Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 1: Students of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Gurukul have brought laurels to the Shrine Board by winning haul of 11 medals in 8 events during 3-day North Zone Youth Festival held from 28-30 November at premises of Ved Vyas Campus of Central Sanskrit University Balahar, Himachal Pradesh, under the aegis of Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi.
In the mega event, around 300 students from Central Sanskrit University and Adarsh Maha Vidyalaya of Sanskrit, along with its various campuses situated in J-K, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand including Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, Katra participated in various competitions.
The events organized during the Festival included Rangoli, translation competition, Sanskrit News writing, Computerized Sanskrit, Educational Short Film, Solo Sanskrit Song, Group Song & Dance Competition and various sports events like High Jump, 100/400 Meter Sprint, Badminton, Volleyball, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Chess and Wrestling.
As many as 40 students of SMVD Gurukul participated in the event and won 2 Gold medals in Group Song and Rangoli, 3 silver medals in Sanskrit News writing, Yogasana and Wrestling and secured 6 bronze medals in the categories of Educational Short Film making, Solo Sanskrit Song, Wrestling and High Jump events.
Earlier to the commencement of the event, Mahamandleshwar Shri Swami Vishveshvaranand Giriji Maharaj, Chairman, SMVD Gurukul and Member, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) visited the campus at Katra and motivated the students exhorting that they would be serving as an inspiration for the other students and while participating in the forthcoming event should not feel the pressure of expectations and just focus on giving their 100 percent.
It is noteworthy that SMVD Gurukul has not only kept alive the Vedic and Sanatan traditions in the modern era but also providing a supportive and nurturing environment for its students to excel in sports and other extracurricular activities.