PM Modi Praises Puneites Chinmay Patankar and Pradnya Patankar For Their Contributions In Traditional Sport
Mehab Qureshi
Pune, October 27, 2020: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, through “Mann ki Baat”, took note of the work done by Puneites Chinmay Patanakar and Pradnya Patankar. The couple has been working hard for the last several years to popularize India’s traditional sport Mallakhamb in the USA.
Mallakhamb is an ancient Indian sport in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga postures and wrestling grips with a vertical hanging wooden pole.
Chinmay(42) has studied from Bharatiya Vidyapeeth University and SP College as well. He has made his mark in many national Mallakhamb competitions. In 2003, he was honoured with Shiv Chhatrapati Award. His wife Pradnya (38) also played many competitions of Mallakhamb. She was a student of Modern College.
“Our team is working to promote Mallakhamb. Everyone knows the importance of this game. The game is now appealing to young people in the United States. However, we have got a new look after the Prime Minister took notice of our work. This pat on the back is definitely encouraging”, said Chinmay Patankar.
Meanwhile, in 2003, Chinmay quit playing Mallakhamba and decided to teach people the ancient sport of India. However, in 2009 he moved to the United States where he works as a Program Manager in Banking and Finance Services. He was accompanied by his wife Pradnya, who supported him through thick and thin. The couple has now been training 70 people of different ages in the states.
Pradnya Patankar said, “When Mallakhamb was launched in the United States, its sole purpose was to cultivate a passion for the sport and to promote the sport as much as possible. Gradually the number of players increased. Now we are thinking of organizing a world competition. Prime Minister Modi has doubled the enthusiasm of ordinary workers like us”.
Sharing his thoughts at the “Mann ki Baat”, PM Modi said, “Many of your games have fascinated the world. One of them is Mallakhamb. Mallakhamb is becoming popular in many countries. In America, Chinmay Patankar and Pradnya Patankar started teaching Mallakhamb from home. There are now several Mallakhamb training centres in the United States. Many young players in America are learning Mallakhamb. This sport is getting good response in 20 countries like Malaysia, Poland, Germany. It will now have a World Championship. Perhaps the present generation does not know much about Mallakhamb. But you can find out about it on the internet”.
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