It was a great sight to see His Holiness interacting with two table tennis players, who had darshan of His Holiness and sought His blessings for their successful career.
His Holiness often used to say, “kriidaa cha me”. In our culture playing is not prohibited. On the contrary it is said- “Feeling pride of body; and in the diversion towards sports and other games and the pleasures accrued by such avocations”.
While interacting with the table tennis players, His Holiness dealt in details and to know about speed of the ball, how to hold the bat, the art of having grips,the role of fingers in controlling the shots, the speed in which one should attack the opponent.
It was full of knowledge, information and His Holiness stressed the importance of playing games. In various patasalas , the vidhyartis are encouraged to play outdoor games.
In Chamakam, first Anuvaka nearly thirty six items are prayed for the body which is the cornerstone for upholding Dharma. All sports are uplifted and glorified as a part of fine tuning the body and the mind and even in sports, one should uphold the Dharma. That’s the greatness of our culture and civilisation.