KOCHI: It's never too late to perform a good deed. This is what a group of final-year students of a film school in Kochi learnt after spending hours sprucing up a ground at Veliyathunadu, near UC College, Aluva.
The ground which was ruined in the floods, had once been the hub of sporting activities for locals. But with the ground turning marshy after it was submerged in the August rains, locals abandoned the sport.
However, studying the potential of the ground, the crew of Kalloorkadan Tournaments, a group of students from Neofilm school in Palarivattom decided to restore the spot to its original glory.
Vinayak S Kumar, director of Kalloorkadan Tournaments said the ground was restored within a night. "It was a memorable experience. We didn't have any prior information about the ground's condition. When we realised it held huge potential and used to be a favourite of the local people in the area, we decided to turn the ground's fate around.
Since it was extremely marshy, a lot of effort was required to turn it to its original state. The cleaning work had begun during an evening time. Before dawn, the work was over and the ground looked usable," said VinayakThe rapid transformation of the ground has also evoked huge response from the local people. "People were extremely supportive. They also joined us in our efforts.
Once we started levelling the ground, everyone became enthusiastic and started planning new activities including organising local tournaments. We felt content after seeing the excitement of the public," he said.
Apart from the director, cinematographer Anson Antony, editor Vikas Alphonse, music director Sreenath K and a few assistant directors have joined in the endeavour.
Interestingly, the short film which is yet to be released in online platforms has been winning laurels across various national-level short film festivals held across the country. "We visited the ground recently. It was satisfying to see kids of Veliyathunadu playing around freely on the ground," Vinayak said.