Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS University) Director and Vice-Chancellor B. Vengamma has expressed concern at rising obesity levels in children and attributed it to the lack of importance to physical activity in the modern educational system.
Speaking after inaugurating ‘Tirupati Athletic Championship’ on the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Sri Venkateswara Vidyalaya campus here on Saturday, she called it a cause for concern as it could have a direct bearing in the next few decades.
“The present day’s children would be adults in a few years and their health matters a lot in determining the nation’s health after a few decades,” she observed.
A leading neurologist, Dr. Vengamma also suggested sustained physical activity and balanced diet as the panacea to keep obesity at bay. She also suggested that the trend, if left unattended, could pose serious health hazards to the children in future.
Tirupati urban police district SP (admin) E. Supraja called upon the students to participate in every competition to leave their imprint, without taking the results too seriously. “You strive to win, but take the result in your stride,” she said.
She also appealed to the parents to teach their wards how to focus on their goals and yet stay detached from the result. “Without failure, you cannot relish the taste of success,” was her parting tip.
Bhavan’s honorary Director N. Satyanarayana Raju called it a great opportunity for the school to host the prestigious event after two years of pandemic. Mangal Vidyalaya Principal G. Dhananjaya Naidu suggested the involvement of more schools in future to make it a grand affair.
Athletes from CBSE schools across Tirupati and Chittoor districts took part in the sporting events like 400m, 100m, 200m run, long jump, shot put, discus throw, 4 x 100m relay and triple jump.
At the closing ceremony, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Tirupati) Director K.N. Satyanarayana took part as the chief guest and gave away the prizes in the presence of SVIMS Dean Alladi Mohan and B.V. Reddy School (Chittoor) Principal T.V. Subramanyam.
