Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

A tribute to the martyrs

— PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

FOR A CAUSE: Players and officials participating in a candle-light demonstration in Vijayawada on Saturday.

VIJAYAWADA: The 600-odd young paddlers drawn from different parts of the country and taking part in the 70th sub-junior national table tennis championship at DRRMC indoor stadium here, kept their racquets aside for a while on Saturday to drive home a strong message about the need for unity and peace in the country, in the wake of dastardly terror attacks in Mumbai. They were keen to send a message loud and clear to the world that the young India was united and they loved their country more than the game and their respective regions.

Amidst sombre mood, the young table tennis players with a lighted candle each in their hands observed silence while paying their tributes to the brave hearts in uniform – the army men, NSG commandos and policemen who laid down their lives to save Mumbai from terrorists. The national anthem sung by girls and boys from as far as Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Manipur, along with their fellow players from Kerala, Puducherry and Goa, moved many a heart and brought tears.

“This is a simple way of remembering our heroes. Such gestures will go a long way in infusing a sense of patriotism among the kids,” said Andhra Pradesh Table Tennis Association secretary S.M. Sultan.

Veteran paddler Balasubrahmanyam said that the ambition of any sportsperson would be to play for his or her country. “By this gesture, the young hearts proved to the world and the powers that rule the country that India shall remain united and none can break the bond,” he said, turning emotional.

Outside the indoor stadium too, the city’s thoroughfares were filled with a good number of banners hailing the sacrifices of men in uniform for the noble cause of saving the country. The Kethanakonda-based CBR Sports Academy condemned the attack and hailed the commandos for keeping their lives in the line of fire.

The M & M shopping mall management on M.G. Road lit candles in their showroom to pay homage to the martyrs. “India is one and shall remain one. The heroes have sent a message to us that the country comes first,” said Dinesh, managing director of the mall.

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