Rashtriya Rifles, the elite counter insurgency force, invited India hockey players Yuvraj and Devender Walmiki for their silver jubilee year celebrations in Anantnag earlier this week.
The two brothers reached Anantnag, Highground, in Kashmir on August 16 and were accorded a grand reception before they shared a brief interaction with the officers.
It was followed by a visit to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Nunwan.
The next day the players were welcomed by troops of Rashtriya Rifles, which will complete 25 years of its raising next month, after which they interacted with a gathering of 400 troops, who were very excited to have the country’s hockey stars in their midst.
The soldiers of Rashtriya Rifles passionately and enthusiastically put across questions to the two players. Some asked about their journey, professional career and struggles, while some wanted to know how it felt to be a part of the national hockey team.
After the interaction, a hockey match was played between the soldiers. The two brothers were part of the teams. After the match, they joined the troops in shaking a leg to popular hit songs Chak De and Sabse Aage Hoge Hindustani.
“It’s an honour for me to be part of such a mega event . It was a grand felicitation ceremony that was hosted at the RR1 regiment. Besides interacting with the jawans we also enjoyed dancing and playing hockey with them,” Yuvraj said, saluting the army for “always being there for the country”.
The Walmiki brothers also interacted with the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of South Kashmir, Nitish Kumar, at his office. They also found time to visit the popular Ashmuqam Dargah, where a song sequence from the recent-Bollywood blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijan, starring Salman Khan, was shot.
