From echoes of gunfire to crack of bat Pulwama writes a new Inning under foodlights
Srinagar, Aug 26 : On 25 August, a crisp, pleasant evening set the stage in Pulwama, South Kashmir. Illuminated roads glowed as thousands of cricket fans thronged a nearby stadium.
Cricket is not new to Kashmir. But a day-night match under flood lights is a rarity, more so, if it is being hosted in Pulwama, the district once known for counter-insurgency operations and stone pelting.
Spectators, mostly young, turned up to watch this first-ever day-night cricket match, a spectacle local legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Para hailed as the ‘start of a new inning’ for the valley’s youngsters. A People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Para is a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Pulwama constituency.
The inaugural match of the Royal Premier League was played at Pulwama Sports Stadium between Royal Goodwill and Sultan Springs Baramulla.In all, 12 teams from across Jammu and Kashmir are participating in the tournament being played under the floodlights.
The PDP leader described it as the ‘start of a new inning’ for youngsters in the valley. “Sports can be a bridge of hope and opportunity. This is more than a match — it is a celebration of aspirations,” he said as per Morning Kashmir Correspondent.
Pulwama, along with other districts of south Kashmir, including Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian, was once considered the bastion of separatist politics.
‘Start of a new inning’ “This is for the first time that a day and night cricket match is being played anywhere in Kashmir,especially in Pulwama. This is the start of a new inning for our youngsters who were earlier hopeless and depressed due to growing unemployment and political uncertainty,” Para said.
Referring to the jam-packed stadium, Para said the record gathering of people from across the valley for this match is a good start.
“This is a youth-led initiative, the organisers, the promoters and the players who have come from different parts of J&K. Our effort is to keep our youngsters away from drugs, pull them out of depression caused by unemployment and political uncertainty and give them new hope through such tournaments,” the PDP leader said.
Para said the tournament will reach every district and “we wish the players good luck”
When you hold the hands of youth’ The organisers said the initiative was aimed at promoting local talent and offering the valley’s youth a platform to showcase their sporting skills in a professional setting.
“When you hold the hands of youth, you don’t just guide them you ignite their spirit. J&K Sports Council has sown seeds of passion, discipline & purpose, letting sports in J&K grow as naturally as rivers carve valleys & dawn breaks night,” said Nuzhat Gull, Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, who was present in the stadium.
For many in the crowd, the match was about more than cricket — it was about reclaiming evenings with joy, hope, and togetherness under the floodlights.
This is the start of a new inning for our youngsters who were earlier hopeless and depressed due to growing unemployment and political uncertainty. The echoes of gunfire are increasingly being replaced by the sound of leather hitting willow in Pulwama,as someone among the spectators said.
