Tilak Varma at Khelo India Dialogue: Modi's drug-free youth message resonates
Synopsis
PM Modi's Khelo India Dialogue brought T20 vice-captain Tilak Varma to Raipur with a pointed message: sport is India's best weapon against drugs. But behind the optics lies a harder truth — India skipped more than 20 Olympic disciplines as recently as 2012, and the 2036 Games are now the country's stated deadline to fix that.
Key Takeaways
Tilak Varma , India T20 vice-captain, attended the Khelo India Dialogue in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on 27 August .
PM Modi used the virtual address to link sports participation directly to combating drug abuse among youth.
Modi revealed India competed in only 13 sports at the 2012 Olympics , missing more than 20 disciplines .
A nationwide talent hunt for children aged 5 to 15 was announced as part of 2036 Olympics preparations.
Modi flagged surfing and sports climbing as disciplines where India should build medal-winning capacity.
Chhattisgarh Deputy CM and Sports Minister Arun Sao called a drug-free youth essential to building a 'developed India.'
India T20 vice-captain Tilak Varma attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's virtual address to the country's youth in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on 27 August, praising the initiative as a powerful call for a drug-free generation. The event, titled 'Khelo India Dialogue', saw Modi interact virtually with sportspersons and young people from across India, with a dual focus on combating drug use and preparing for the 2036 Olympics.
What Tilak Varma Said
'It was a very good event. PM Modi delivered a strong message. Young people need to stay away from drugs. Events like this should be organised. Such initiatives can help keep the youth away from drugs,' Varma told reporters after the session.
The cricketer also spoke about Chhattisgarh's sporting potential, noting that he had visited the state previously for cricket and saw significant room for athletic development. 'Now I have come to give a message to stay away from drugs,' he added.
Modi's Address: Sports as a Shield Against Drugs
In his virtual interaction, Prime Minister Modi stressed that competitive sport naturally cultivates discipline and steers young people away from substance abuse. 'Friends, another great advantage of sports is that real athletes develop a desire to stay away from drugs. Today, when young people face such a big challenge of drugs, sports play a very important role in this. I am happy that sports is a great profession in India today. People in our country are participating in triathlons. Also, 5K and 10K races are taking place,' Modi said.
He also announced that a nationwide talent hunt targeting children aged 5 to 15 would be central to identifying and grooming athletes early for disciplines suited to their abilities — a key pillar in the 2036 Olympics strategy.
India's Olympic Participation Gap
Modi used the platform to highlight a longstanding structural concern: India's limited participation across Olympic disciplines. 'This time, from the Red Fort, I drew the country's attention to a major challenge in sports. The bitter truth is that India's teams don't participate in half of the sports that are a part of the Olympics,' he said.
He pointed out that in the 2012 Olympics, India competed in only 13 sports, leaving more than 20 disciplines entirely uncontested. 'That is, we do not compete for a very large part of the medal tally. And this has been the situation for a long time now,' Modi noted. He cited surfing and sports climbing as areas where India's diverse geography offers untapped potential for medal-winning development.
State Government's Response
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister Arun Sao was also present at the Raipur screening. He highlighted the broader vision behind the dialogue, saying the Prime Minister had interacted with sportspersons from across the country to discuss both Olympic readiness and a drug-free India. 'A drug-free youth will play an important role in building a developed India,' Sao told reporters. He added that the interaction had 'infused them with new energy.'
The Khelo India Dialogue signals a deepening convergence between India's sports policy and its public health agenda — with the 2036 Olympics now serving as a concrete deadline for both ambitions.
Point of View
The government is betting on aspiration rather than legislation to shift youth behaviour. The 2036 Olympics target gives the programme a hard deadline and a measurable benchmark, which is an improvement over past sports initiatives that lacked accountability. But the gap Modi himself acknowledged — India absent from over 20 Olympic disciplines as recently as 2012 — is structural, not motivational, and closing it will require sustained funding, coaching infrastructure, and federation reform that speeches alone cannot deliver.
NationPress
28 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Khelo India Dialogue?
The Khelo India Dialogue is a virtual interactive session organised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage sportspersons and young people across India. The 27 August edition focused on two themes: encouraging youth to stay away from drugs through sport, and broadening India's participation across Olympic disciplines ahead of the 2036 Games.
Why did Tilak Varma attend the Khelo India Dialogue in Raipur?
Tilak Varma attended the Raipur screening of PM Modi's virtual address as part of the Khelo India Dialogue initiative. He praised the event's drug-free message and used the occasion to highlight Chhattisgarh's sporting potential, saying he had come specifically to reinforce the anti-drug message among the state's youth.
What did PM Modi say about India's Olympic participation?
Modi pointed out that India competed in only 13 sports at the 2012 Olympics and did not participate in more than 20 disciplines. He called for a systematic expansion into underrepresented sports — including surfing and sports climbing — and announced a talent hunt for children aged 5 to 15 as part of preparations for the 2036 Olympics.
How does the government link sports to the anti-drug message?
PM Modi argued that competitive sport naturally builds discipline and reduces the appeal of drugs among young people. He said, 'Real athletes develop a desire to stay away from drugs,' framing sports participation as both a personal and national health strategy, particularly relevant given what he described as a significant drug challenge facing Indian youth.
What was Chhattisgarh's role in the Khelo India Dialogue?
Raipur, Chhattisgarh hosted one of the screening venues for PM Modi's virtual address. Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister Arun Sao attended the event and said the dialogue had infused youth with 'new energy,' adding that a drug-free generation would be vital to India's development ambitions.
