The inspiring video is a reminder to all Indians that nothing is impossible and that together we can overcome any of our adversities including the current pandemic.
