CSIR-SERC hosts 53rd CSIR zonal indoor sports tournament

chennai: the csir-structural engineering research centre (csir-serc), chennai, hosted the 53rd shanti swarup bhatnagar memorial tournament (ssbmt), zonal-i (indoor) from august 29 to september 1, bringing together teams from eight csir laboratories for a four-day sporting event.organised under the aegis of the csir sports promotion board (spb), new delhi, the tournament featured indoor games such as badminton, table tennis, chess, carrom, and bridge. participating csir labs included csir-4pi, csir-cecri, csir-cimap, csir-iicb, csir-nal, csir-nbri, csir-ngri, and csir-niscpr.the valedictory function, held on september 1 at the vigyan auditorium, featured former indian cricketer robin singh as the chief guest. in his address, he highlighted the importance of teamwork, saying, “team spirit is the main element in any sport, and every game offers lessons beyond winning.”dr. n. anandavalli, director, csir-serc, in her remarks, said sports stands for “strength, physique, observance, resistance, tolerance and sustenance,” adding that sports foster teamwork and perseverance.prof. pradeep kumar ramancharla, director, csir-cbri and president of csir-spb, emphasised the positive impact of sports on health and character building. “we should dedicate at least 30 minutes daily to sports for physical and mental well-being,” he said.trophies were presented to winners, and the event concluded with a vote of thanks. the ssbmt series commemorates dr. shanti swarup bhatnagar, founder of csir, and aims to promote leadership, communication skills, and camaraderie among employees through sports.