Nagpur: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari assured of strengthening Nagpur’s sports infrastructure, and promised to consider the proposal of a National Handball Academy in the city once the detailed plan is submitted by the stakeholders.
Gadkari was speaking during the ‘Nagpur Handball, 50 Years of Glory: Legends and Legacy’ event organised to commemorate five decades of inception of handball game in the city. The programme was organised by Nagpur District Handball Association (NDHA) at Kusumtai Wankhede Hall. Tributes were also paid to the late Sitaram Bhotmange, who was known as the Pitamah of handball in the city.
Gold Rate
23 July 2025
Along with Gadkari, MLA Vikas Thakre, NDHA Chairman Babanrao Taywade, Chief Patron Kundatai Vijaykar, President Roopkumar Naidu, Premier Handball League (PHL) CEO Sushil Tulaskar, and former Indian captain Virendra Bhandarkar shared the dais. A specially produced documentary by Parthshar Samachar, capturing the golden legacy of Nagpur handball, was unveiled by MLA Thakre, who wholeheartedly pledged his support for the envisioned National Handball Academy.
Gadkari unveiled a commemorative souvenir and felicitated all handball legends, celebrating their enduring contribution to the sport. NDHA Chairman Taywade requested for a state-of-the-art indoor handball stadium, including two courts, and strong support for the National Handball Academy. Responding positively, Gadkari assured he would seriously consider the proposal once a detailed plan is submitted. He fondly recalled late Bhotmange’s pioneering efforts in making Maharashtra a cradle of international handball talent and lauded Roopkumar Naidu and senior players for preserving this legacy.
Naidu, Milind Makde, Atmaram Pande, Atul Duragkar, Sunil Bhotmange, Inderjeet Singh Randhawa, Pankaj Kothari, Anita Bhotmange, Lovneet Kaur Randhawa, Bhavna Bhotmange, and Gajanan Jadhav worked hard for the success of the programme. Shiv Chhatrapati awardee Rajesh Naidu and Shikha Gupta conducted the programme.
