Higher

Education Minister extends best wishes to under-construction Gyanshila

University; Meritorious sportspersons honored with 'Neeru Memorial Khel Ratna

Award'

Rajajipuram

branch dominated cricket on the first day, with bowler Aarav taking four

wickets; runners from the Sitapur Road branch showed their strength in the

50-meter race

Lucknow,

Nov 15 (HS): The four-day Neeru Memorial Annual Sports Meet 'Spardha-2026' of

St. Joseph Group of Institutions was inaugurated with great pomp on Sunday at

Lucknow's K.D. Singh Babu Stadium with a march-past, melodious tunes of pipe

and brass bands and colourful cultural programmes. State Higher Education

Minister Yogendra Upadhyay participated as the chief guest and Legislative

Council member Umesh Dwivedi as the special guest in the inaugural ceremony.

The guests formally inaugurated this sports mega event by lighting the torch

and releasing pigeons and colourful balloons, symbolizing peace.

Addressing

the function, Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay said that for the

all-round development of students, organizing sports competitions along with

bookish education is very important. Referring to Swami Vivekananda's idea that

'A strong India will be built from the sports fields', he said that sports not

only strengthen the youth physically and mentally but also develop team spirit,

discipline and passion for achieving goals in them. He said that the Prime

Minister's call of 'Khelo India, Khilega India' has given a new dimension to

the sports culture in the country, as a result of which today Indian players

are bringing glory to the country by winning a series of medals in global competitions.

The

Higher Education Minister praised the disciplined march-past and band

performance of the students and said that beyond victory or defeat, the most

important thing is to enter the field with sportsmanship. Quoting the inspiring

lines of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I will not give up,

I will not fight, he inspired the unsuccessful participants not to be

disappointed and to try again with renewed enthusiasm. On this occasion, he

praised the educational contribution of St. Joseph Group and extended his

heartfelt wishes for the establishment of 'Gyanshila University' under

construction, to be run by Neeru Memorial Society with the inspiration of

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and the support of the Uttar Pradesh Government.

During

the event, Chief Guest Yogendra Upadhyay honored promising athletes for their

outstanding performance – Prisha Gupta (Sitapur Road Branch), Ayushi Singh

(Ruchikhand Branch), and Gaurav Saroj (Rajajipuram Branch) – by presenting them

with the 'Neeru Memorial Khel Ratna Award-2026.' Dr. Pushpalata Agarwal,

Founder President of St. Joseph Group, extended her best wishes to all

participants, saying that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, and sports

instill balance and positive energy in life.

In

a thrilling cricket league match held on the first day of

Spardha-2026, the Rajajipuram branch defeated the Ruchikhand branch

by scoring 102 runs for 7 wickets. Aarav bowled brilliantly in the match,

taking 4 wickets to lead his team to victory. Meanwhile, the young runners from

the Sitapur Road branch captivated everyone with their excellent performance in

the 50-meter race in the pre-sub-junior category.

On

this occasion, Managing Director of St. Joseph Group of Institutions Anil

Agarwal, Director Namrata Agarwal, Joint Director Srijan Agarwal, Squadron

Leader Rakhi Agarwal along with Principals of all branches, teachers and a

large number of eminent parents were present.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi