MALAPPURAM: They were repeatedly berated for playing on the road, but the children of Pookottoor’s fourth ward were not ready to give up on a favourite pastime. With no playground in the neighbourhood, the stretch of road was their only option.
When complaints from residents threatened to take even that away, the young football enthusiasts decided to take matters into their own hands. They approached the ward member with a written petition for a playground.
The unusual petition, submitted by a group of children around 10 years of age, soon caught the attention of social media.
What followed was an unexpected show of support, with a local resident offering his land for a temporary play and sponsors coming forward with footballs, boots and jerseys.
The trouble began when roadside residents objected to balls being kicked into their compounds by boisterous children.
Complaints were repeatedly raised with their parents and ward member Fathima Suhara. Last week, a family even warned Fathima that it would submit a formal complaint with the panchayat secretary.
Fathima contacted the children’s parents and asked them to dissuade the kids from playing on the road.
But when the children learnt about the complaint, they decided to submit one of their own, determined to make their demand heard before anyone could complain against them.
“There are over ten children in the group, all around 10 years old. Six of them, representing the group, arrived at my house the very next morning. Their problem was a lack of space to play. They complained that whenever they played on the roadside or similar spots, local residents would scold them. Their only demand was a place to play,” Fathima said.
“When I promised to find a solution, they expressed scepticism, saying, ‘You members always say things like that, but you never actually do anything.’ I realised then that there was no other option but to arrange a ground for them,” she added.
Fathima immediately approached people in the neighbourhood. A local resident, Habeeb Rahman, offered a portion of his vacant land for the children to use until a permanent playground could be arranged. On Saturday, he borrowed a tractor and cleared the plot himself.
The children, meanwhile, took it upon themselves to turn the space into a football ground. They even fashioned goalposts from areca palm trunks, with the help of elders.
Their story reached a wider audience after the social-media page ‘Thekkinte Naadu’ featured the initiative. After the video went viral, Safwan Ali, owner of a prominent supermarket chain, offered to sponsor footballs, boots and jerseys for the group. Two footballs have already reached the children, while measurements have been taken for their jerseys and boots.
For Rishan, Aadil, Shamon, Anas, and their fellow playmates, the new ground is more than just a vacant plot. It is a space where they can play without worrying about complaints or being chased away, at least for now.
The kids’ parents are proud of the spirited intervention.
“Most of them are around ten years old. The fact that they could, without asking anyone, submit a complaint with the ward member and boldly demand that their need for a playground be addressed is a significant achievement. At a time when children are often addicted to phones, we are proud that our children have fought for a playground,” said Shamon’s father Jaleel.