I recently read an article here by a student, talking about the sporting culture at his college, which prompted me to write about the same at my institute. IIT Guwahati has a special place for sports. The students not only love watching the game but also playing with equal enthusiasm. There is no dearth of participants or spectators for any sporting event held in the campus. The campus is equipped with world-class facilities for all the sports. We have separate, well-maintained courts for badminton, squash, basketball, lawn tennis, table tennis; there are special grounds for cricket, football, hockey, athletics, and volleyball. We also have a well-equipped gym for all the residents. Apart from institute’s students, there are table tennis courts, a volleyball ground and a small multi-purpose ground, which caters to the needs of cricketers and footballers alike.
IIT Guwahati also organizes the Annual Sporting Festival every year in October. Spirit is the biggest collegiate sporting festival of North Eastern India, which sees the participation of more than 3,000 participants from 15 colleges in the region. Since its inception, the event has served as an excellent platform for budding sports enthusiasts and also recognizes exceptional talents in different sporting events by taking a leap forward in redefining the spirit of sports.
Apart from Spirit, the institute also organizes inter-hostel sports competitions in January and February. The one-and-half month long battle witnesses fierce competitions among peers to bring glory to their respective hostels. Known as Spardha, the competition brings out the best from the students as audiences turn out in huge numbers, cheering and jeering the participants. Spardha tests the hostellers across all the sporting facilities available on the campus and is widely regarded as the ultimate battle of strength and skill in the sporting arena.
The campus doesn’t stop just here. We also have IPL-style auctions for a range of leagues in different sports. We have leagues for badminton, table tennis, basketball, cricket, football, and volleyball to name a few. Team owners are selected and awarded with virtual money to buy a team of his own. The team composition has rules that allow for equal opportunities to freshers and seniors alike. The leagues might not have the cash power of the IPL but the enthusiasm, and sporting spirit is no less. All the teams fight tooth and nail to showcase their superiority and also because the inter-IIT coaches keep a keen eye on the standout performers.
All said and done, IIT Guwahati takes sports activities seriously and gives it all to achieve success in this field as well.
You can read a similar view here.
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