Bhopal, June 8 (IANS) The Vicharpur village of Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh, having earned a sobriquet as ‘Mini Brazil’, is known for its passion and zeal for football. The village got international recognition after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to this village in July 2023.

One special thing about Vicharpur village is that everyone, from children to the elderly, is passionate about football. Many women and men players of the village have the distinction of playing the game at the national level.

Many of these football players and enthusiasts spoke to IANS on Sunday, where they congratulated PM Modi-led government on completion of 11 years in power and also praised PM Modi in particular for giving the game its due focus.

National player Shashank Dahiya, recalling his meeting with the Prime Minister, said: “We talked to PM Modi about football, the main sport in our village. We told him that two-three players from every house in our village are national players.”

On the completion of 11 years, many players of Vicharpur village expressed their gratitude to the Prime Minister.

Besides Shashank Dahiya, many villagers expressed deep affection for PM Modi and thanked him for various programs centered around the game. Many said that they want a Prime Minister like PM Modi, even in the future, who could give focus and impetus to the game.

PM Modi, during his visit to the village, met many talented players and was so impressed with their sporting skills that he recently referred to “Mini Brazil” in an interview with an American podcaster.

The village players still remember with pride, the historic moment of meeting PM Modi. They say that because of Modi ji, today their village has got a new identity in the country and abroad.

Football coach and national player Laxmi Sais told IANS, “We had only heard PM Modi, but when he came among us, it felt like a family member was among us. PM Modi’s spontaneous, simple and inspiring personality became a great inspiration for us players.”

PM Modi had also mentioned Vicharpur village in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme. He said that two-and-a-half decades ago, the youth here were suffering due to increasing drug addiction. Recognizing the talent of the youth, Raees Ahmed started teaching them football with limited resources. Football became popular in a short time. Now, a programme named ‘Football Revolution’ is going on here, in which the youth are given sports training.

More than 40 national and state-level talents have emerged, he pointed out.

–IANS

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