Sending out a message of appreciation to all the sportspersons, actor Anupam Kher on Saturday shared a childhood memory associated with National Sports Day and extended his greetings to mark the occasion. “Aaj #nationalsportsday hain.un sabhee khilaadiyon ko bahut bahut badhaee jo desh ke lie sammaan laate hain aur desh ka naam ooncha karate hain.lekin usase bhee zyaada badhaee ke paatr vo hai jo jeetate kuchh nahin hai lekin bhaag zaroor lete hain aur haar jaate hain. kyonki agar koee haarega nahin to koee jeetega kaise?,” wrote the ‘Dilwale Dulhania LeJayenge’ actor as he shared a video message on Twitter and congratulated all the players who take part in sports.

His tweet translates to, “Today is #NationalSportsDay. Many congratulations to all those players who bring honour to the country and raise the name of the country. But even more than that, those who win are nothing but participate and lose… Because if no one loses then how will anyone win?” As the video starts, the ‘Hotel Mumbai’ actor said, “Friends, today is National Sports Day, so I would like to congratulate you all on the occasion. I congratulate all the players who had received merits for the country, or who have tried to do something better for the country. The ones who are trying to bring glory to the country.. whether they be the players who live in small villages, and towns, or in big cities.” The actor then continued in the video message and talked about the importance of sports in once life. He said, ” the sports are a part of our life, and I send the wishes to all the players.” Kher then shared a childhood memory related with the day and said, “When I was in 8th or 9th standard .. I wanted to become an enthusiastic sportsperson. But one day, one of my sports teacher saw me running in the school ground, and said, “Listen, even if you run alone, you will earn the second place in the race.” The ‘Saaransh’ actor then said he wondered all along the time that how can secure the second place even if I am running alone. He then said, “Now, I realise that taking a second place is very important for the scope of improvement. On the occasion of National Sports Day, I want to congratulate those who had secured a second place, or third place or the 20th position because you guys will always have a scope for taking the first position.” Stressing on the importance of participating rather than winning, the actor said, “I would like to congratulate all the youngsters, the elderly or the middle-aged people who take part in sports, Jai Hind! Jai Ho.” The legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand was born in 1905 and was known for his magical hockey skills. He was part of the Indian hockey team which struck gold in the Olympics of 1928, 1932, and, 1936.

Chand’s birth anniversary is observed as the National Sports Day in the country. National Sports Awards which include the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the Arjuna award, the Dronacharya award, and the Dhyan Chand award, are conferred on athletes every year by the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29. However, this year, the names would be announced by President Ram Nath Kovind virtually. (ANI)