With a rousing welcome by students, son of the idyllic valley and star Winter Olympian of the nation, Arif Mohammad Khan actively kicked off the unique campaign- ‘Meet The Champions’ at Government SP Model Higher Secondary School in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir on Friday.

                Talking about this unique initiative of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi which has today completed its 17th edition with nearly 200 students in the oldest school of picturesque valley, the Indian Alpine Skier said, “The day when our Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the Fit India campaign, it was a clear indication for every Indian that he wants each one of us to have proper diet regularly and make fitness a part of our daily life.”

Stressing on the intake of a balanced diet, Arif added “Santulit Aahar (balance diet) doesn’t mean you stop going to the nearby café but it’s just that anything you eat should be eaten in a balanced way.”

Meanwhile, the event also witnessed an enthusiastic gathering of students who interacted with zeal and curiosity asking many questions related to  diet and fitness, challenges they face in the valley, ways to balance sports and academics etc. One of the students of SP HSS asked, “What infrastructural changes do you want to have so that Kashmir gets more international skiers?”

“There were times when I was about to give up due to different issues and circumstances, but I never did that since I was highly focused on what I wanted. So, do what you love to do and maintain a healthy lifestyle but never give up,” replied the country's sole representative to the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Notably, he also encouraged the students to eat and understand how rich Kashmir is in terms of organic food, fresh fruits and its culinary & cuisines which carries a lot of nutrients in it. “We actually should understand how fortunate we all are in the valley where our regular, homely meals have so much of nutrition, we have orchards with different fruits and we still breathe fresh air. So, we are surrounded with everything we need to stay fit,” Arif supplemented.

This unique initiative is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Education and is part of the government’s ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

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NB/OA/UD