MANGALORE OCT 26: The Sharada Vidyaniketan Pre-University College at Talapady is abuzz with over 1,000 volleyball players descending here for an inter-school sporting event.
The college has been short-listed by the School Games Federation of India to host the 56th national ‘Under-19 Volleyball Championship' games. This is the first time an institution from the State has been selected to host the volleyball event.

The Under-19 championship, which has 25 boys and 21 girls teams from across the country, was declared open on Monday at a colourful ceremony by senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat and M.B. Puranik and MLC Ganesh Karnik.

Mr. Puranik, who is also the president of the Sharada Group of Institutions, said that it was a great honour to get the chance to host the games. The championship, which will be held over five days ending Saturday, will see the participation of girls' and boys' teams of the Sharada Pre-University College, Mangalore. “It is a rare and significant achievement for these two teams to be participating in such a prestigious tournament,” said the chief coordinator of the event Dayananda Kateel.

He said both these teams would represent the Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Bharati Shiksha Sansthan, which runs a chain of institutions affiliated to the RSS, at the games. The Sharada P.U College is affiliated to the Sansthan. The organising committee planned to stage a special Hindi Yakshagana directed by Ravi Alevuraya for the athletes. The organisers plan to have a folk dance performance for the students.