THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Volunteers turn a part of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi into a work of art

Art is a universal language which stimulates the mind and the heart. It stimulates passion and brings out emotions in us on both sides of the spectrum. So does football. Thus, a perfect amalgamation of these two can only create a thing of beauty. That’s what two volunteers came up with along with the help of the stadium venue volunteer officer. A mural which has brought the otherwise mundane walls of the Stadium Volunteer Centre at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi into the limelight.

The volunteer recruitment process for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup India was a long one. After rounds of sieving through, the best suited were chosen for their skills. Azeem and Harikrishnan were two such people. They approached Miss Aisha Nazia, the Venue Volunteer Officer for Kochi with their idea and things eventually got rolling. The two volunteers brought in their team Eunoians, who worked tirelessly for the 3 consecutive days to bring their creation to life.

The wall as can be seen from images is a representing of society from all walks of life with a co-relation to football. Even existing structures inside the room were made a part of the art-work. Team Eunoains comprising of artists like Seerow Unni, Vinayan, Jeroy and Imodraj among others gave vision to the initiative.

Magic realism, that form of literature and art which was born in Colombia, a participant in this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup, seems to be reeking from the walls. Coconuts are replaced by footballs, fishermen have footballs as their catch of the day instead of the usual fish. And finally the centre of attention is on a large football which seems to form the centre of a solar system with everything oscillating around it.
What happens to this mural is something the organizers and concerned authorities are currently mulling over but for now this ‘little corner’ at the JLN in Kochi has found its audience can easily be a souvenir of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup India.

(AIFF Media)