Bhanderwah (Himachal Pradesh) [India] July 7, (ANI): Wrestlers from across the country participated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative, 'Khelo India', which took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Bhaderwah.

Aarif Khadif, a resident of Bhaderwah, says that this event was massive and expresses gratitude to the PM for this initiative. 'With this 'Khelo India' initiative, it is a clear message from the PM encouraging not only wrestling but other traditional games from the corners of India. Today is the second and last day of wrestling, and a large crowd has gathered here. This event is being held in Bhaderwah, a place situated on the border of Himachal.'

Highlighting that the crowd has gathered from across Bhaderwah, Khadif said, 'This initiative will surely bear fruit. Youngsters from this place are addicted to drugs; however, now, because of this initiative by the PM, they will be encouraged to be a part of this initiative. I would like to thank the administration for being able to execute this wrestling initiative.'

Another individual present at the location said, 'You can see that people are happy here and the crowd is gathered in a large amount. The crowd is inclusive of both younger people and the elderly. We used to watch wrestling in our childhood, but for some reason it stopped, and now we get to see it again, which is a delight.'

Another wrestler shared his experience of coming here from Haryana to participate in the games, 'In the coming time, I will practice more and be better as I enjoyed every bit of the game today,' said the wrestler on Monday.

Additional arrangements for other games, such as cricket, will also be made shortly, a member of the administration said. He further said, 'We tried to cover travel, food and accommodation for all the wrestlers who came to Bhaderwah from other parts of India.'

This 2-day wrestling match was arranged by the tourism department, in collaboration with the local dangal organising committee, supported by the district administration, as stated by a member present at the location. (ANI)