Some of the best conversations I have are the ones I never planned. On a warm June afternoon I was passing through Logate Morh when the sound of a crowd stopped me — the Logate Morh Youth Club was playing the final of their cricket tournament, and the whole neighbourhood had turned out to watch.
I had not come to make a speech. I had simply stopped, the way I often do, to stand among young people and see what they were building. What I found was a group of boys and girls giving everything they had to a game they loved — and a community cheering them on.
The final at Logate Morh
Cricket has a way of bringing a mohalla together like almost nothing else. The tournament had been running for weeks, and the final was everything a final should be — tight bowling, brave batting, and fielders throwing themselves at the ball as if the match depended on every single run.
I stood at the boundary and watched. Not as a guest of honour, but as one more person from the crowd, clapping for every good shot and every sharp catch. That is where I feel most at home — in the middle of ordinary people doing something good together.
Why I stopped
I did not stop only for the cricket. I stopped because of what the cricket represents.
Every young person on that ground was doing something positive with their afternoon. They were running, training, competing, laughing — pouring their energy into a sport instead of into the things that can so easily pull young people down. In a time when addiction quietly takes hold of too many lives, a ground full of young athletes is one of the most hopeful sights there is.
That is the message I want to carry from that day: a drug-free India begins with giving our youth something better to hold onto. Sport. Fitness. Purpose. A team that believes in them.
Wellness, fitness, and a drug-free India
I believe in a simple truth: the best defence against addiction is a life that is full. When a young person has a goal, a routine, and a community, there is simply less room for the things that harm them.
That is why I encourage our youth to take up sport and fitness — and why I point them toward the wellness and fitness content that is freely available online. On YouTube and other platforms there are coaches, trainers and motivators who can help a young person build strength, discipline and confidence from their own home. I want every young person in Kathua to know these resources exist, and to use them.
Fitness is not about looking a certain way. It is about feeling strong, staying healthy, and proving to yourself — every single day — that you are in control of your own life. That is the kind of strength no addiction can touch.
A message to the youth
To every young person reading this: find something you love that makes you move. Cricket, kabaddi, running, the gym, a morning walk — it does not matter what it is, as long as it is yours. Fill your days with it, and let it carry you.
And if you are struggling, or know someone who is, please reach out. There is no shame in asking for help. There is only strength in choosing a better path.
Looking ahead
That afternoon at Logate Morh reminded me why I do this work. It is not about big events or grand gestures. It is about being present — showing up, standing with our young people, and helping them see the good life that is within their reach.
To the Logate Morh Youth Club and every player in that final: thank you for the reminder. Keep playing, keep training, keep choosing wellness. A drug-free India is built one healthy, hopeful young person at a time — and you are already building it.
Proud to stand with the youth of Kathua. Want to help a young athlete or support a wellness initiative? Get in touch.