Passion for sports greatest tribute to Major Dhyan Chand: Modi in 'Mann Ki Baat'

New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' hailed the Olympic medal winners and said the passion for sports is the greatest tribute to Major Dhyan Chand.

He said, "After 40 years, we won a medal in hockey in the Olympics... you can think and imagine how happy Major Dhyan Chand would be today and the passion for sports is the greatest tribute to the Major."

The Prime Minister said that the momentum should not stop and the sports grounds in villages and cities must be full and this can be achieved through participation.

"We are all celebrating the birth anniversary of Dhyan Chand. I believe that he would have been very proud of the newer generation who are reviving the sport after four decades,"said the PM.

He said that the new generation is changing. :They are exploring the unknown. They want to carve out new paths and the youth want to take risks, they want to give wings to their dreams by building startups in new sectors.

"We should also take advantage of this opportunity to master different types of sports.Village to village sports competitions should go on continuously. Let's all take this momentum forward, contribute as much as we can, make it a reality with the mantra 'Sabka Prayas', " said the PM.

The Prime Minister also wished people on Janmashtami. "Tomorrow is Janmashtami. Only a few days back, I inaugurated multiple projects in Gujarat's Somnath. There is also Bhalka Tirth in Gujarat, where Krishna spent last days on the earth there. There I found a mesmerising book on Krishna's avatars.

"I met Jadurani Dasi ji who wrote a book on Bhakti art. She was born and brought up in America. She is now associated with ISKCON and Hare Krishna movement and visits India often. It's so heartwarming to see her devote her time to Indian culture.

"Let us celebrate our festivals... understand the meaning behind it. Not only this, in every festival there is some message, there is some ritual. We also have to know it, live it and pass it on as a legacy for the generations to come," Modi said.