PM MODI connects with various sports personalities Like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Hima Das & Badminton Star PV Sindhu, Pullela Gopichand, PT Usha, Mary Kom, Vishwanathan Anand, Bajrang Punia & Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag & Cheteshwar Pujara through video conferencing Urge them to spread positivity amidst COVID-19 situation in the country.

The current scenario & situation of not only India but all over the world concerning the increasing spread of the virus COVID-19 has been such that more discussions & dialogues are needed to spread more awareness of the same amongst all. To take this initiative further PM of India Mr Narendra Modi on Friday decided to connect with the top athletes of India & interacted with them through video-conferencing. 40 renowned sportspersons from different sports fields were present for the critical interaction regarding the current situation caused by the spread of the virus & also talk about the 21-day lockdown in the country.

The top Indian athletes included the "God of cricket" Sachin Tendulkar, Indian skipper Virat Kohli, athlete Hima Das & shuttler PV Sindhu. Other well-known sports personalities included Pullela Gopichand, PT Usha, Mary Kom, Vishwanathan Anand, Bajrang Punia & cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag & Cheteshwar Pujara. Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, many sporting events had to be cancelled to ensure the safety of all not only the sportspersons but also the audiences who would have come to watch the games & matches. Modi praised the sports personalities for their excellence in their respective sports & also urged all of them to uplift the spirits of the country & also help spread the message of social distancing as well as to ask them to follow the necessary measures given by the advisories during lockdown.

Modi also gave a 5-point mantra to overcome Coronavirus that includes ‘Sankalp, Sanyam, Sakaratmakta, Samman and Sahyog’. Throwing light on the importance of the traits that a sportsperson learns while in sports training like positivity, self-discipline, self-belief & the ability to face challenges, etc. Modi said that all these qualities are vital for people all around the nation & the world to imbibe & learn to eventually battle the virus spread. Also, to put more focus on both mental & physical fitness while the country faces lockdown, Modi urged the sportspersons to highlight the importance of the same to the people & put forward AYUSH ministry's guidelines.

Friday morning, Modi also appealed to everyone in the nation to put off all the lights of their homes on 5th April 2020 at 9 pm for 9 minutes & light up candles, lamps & flashlights of their phones as a way of showing that all of us are in this together to fight the battle against the virus.