By Matters India Reporter
Miao: A group of young people in eastern Arunachal Pradesh has launched weeklong cricket matches to keep youth occupied during winter.
The January 15-23 Winter Cricket Cup organized by the youth from Namphai Circle in Changlang District has chosen the theme “Yes to sports, Yes to life.” It is being held at the public ground at Neotan village.
The main objective of the program is to dissuade young people from taking to ill habits like drug and from joining criminal gangs, especially during the post-harvest festival season, explained Father Felix Anthony, the Youth Director of East Arunachal.
The Miao diocesan priest, who was the chief guest at the inaugural function, commended the youth for their initiative and encouraged them to take up more social issues that have plagued the society these days.
“The beauty of Arunachal Pradesh, fortunately, is still not diluted by outside forces. The rich cultures, dialects and customs are still intact. But sadly most of the youth today have taken to drugs, especially in Changlang, Namsai and Lohit districts,” Father Felix noted.
The priest appealed to the youth to make a difference to society. A progressively healthy youth means a healthy society, he added.
As many as 18 teams participated in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
James Mossang, leader of the youth group, said they plan to organize the event as an annual program to bring more youth from the remote corners and get them organized.
The main reason for youth going astray is lack of guidance and a suppressed need to get recognized, he told Matters India. Without proper guidance, the desire to be recognized leads them, at times, to join anti-social groups. This is story of the most of youth we know, the youth leader explained.