GSTTA celebrates World TT Day with fervour

Surat, April 23: Its World Table Tennis Day and Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) celebrated it with all the fervour at its SAG-Tapti Valley High Performance Table Tennis Center at Tapti Valley School in Surat here on Tuesday.

World no. 64 and local lad Harmeet Desai took time out from his rigorous training schedule to teach basic table tennis to 50-odd Tapti Valley school kids.

Giving him company was India no. 3 Manush Shah from Vadodara who spent quality time with the players. Both the players signed table tennis balls for kids and other sports lovers.

World No. 61 Manav Thakkar, who is also from Surat, missed the show due to his training schedule in France.

Lauding the efforts on the occasion, GSTTA president Shri Pramod Chaudhary said that GSTTA is committed to spread the reach of the sport. “Table Tennis is a wonderful sport. Also, it has wide popularity now in India and our nation is doing so well at the world level. On World Table Tennis Day, we wish and hope more and more kids take up this sport,” Shri Chaudhary said.

India no.1 Harmeet reminisced his younger days and emphasised on how kids should start early. “Hard work pays. I have been there done that. I hope younger generation kids push themselves and reach great heights,” the Surti lad said.

The Southpaw Manush, who will train at the SAG-Tapti Valley High Performance Table Tennis Center for a week, was delighted to see so many kids interested in table tennis. “I have achieved everything in my life because of Table Tennis. GSTTA is doing a great job in promoting the sport at the grass-root level,” Manush said.