Fitness rally flexes Malkhamb artistes from Chhattisgarh with TV, sports stars

Bhopal: The Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) campus in Bhopal hosted the 56th edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle on Sunday morning, with over 1,200 participants taking part in a cycling rally and fitness activities.The event featured Zumba sessions, rope skipping, yoga, and interactive games for all age groups. Children participated with parents, seniors joined stretching sessions, and students recorded the activities on their phones. Flashing phone lights, selfies, music and cheers were seen before sunrise.Highlights included a mallakhamb performance by young artistes from Abujhmarh forests in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, who were described as stars of India's Got Talent, along with Kudo combat demonstrations, yoga by Yogasana Bharat, and game zones.Sporting personalities present included cricketer Aniket Umashankar Verma, junior hockey international Abdul Ahad, footballer Vishal Joon, canoe sprinter Jaspreet Singh, judokas Shraddha Kadubal Chopade and Yash Ganghas, and Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar winner Yogita Mandavi.Payal Rohatgi, an actor who attended the event, said, "The Union Sports Ministry's Fit India movement is building massive fitness awareness. If our population adopts healthy lifestyles, we'll produce more Olympians. The PM urging ministers to cycle sets an incredible example for our children and generations ahead."The Fit India Movement, started by PM Modi on Aug 29, 2019, aimed to encourage behavioural shifts towards active lifestyles. Organisers said the Bhopal edition highlighted cycling and community fitness as an accessible approach to health and sustainability.Madhya Pradesh minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Vishwas Kailash Sarang flagged off the rally alongside actress Payal Rohatgi, Olympian judoka Garima Choudhary, Deputy Director General of Sports Authority of India IPS Mayank Srivastava, and Regional Director SAI RC and NCOE Bhopal Abhishek Chauhan.