Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 30 August 2025
In a first-of-its-kind event, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands paid a spectacular underwater tribute to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand at Swaraj Dweep on the occasion of National Sports Day 2025.
A team of 12 professional divers, accompanied by three officials from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), carried banners and placards beneath the sea, honouring India’s iconic “Wizard of Hockey.” The event, supported by the Department of Education & Sports, A&N Administration, the Andaman Association of Tour Operators, and Dive Colours, highlighted the islands’ rich marine heritage while sending a powerful national message: the Flame of Fitness burns bright everywhere—on land, across the seas, and even under the ocean.
The underwater homage served as the highlight of the Fit India Andaman Nicobar Khel Mahotsav 2025, a two-week-long festival of sport and fitness held from 15th to 31st August. The Mahotsav commenced on Independence Day with the launch of three Olympic-style Flame of Fitness torches, symbolizing Excellence, Friendship, and Respect. Adorned with motifs of the Cellular Jail crown, dugong, hornbill, mangrove roots, and Olympic rings, the torches traversed over 505 km across all three districts—Nicobar, South Andaman, and North & Middle Andaman—reaching 225 schools and engaging more than 25,958 participants, including students, teachers, athletes, PRI members, tribal leaders, and the general public.
In addition to the torch relay, the festival featured inter-school competitions in athletics, football, volleyball, and indigenous games, along with beach sports, kayaking demonstrations, rope-skipping challenges, mass fitness drills, cultural performances, and health and anti-drug awareness campaigns. Special emphasis was placed on including Children With Special Needs (CWSN) and Persons With Disabilities (PwD), encouraging wider participation in sports and fitness.
Commenting on the event, Ms. Amar Jyoti, Regional Director, SAI Kolkata, said: “National Sports Day is not only a tribute to Major Dhyan Chand but a reminder that sport must touch every life and every corner of our country. Through the Flame of Fitness torch relay and the extraordinary underwater homage, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands have shown that the spirit of National Sports Day can be celebrated in the most unique and inspiring ways.”
The Fit India Andaman Nicobar Khel Mahotsav 2025 successfully combined Olympic values, community engagement, and local heritage, creating one of the most memorable National Sports Day celebrations ever witnessed in the islands. (Story Based on PR)
