One of the moments from Nationals that truly stands out as a highlight of my time with Leeds Hindu Soc, was seeing Leeds as a unified presence, all of our teams donning matching kits. In past years, Leeds has not had as much of a presence at sports competitions, so seeing the collective effort to establish five different sports teams and coordinate everyone in personalised, matching kits (a first for Leeds!) was immensely gratifying. It was a joyous occasion, made even more special by the overwhelming support and recognition from both our sponsor and kit provider.
On the day, I participated in both Netball and Kho. Despite forming our Kho team just two weeks prior, the remarkable progress we made, considering many team members were new to the sport and our practice space was confined to small classrooms, was truly impressive. What added to the experience was the incredible camaraderie displayed by the various Leeds teams. During our Kho matches, the Netball team rallied behind us, proudly displaying our team poster and cheering us on. Additionally, a member of the football team graciously stepped in to substitute for an injured player, despite being unfamiliar with the rules. Whilst we may not have brought home any trophies, the true achievement for me was in fostering a sense of unity and team spirit within Leeds, laying the groundwork for future competitiveness and the possibility of fielding even more teams with even more elaborate kits in the years to come.
Angelica Patel, Vice President of Leeds Hindu Society
National sports competition 2024, once again like in previous years, was held at Tipton. The planning and smooth execution of the event resulted from the project team and National Committee using their initiative and experiences from previous years to develop a plan which could meet the needs of the growing and flourishing NHSF (UK) parivaar. The event has changed drastically from when I was on chapter in 2019 where there were only two kho pitches, to having five to meet the pleasant demand of chapters wanting to participate in sports.
The aim of the project was not only to provide an opportunity for chapters to compete against each other in different sports but also to encourage adversity in diversity. Throughout the day, whilst many chapter members put out their best performances on the court to win their respective sports, we saw the five dharmic values (ahimsa, sangathan, satkara, satya and shila) which were mentioned in the opening ceremony by Rutik and Bhavani manifested and represented through action.
The main highlight for me this year was the kho finals, as a kho player and someone who has played the sport for slightly over a decade, I was shocked by the result of the final being a draw as this has never been something I’ve witnessed or something that has happened in NHSF (UK) National sports competition history. The grit and determination by both Queen Mary and Trafford to stretch the game to go into a super-over and still end in a draw was awe-inspiring for me as a spectator. The attitude and actions of both teams throughout the game and in the award ceremony were the embodiment of Ahimsa, Sangathan, Satkara, Satya and Shila.
Today, as I witnessed the unity and unwavering commitment of both teams and every chapter present, it became abundantly clear that as Hindu students, we possess an incredible power to uphold our dharmic values regardless of the challenges we face. This fills me with immense anticipation for the future, as I envision chapters and their members across the UK harnessing the strength of dharma to overcome obstacles not only on campus, but also as they embark on their journey beyond graduation in the summer.
Together, let us embrace this spirit of unity and determination, knowing that with dharma as our guide, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
In the service of dharma,
Vivek Motichande, National Events Team Member & National Sports Competition Project Manager
