There is no doubt about the fact that the country of India eats, sleeps and repeats football. And with the FIFA World Cup getting underway in Russia, we all have geared ourselves up for a sleepless one month.
However, there are a few individuals, who stand out from the ordinary, when it comes to their passion for the wonderful game. It was not long ago that we heard about Pannalal Chatterjee and her wife, the aged couple from Kolkata, who is currently in Russia to witness their 10th FIFA World Cup from the stands.
And now, we have another man, who took his love for the global event to a different level by going out of his limits.
According to TOI, Putul Borah, a 57-year-old businessman from Diphu town in Assam, has built an auditorium with a bank loan of ₹13 lakh to screen matches for football enthusiasts.
The stadium has been named ‘The German Stadium’ as Putul is a die-hard Germany fan and it saw a crowd of around 100 people on the opening day of the FIFA World Cup. The auditorium can accommodate 100 people inside while 200 others can gather at the courtyard of the place. It also offers a giant 53-inch-screen for the matches with free tea and snacks.
The opening day was celebrated by cutting a cake which was specially designed for the special occasion. Gilbertson Sangma, a former member of the Indian football team, was also present among a host of others to grace the wonderful moment. Speaking of the same to TOI, Borah said,
But before the start of the celebrations, people gathered at Borah’s residence and paid tribute to Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath, who were recently lynched by a mob in a remote village of Karbi Anglong district.