Bijbehara Premier League (BPL): Transforming youth

With firm conviction and positive frame of mind, the most daunting challenges confronting our society can be fought head on with the end result on expected lines. But unfortunately we are deeply engrossed in realizing our materialistic goals and no one bothers about rectifying our fractured society.

We have confined ourselves to cocoon mentality: wherefrom will the innovative solutions to the cumbersome challenges emerge ? The problems endangering our youth are localized and the solution therefore has to be local instead of expecting someone to come from the alien word to fix our problems. Participation in any type of outdoor sports activity be it cricket, football, volley ball or any other team level event does not only improve the physical endurance of the participant but very well augment his mental faculties.

The participation in team sports event infuses the sense of responsibility and skill of collaboration among the participants which in the long run can be vital in fostering the cohesive bond in society. This will truly instill resilience laced with and grit and determination among the youth and they will not easily succumb to the challenges of life.

The story of Parvez Rasool:

Parvez Rasool is a house hold name in Jammu and Kashmir in the arena of sports. He has made a mark in the gentleman’s game. He is enjoying the stardom and has a wider fan base especially the younger generation and is the most celebrated sportsperson of Jammu and Kashmir. He has represented India in One Day and T20 format of the game; an all-rounder in the domestic circuit with an impressive track record.

The emergence of Parvez Rasool is not an ordinary event. He has defied all the odds to make it to the top at a time when there was literally no infrastructure at the grossroots level and nobody would have even dared to pursue cricket as career. Parvez Rasool who comes from a small town of Bijbehara of district Anantnag turned out to be a role model not only for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir but for the entire country.

I still remember when Parvez Rasool was first time selected for Zimbabwe ODI series and when the news of his inclusion was made public by Prasun Bajpayee, then news editor of Aaj Tak while conversing with Parvez Rasool, the entire Kashmir valley erupted in joy and celebration. His elevation as a top rated cricketer inspired and motivated others to follow his foot prints and more and more success stories followed, be it the likes of Abdul Samad, Umran Malik , Rasik Salam and Vivrant Sharma.

Bijbehara Premiere League offers hope for revival

Parvez Rasool besides being a top notch professional cricketer is considered by the people a down to earth, philanthropic and easy going person who has created a niche for himself in community service. The region of South Kashmir is marred by substance abuse and the situation is slipping out of the hand as more youth are falling prey to the vicious trap of drug abuse. Why we are highlighting the success story of Parvez Rasool? He has been instrumental in motivating more and more youth towards sports.

He came up with a novel idea of Bijbehara Premier League in the year 2021 to provide an opportunity to the underprivileged and marginalized youth to showcase their talent and potential to the world and excel in their cricketing career as do the success stories of regional cricketers like Tazim Tak, Mujtaba Yousuf, Mohammad Talha reflect. Currently the fourth edition of the league is in progress. The earlier three editions were held on a turf wicket of Boys Higher Secondary Bijbehara ground and the venue now stands shifted to newly established proper cricketing ground with all amenities in place at Nilundrasu Bijbehara.

The Bijbehara Premier League has become a brand in itself and is growing in stature with each new edition.

How this Bijbehara Premier League is benefiting the younger generation? Why we are citing this sports league here? How it is transforming the lives of the youth? There is euphoria and craze among the youth regarding this cricket league. I am myself witness to the discussions, the youth seriously get involved about this cricketing carnival.

This league provides ample opportunities to the local cricketers to share their dugout with some reputed cricketers from outside Jammu and Kashmir, be it the likes of Abhisheikh Sharma, who is a regular feature of Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL franchise and team India, Vaibhav Arora, who was with Kolkata Knight Riders camp this year. Playing side by side with them will truly boost the morale and confidence of the local talent to think big. The most important contribution of this sports carnival is connecting youth and keeping the drug menace at bay as thousands of youth watch the live matches of BPL in the stands.

This truly relives the youth from mental trauma and stress as they come out of the sedentary mode of life and occupy the stands interacting with other people to have fun and laughter which acts as a super remedy to de-stress them. This is what this league is serving meaningfully to foster social cohesiveness in the region.

Besides this sporting carnival is a source of livelihood to innumerable families especially the street vendors who have established their stalls adjacent to the ground and are earning modest income to feed their families. A sincere initiative like this can truly inspire millions to transform their lives wherein they can meaningfully contribute in the society.

 Dr. Mushtaq Rather is an educator