MES to host state-level inter-school sports meet from Jan 23

Pune: The Maharashtra Education Society (MES), through its Kreedavardhini wing, in association with Balshikshan Mandir English Medium School, will organise the MES Kreeda Karandak, a state-level inter-school field sports competition, from January 23 to 25, 2026.

The three-day event will be held at the Balshikshan Mandir School campus in Mayur Colony and is open to primary school students aged between six and ten years. MES governing council Vice President Anandi Patil shared the details at a press conference on Tuesday.

Patil said the competition, now in its 14th year, is the only residential sports tournament in Maharashtra exclusively for primary school students. “The objective of organising the MES Kreeda Karandak is to inculcate a sports culture among children from an early age. The event is conducted annually over three consecutive days in January and includes team-based field events such as Surya Namaskar, Langdi, dodgeball, and goal kho-kho,” she said.

She added that participation in sports helps children develop physical fitness, strength, agility, and concentration, while also fostering discipline, teamwork, confidence, and sportsmanship, which are crucial for overall development.

MES Kreedavardhini President Vijay Bhalerao said around 1,200 students from 20 schools, including all MES primary schools and neighbouring institutions, will participate in the competition. He said the event will be conducted in an environmentally responsible and plastic-free manner. As part of this initiative, a ‘zero waste management’ workshop was organised for teachers.

Bhalerao also said that, in addition to sports, several co-curricular activities have been planned to ensure the holistic development of students. These include origami workshops, visits to the Joshi Railway Museum, metro rides, reading and art corners, value-based short films, and other recreational programmes during the tournament period.

Present at the press conference were MES Secretary Atul Kulkarni, Kreedavardhini Mahamatra, and MES Joint Secretary Sudhir Bhosale, School Mahamatra Dr Neha Deshpande, Sports Coordinator Prof Shailesh Apte, Balshikshan Mandir English Medium School primary section Headmistress Manjusha Durve, and Deputy Headmistress Dr Vaishali Kulkarni. The mascot of the tournament, ‘Veer’, was also unveiled on the occasion.

The event is being organized under the guidance of MES CEO Sachin Ambardekar. The overall planning has been coordinated by headmistress Manjusha Durve, with vice-principal Dr Vaishali Kulkarni, teachers, and sports instructors contributing to the preparations.