Today is my birthday. Some days ago I read that GV Raja football tournament is being organised again in Thiruvananthapuram after a gap of around 25 years. And it has brought back nightmarish memories
I distinctly remember the last tournament in the mid eighties. I was standing in queue to buy tickets to watch the final at the Chandrasekhar Nair stadium which was jam-packed. I don't remember the teams in the final. I heard a huge wail from the stadium and as I turned my head, I saw the overloaded makeshift gallery collapsing sideways with a thud. Hands and legs were flaying all around and it was a ghastly sight which was over in seconds.
It took me few seconds to realise what had happened. I ran towards the stadium. By that time a big crowd had gathered around the collapsed gallery. trying to extricate people who got stuck between bamboo poles. I was so shocked that I left the place immediately thanking God. If I had got tickets early I would have been in that gallery. Many were seriously hurt and some succumbed to injuries.
The tournament was not played for years after that accident. It is being resumed now and I sincerely hope there wouldn't be makeshift galleries erected on poles made of bamboo or wood.
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