Isha Yoga Foundation celebrated the spirit of rural sports with their Isha Gramotsavam. Over 7,000 people participated in the various events that were organized by Isha. The month-long celebration that covered the rural Tamil Nadu came to a close today at CODIISSIA grounds.

At the grand finale, India’s cricket hero, Sachin Tendulkar made his presence felt. The crowds literally went delirious with joy at the sight of the Master Blaster. People climbed upon chairs and yelled out his name in chorus. When he was delivering his address, he was frequently interrupted by whistles and cheers.

“I’m experiencing sheer joy on being here among all of you. I thank you for this opportunity. I congratulate Isha Foundation for doing such a wonderful job.” Sachin said. A keenly observant person that he is, Sachin also spoke about a few things that he noticed while he witnessed the finals of the men and women’s throw ball and volleyball matches.

“What I appreciate the most is the spirit in which the games were played today. More than 7,000 participants and so many people have come to witness this event.” said Sachin. While he witnessed the final match, there was never a moment when he took his eyes off the field. He smiled and cheered the teams and shared a lighter moment with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev who was seated right beside him.

“Sports for all is what I encourage. Sports taught me a lot of things in life. Sports taught me to be disciplined and sports taught me to be focused. When I lost a match, sports taught me to stand up on my feet and try again.” Sachin said. There was a loud cheer from the crowd who knew their hero had lots more to talk about.

Finding the connection between sports and life, Sachin said that in a game of sports, we have to play as team and we win as a team. He also pointed out that it becomes the responsibility of every member of the team to motivate each other. In a team sometimes an individual member has to make sacrifices, he said. “If these principles are applied to life, all our day-to-day problems can be taken care of,” Sachin said.

Moving the focus to health, Sachin said that India is the diabetes capital of the world. This is something that we have to come together and change. “Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and playing a sport that interests us can make the people of our country healthy. My grandmother once told me health is wealth. We must work towards creating a fit, healthy, and a smiling India.” Sachin said.

As a perfect icing on the cake, the Master Blaster revealed one of his secrets and the crowd just loved his candid confession. “As a child I enjoyed playing volleyball. Even in the Indian team we played a lot of volleyball.” Sachin said. However, it was his concluding line that made those listening to him more than just happy. With a big smile on his face, and the crowd shouting his name out loud and clear in the background, the Bharat Ratna winner signed off, saying, “You have won my heart.”