Latest news with #PTIBhasha
NDTV
a day ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Pakistan Hockey Team Must Play In India And India Should Reciprocate: Ex-Captain Rehan Butt
Describing the sports ministry's decision, which has paved the way for the Pakistan hockey team's participation in two major multi-nation tournaments here, as a "positive step", former Pak captain Rehan Butt said the Indian team should also cross the border in future and play in his country. A source in the Indian sports ministry said on Thursday that Pakistani hockey teams will be allowed to compete in next month's Asia Cup and the subsequent Junior World Cup. While the Asia Cup is scheduled in Rajgir, Bihar from August 27 to September 7, the Junior World Cup will be organised in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. "I think it is a very positive step. I don't know what our government decides but my personal opinion is that sports should be kept away from politics and the Pakistan hockey team should definitely go and play in India," Butt, who has represented Pakistan in three Olympics and two World Cups, told PTI Bhasha from Pakistan. "Someone should have taken the first step and if the Pakistan team goes to India, then in future India should also cross the border to play here," added the ace forward, who was a member of 2010 Asian Games gold-winning Pakistan team. India and Pakistan have been avoiding bilateral sporting engagements after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks but even multi-lateral face-offs were in doubt after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists were gunned down in April. In May, India retaliated with Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, leading to a tense military showdown. Rehan, known for his play-making and goal-scoring skills, also feels that the two countries playing against each other is very important for the popularity of Asian hockey. "Hockey lovers in the sub-continent love to watch aggressive and artistic hockey of these arch-rivals. The Indian hockey team has won consecutive Olympic bronze medals and has improved immensely in the last 8-10 years. Now, they are aiming to win an Olympic gold. Pakistan hockey is also trying to regain its old glory but for that it is necessary to play in the World Cup and the Olympics," he said. Rehan, who has played a lot of hockey in India, was the architect of Bangalore Lions' title win in the Premier Hockey League (PHL) in 2006. He also captained the Chandigarh team in the unsanctioned World Series Hockey in India. He came to India as part of the Pakistan coaching staff during the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai last year and the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar. "India always felt like a second home to me because it was the same culture, the same language and everything was the same. When we played in Europe, we used to miss home but in India it felt like home. I have always received a lot of love in India and I've enjoyed playing in Punjab," said Rehan.
NDTV
a day ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Waiting For Ministry Confirmation, But Good Decision To Give Pakistan The Nod: Dilip Tirkey
Former Indian hockey captain and Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey on Thursday welcomed the government's decision to allow the Pakistani team from playing in the upcoming multi-nation tournaments in India, though he said he was yet to get an official confirmation from the sports ministry. A ministry source said on Thursday that Pakistan's hockey teams will not be stopped from competing in next month's Asia Cup and the subsequent Junior World Cup in India as any move to block the arch-foes from multilateral competitions in the country would be a violation of the Olympic Charter. While the Asia Cup is scheduled in Rajgir, Bihar from August 27 to September 7, the Junior World Cup will be organised in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. "We have not received official information yet and I am also hearing this from the media. But if the government has given approval, then it is a very good decision for hockey," the three-time Olympian, who played 412 matches for the country, told PTI Bhasha. "India is going to host two important tournaments. The Asia Cup will be held in Rajgir and the Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai, and Pakistan is one of the participating countries," said the veteran full back, who was called "the wall of Indian Hockey" in his playing days. A former Rajya Sabha MP from the Biju Janata Dal, Tirkey also said that hockey matches between India and Pakistan are good for the promotion of the game because people love to watch the Asian giants play against each other. "This is good publicity for the game and it will also be good for the success of the tournament," he said. "We are making our preparations. After the recent tensions between the two countries, this will probably be the first visit of any team from Pakistan to India, so tight security measures will be put in place accordingly," he said. He added that there has been no talk with the Pakistan Hockey Federation at the moment with regard to the participation of their teams. "There is no recent communication but obviously they are a participant country and we will communicate once the picture is clear," he said. Recalling the India-Pakistan hockey matches during his playing days, Tirkey said that despite the on-field rivalry, there used to be camaraderie among the players. "When I started, our team had legends like Pargat Singh, Dhanraj Pillay and the Pakistani team had stars like Shahbaz Senior, Tahir Zaman, after which players like Sohail Abbas, Wasim Ahmed, Shakeel Abbasi came. There was great rivalry between the two teams on the field but there was friendship off the field," he said.
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Children need rich and deep literature, not childish: Hindi writer Sushil Shukla
New Delhi, Hindi writer Sushil Shukla on Wednesday expressed gratitude for being named the winner for Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar and said that today children need rich and deep literature, not childish. Shukla, along with 23 others, has been named the winner for the prestigious children's literature award. "We should try that children's literature, stories, poems should not remain only for children. Its subject should be such that people of every age can communicate with them," Shukla told PTI Bhasha over the phone from Bhopal. He added that the winning story collection "Ek Batey Barah" has been written in such a way that readers of every age feel connected to it and return with different meanings for themselves. Shukla, who has been associated with children's literature for the last 18 years, is the director of Ektara, Takshila's Children's Literature and Art Center, and is also the co-editor of two children's magazines - "Pluto" and "Cycle". Talking about the award, he appreciated that the academy has established an award "in a somewhat ignored area like children's literature". "This is an award for the thought that rich and deep literature is necessary for children and not childish literature," he added. The editor of "Chakmak", Shukla was awarded the "Harikrishna Devasare Bal Sahitya Award" for "Ek Batey Barah" in 2024. Hindi tribal poet Parvati Tirkey has been named the recipient for the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar. "Kaavya Karma is actually an attempt to communicate through poems and I am happy that this dialogue has been honoured," she said. Tirkey, who hails from the Kudukh tribal community of Jharkhand, will receive the award for her poetry collection "Phir Ugna". "Phir Ugna" is Tirkey's first poetry work, which was published by Radhakrishna Prakashan in the year 2023. The poems of this collection are "written in simple, truthful and sensitive language, which feels like a direct dialogue to the reader". In these poems, the earth, trees, birds, moon, stars and forests are not mere symbols - they are present within the poem as a living world. Tirkey makes the experiences of tribal life a part of her poems while underlining the ongoing tension between the pressure of modern civilisation and the will to live of the tribal culture. The awardees will receive a cash prize of ₹50,000 along with a copper-plaque at a special ceremony on a later date.
