A Picnic I Enjoyed

Points: The occasion — How it began — Happy ending.

             It was early December. The day was bright and clear. We went to a lovely picnic spot in the heart of a big Sal forest. It stretches for more than a mile not tar from our place. We planned to cook on the spot by ourselves.
             Our baskets were bursting with all the nice things that our loving mothers had given us. One of our classmates Abhishek took care of the cooking. We dug an oven with bricks and stones. We started with a round of tea, gobbling up all the sweets, singaras, biscuits and toffees in our stock. Some of us strolled about. Some others went to fetch water from the neighborhood.
             By noon we sat down to a hearty meal of steaming roast meat. Everybody congratulated Abhishek on his marvelous cooking. After the meal was over, we spread a cloth under a big shade and had some rest. Ravi then announced that he was going to recite poems of Jibanananda. He was very good at recitation, and we all encouraged him. His recitation of ‘Banalata Sen’ was wonderful, specially when he was slowly reciting the lines—Her hair was dark as night in Vidisha, and her face the sculpture of Sravasti’. Ashik sang two Tagore songs, one of love and the other of Nature.
             By the time it was getting dark, we packed p for home. It was a memorable day.

Third South Asian Federation Games in Kolkata

Points: The Third South Asian Federation games at Salt Lake Stadium — The opening ceremony — The results — The message of friendship.

             The Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata wore a week-long festive look from 20th to 27th November, 1987. It was the venue of the third South Asian Federation Games commonly known as South Asian Federation games.
             The seven participating countries were Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldwip, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The games were declared open amidst great fanfare by the President of India at the Salt Lake Stadium on 20th November. He expressed the hope that the meets would stand out as symbols of peace and progress among the South Asian Federation countries. The opening ceremony was grand and spectacular and everybody praised the arrangements at the Salt Lake Stadium. The Stadium. the biggest in Asia, was packed to its full capacity of one lake and twenty thousand.
             The host country India firmly established its leadership in the games by winning 75 gold, 41 silver and 19 bronze medals—a total of 135 medals. Pakistan trailed poorly behind with only 12 gold and a total of 46 medals. P.T.Usha. India’s sprint queen won as many as five gold medals and was hailed by one and all.
             The meet boosted the sports and games of the countries in this region. But the most important achievement of the games was the strengthening of the bond of friendship and cooperation among the neighbouring peoples of South Asia. On the 27th, the President of the Indian Olympic Association declared the games closed with a call to reassemble in 1989 in Pakistan for the fourth South Asian Federation games.