Our Special Correspondent
TURA:
It was meant to be the biggest sporting event in the history of Garo Hills when it came to table tennis and it surely didn’t disappoint.
Fans of table tennis and sports lovers of Garo Hills saw live performances of national stars before their very own eyes as the likes of national rankers, Sharat Kamal Achanta and Archana Kamath, among others, gave a scintillating performance of the game bringing cheers and the spotlight on Tura for the very first time.
The event was a promotional featuring top tennis players of India, organized by Tura Table Tennis Association (TTTA) in collaboration with the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt. of Meghalaya and the Table Tennis Association of Meghalaya at the Indoor Sports Hall in Tura on Tuesday evening.
Lok Sabha MP of Tura MP, Smt. Agatha K Sangma, attended the promotional event as the chief guest enthusiastically cheering on the local talent who rubbed shoulders with the national stars.
Speaking at the event, Agatha said that sports have become really a very important aspect of people’s lives and recognition that has been given to sportsmen and sportswomen is something very important and well deserved. Stating that sports facilities in Meghalaya too are being upgraded to give platform to the children, she said that having the national and international tennis players here in Tura will boost the morale of the budding tennis players of the region. She also informed that the PA Sangma Stadium which is coming up at Tura is something which is of international standard.
During the promotional event, the star table tennis players of the country like Sharat Kamal Achanta, Reeth Rishya, Archana Kamath, Sanil Shetty and Kamlesh Mehta, who have been representing India at international level, played the exhibition matches with the players from Meghalaya and Suranjit Dey and Tanusree, the players from the state, displayed their extraordinary skills while playing with the star players.
The Principal of Tura Govt. College and the President of TTTA, Terence D Marak, while delivering the welcome address, highlighted the achievements of TTTA and also read out the brief history of the association which was formed in 1982.
