The Three- Day, CBSE Clusters XVII Kho Kho Tournament, hosted this year, by St. Joseph’s Sr. Sec. School, Sector 44-D, Chandigarh was declared open in a resplendent event, well punctuated with a beautiful cultural programme which had everyone enthralled. The tournament aims to promote sportsmanship, teamwork and physical fitness among the participants along with the spirit of camaraderie with the fellow competitors. Twenty schools from Banur, Rajpura, Samana, Sangrur, Talwandi Sabo, Patiala, Chandigarh and Mohali participated in different matches of Kho-Kho in the Under 19 category respectively for the boys’ and the girls’ teams. The tournament was spread over a period of 3 days i.e. October 27, 2023 to October 29, 2023 with various participating teams competing with one another in nail biting matches for the top position.

The ceremony was formerly inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Ms. Bindu Arora, District Education and Regional Officer, Chandigarh The event was also graced by the presence of Suman Jaiwal, Principal GHS, Sector 53, Chandigarh. The presence of our Management Members, Mr. Sukhdeep Singh, and Mr. Paramdeep Singh Grewal signified their constant support and motivation for such grand prestigious events. Various observers, Mr. Davinder Singh Kohli, Senior Technical Official, Sports Department; Mr. Prabhjeet Singh Lamba, Senior Technical Official, Chandigarh Kho Kho Association and Mr. Jayant, HOD of Sports at S.D. School were also present for smooth and fair conduction of the tournament.  The various dignitaries were welcomed with bouquets and momentos. This was followed by the school choir welcoming the dignitaries and various teams via a heartwarming and uplifting welcome song.

The Chief Guest then hoisted the CBSE Flag and graciously accepted the March Past honors as the students marched in a spectacular and well synchronized order. All the contingents then solemnly took the Oath of Allegiance, promising to abide by all the rules to ensure fair play throughout the tournament. Carrying forward the sports legacy, the national level players of the school took a lap of the ground bearing the traditional torch, symbolizing the positive values of sports like solidarity and fair play. Thereafter, in accordance with the time honoured tradition at St. Joseph’s, a religious rendition was paid to the almighty invoking his blessings through Ganesha Vandana. The Principal of the host school- Ms. Monica Chawla delivered the Welcome Address reiterating the importance of Sports.  She applauded the students who through tremendous hard work and grit had made it to the national level and made the school as well as the city proud. She went on to kindle the burning desire of every participant to succeed by spurring them on to ‘put in their best to be the best’. She said that the mantra to success is focus, determination, perseverance, honesty with a dash of that elusive factor called Luck, often the game changer in any competition. She also extended a whole hearted thanks to the Management Members for their unwavering and continuous support for creating a positive and empowering environment, enabling all to excel and succeed in various endeavours. Ms. Chawla concluded by wishing all the teams Best of Luck for the upcoming games and hoping that though the various participants have stepped in as competitors, they would leave as friends.

The Chief Guest then addressed the gathering and felicitated the school for hosting the Clusters and appreciated the Management for the well-organized arrangements which ensured a smooth sailing for all the participants. She hoped that the spirit of bonhomie and comradeship shared by all the Josephians would also be reflected among the teams.

Right after the Chief Guest’s speech was the time to witness the much awaited matches of various participating teams. The premises of St. Joseph’s School resonated with cheers of laughter and victory as the audience applauded their favourites. The exhilarating and thrilling matches told stories of the sweat, determination and perseverance of the competitors who were ready to settle for nothing but the best. A bonfire was also organized in the school premises for the various teams to help them unwind, relax and bond over stories, songs and anecdotes.

Three days, buzzing with excitement and anticipation kept the participants as well as the audience on an edge with finally the best team lifting the trophy in a dazzling closing ceremony. The closing ceremony was graced by the Chief Guest, Ms. Shipra Bansal, Chairperson CCPCR, Chandigarh. The ceremony began with the melodious singing of the school song to foster a sense of unity, pride and belongingness. Kindling the true spirit and vibrancy of the Punjabis, a spectacular Bhangra performance delighted the audience who could not stop themselves from taking a jig on the pulsating music. The Principal, Ms. Monica Chawla in her concluding speech expressed her gratitude to all the athletes for their hard work and determination and the coaches for their mentorship and guidance for making the tournament a testament to the power of sports in bringing people together. She lauded the competent teams who put up spectacular exhibit of sportsmanship, team-spirit, grit and valour in pursuit of emerging victorious. Thereafter, the long anticipated award ceremony was held, wherein the victorious and deserving teams were felicitated with medals and trophies by the Chief Guest.

The winning trophy in the Girls Category was lifted by St. Joseph’s Sr. Sec. School, Chandigarh and by MDAV School, Sector 22, Chandigarh in the Boys Category.  Sant Ishar Singh School, Sangrur and Holy Mary School, Banur proclaimed the 1^st Runner up Trophy in the Girls and the Boys Category respectively. Proving to be tough competitors, the 2^nd Runner Up Trophy was shared by MDAV School, Sector 22, Chandigarh and Holy Mary School, Patiala in the Girls Category and Ganga International School, Nirwana and Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22, Chandigarh in the Boys Category.   The list of the dazzling stars for the tournament includes Virender (Boys) of MDAV School, Sector 22, Chd and Shikha (Girls) of St. Joseph’s Sr. Sec. School, Chd. declared as the Best All Rounder for the Tournament.  Ishmeet Singh (Boys) of Holy Mary School, Banur and Inayat (Girls) of St. Joseph’s Sr. Sec. School, Chd. made their mark as the Best Defenders and Shubham (Boys) of Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22, Chandigarh and Simranjit Kaur (Girls) of Ganga International School as Best Chasers.  The grounds of the school reverberated with voices of joy, laughter and elation as everyone shared a story of their victory and crafted memories to last for lifetime with friends and competitors alike.

 The various observers and Technical Officials were also felicitated by the Chief Guest for their diligent efforts in making the tournament a successful endeavor. Mr.  Sukheep Grewal, Management Member, St. Joseph’s Sr. Sec. School extended the school’s acknowledgement and appreciation to the Chief Guest with a momento. The Chief Guest then congratulated not only the winners but various other participating teams who were equally instrumental in making the three- day tournament a great success. This, in the end was followed by the Chief Guest officially closing the Three-Day Kho Kho Tournament and the lowering and handing over of the CBSE Cluster Flag to the CBSE Observer by Ms. Monica and Mr. Sukhdeep Singh.

 St. Joseph’s Sr. Sec. School