500 youths from six states take drug-free pledge at Fit India event
By Rhea MalhotraDigital Life Writer, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: zealot-q / Pixabay
About 500 young people from six states and one Union Territory joined a SAI 'Nasha Mukt Bharat' fitness event in Gujarat on October 24, 2026.
What Happened
About 500 young people from six states and one Union Territory took part in a "Nasha Mukt Bharat" (drug-free India) awareness programme run by the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The event, held at the Heartfulness Centre in Adalaj under the Fit India Movement with MY Bharat as a partner, mixed traditional games, Zumba and fitness challenges, and ended with participants taking a pledge to stay away from tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
Key Facts
- Date and place: Saturday, October 24, 2026, Heartfulness Centre, Adalaj, near Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
- Organiser: SAI's Gandhinagar centre, with MY Bharat as a partner, under the Fit India Movement.
- Theme: "Nasha Mukt Yuva, Viksit Bharat" (drug-free youth for a developed India).
- Participants: about 500 young people from Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, grouped in state teams.
- Activities: traditional games such as lagori (seven stones), tug of war and sack races, along with Zumba, fitness challenges and a penalty shoot-out.
- Participants took the Nasha Mukt Bharat pledge, and winners of the games and fitness zones received prizes.
Why It Matters
Campaigns against drug use often rely on lectures and posters. This event tried a different approach: bring young people together to play, compete and enjoy themselves, and attach the message to that experience. Sport gives young people a group to belong to, a routine and a sense of achievement, which are some of the same needs that can draw people towards risky habits. Linking a drug-free pledge to a day of games is a way of offering an alternative, not just a warning.
The choice of games is also worth noting. Lagori, tug of war and sack races need no expensive equipment, can be played almost anywhere and are familiar across many states. Pairing them with Zumba and fitness challenges mixes the traditional with the modern, which makes the event easier to copy in schools, colleges and youth clubs with small budgets.
The event drew teams from states as far apart as Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana. Events like this, run with partners such as MY Bharat, bring together young people from different regions. For many participants, meeting peers from other states is itself part of the value of such events.
The programme comes during a busy period for the Fit India Movement. Its Freedom Run campaign runs until October 31, ending with a Unity Run on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Events like the one in Adalaj show how the campaign is trying to link fitness with wider social messages, such as staying away from drugs.
For young readers, the practical message is simple: an active routine with friends, whether a game of lagori, a run or a dance class, is one of the easiest ways to stay healthy and to say no to substances.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | Nasha Mukt Bharat awareness programme |
| Date | October 24, 2026 |
| Venue | Heartfulness Centre, Adalaj, Gujarat |
| Participants | About 500, from six states and one UT |
| Main activities | Traditional games, Zumba, fitness challenges |
Impact
Short-term: The participants return to their states with a pledge and an experience they can share with friends and classmates, and the event adds to the run of Fit India activities this month.
Long-term: If such events are repeated and spread to schools and colleges, they can help build habits of regular physical activity among young people and keep the drug-free message in front of them in a positive way.
Who is affected: Young people in the participating states and Union Territory; SAI centres, MY Bharat volunteers and youth clubs that run similar events; and parents and teachers looking for healthy activities for teenagers.
Key Takeaway
SAI used traditional games and fitness challenges to carry a drug-free message to about 500 young people from six states and one Union Territory in Gujarat.
Questions and Answers
What was the Nasha Mukt Bharat event in Gandhinagar?
It was a drug-free awareness programme run by SAI's Gandhinagar centre under the Fit India Movement on October 24, 2026, at the Heartfulness Centre in Adalaj, with MY Bharat as a partner.
Who took part in the event?
About 500 young people from Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, and from Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
What did participants do?
They played traditional games such as lagori, tug of war and sack races, joined Zumba and fitness challenges and a penalty shoot-out, and took a pledge to stay away from tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
How can young people join similar events?
Fit India, MY Bharat and local SAI centres announce such programmes regularly. Young people can check these bodies' official channels or ask at their school or college for upcoming events.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Rhea Malhotra, Digital Life WriterCovers Digital Life and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Rhea Malhotra
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Rhea Malhotra is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
