Cricket & fellowship at RID 3020
Rajahmundry, a small town on the banks of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, was buzzing with the energy and excitement of 200 Rotaractors who came from different parts of India, either has participating teams or just as spectators to cheer their Rotaract district in the third edition of RIDDLE, a three-day T20 format cricket tournament.
The third season was hosted by RID 3020 under the RSAMDIO banner with six cricket teams from RIDs 3000 (Madurai), 3020 (Andhra), 3141 (Mumbai), 3191 (Bengaluru), 3203 (Erode), and 3206 (Coimbatore) slugging it out in a fierce contest to win the prize money (over ₹1.50 lakh). “The sports meet was a blend of camaraderie, fellowship, and we hosted multiple events on the sidelines that showcased Andhra culture and its unique cuisine,” said Achuta Srinivas Reddy, district Rotaract secretary, and past president, RAC Rajahmundry River City, the lead club that organised the RIDDLE 3020 — Rotaract Inter-District Dexterous League — on the Police Grounds.
Addressing the participating teams and audience, DG Kalyan Chakravarthy encouraged the “youth to come out and take active interest in field sports.” Himself a sports buff, the district governor wanted Rotaractors to give importance to games, sports and athletics as part of their community outreach.
DG-elect G Sriramulu called upon the contesting teams to enjoy their matches in a sportive spirit, “irrespective of who emerged winners, as participation is more important here for bonding.” RSAMDIO president Darryl D’Souza was all praise for the organisers for hosting the cricket tournament among district Rotaracts.
An amazing experience
Recalling the cricket carnival, Reddy says, “we were proud to host such a prestigious, multidistrict event backed by RSAMDIO, after a gap of over 10 years or so. We are thankful to 70-plus volunteers from Vijayawada, Tuni, Visakhapatnam and our home clubs, who had to work hard and coordinate on all three days for a hassle-free tournament without any hiccups or gaps in between matches during the league stages.”
RIDDLE saw 13 T20 matches including the semifinals and the final with every game cheered by Rotaractors. After three days of spirited competition, RID 3000 team emerged winners taking home a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, RID 3203 finished runners-up bagging a purse of ₹30,000, and RID 3141 came the second runners-up getting a prize of ₹20,000.
Apart from theT20 matches, Sky Lantern festival was organised in which creative diyas were released as kites, soaring up the night sky forming colourful patterns. “which added to the amazement of delegates from all over the country,” recalls Reddy. DJ Party enabled the Rotaractors to mix and mingle with each other while soulful music fostered a spirit of camaraderie all over the venue.
Every match was livestreamed on social media with drone coverage “giving Rotaractors across South Asia a ringside view of the preliminary games.” While Rotaract fellowship was at its best on the grounds, “we exchanged letterheads, and shared ideas for future joint projects,” says P V Vikas, president, RAC Rajahmundry River City. He said Andhra cuisine with its diverse menu “treated the palates with some gastronomic delights and the guests were touched by our hospitality.” Each day, AC buses picked the sporting teams from the hotel to the playing venue, and dropped them back at their cosy accommodation.
The next venue for RIDDLE (season-4) will be decided through a bidding process at a RSAMDIO event, mostly held just before the start of new Rotary year, says Reddy, an IT professional and a Rotaractor for five years. “It was a great experience in networking, and exploring avenues of leadership development,” he says on his Rotaract journey.
Reddy will be joining Rotary in the next two years to expand his service and outreach activity.
