Beautifully aligned hut-like housing units surrounded by symbols of Kerala's cultural heritage and life size posters of Goodwill Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar welcoming athletes -- the National Games Village here has managed to impress one and all for being professionally managed and well-maintained.
Tucked away at Menamkulam, about 20km from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Village has all essential facilities ranging from a bank, a fitness centre and a food court besides coffee parlours, ayurvedic centres, a solid waste management system and recreational zones.
Tendulkar can be seen in every nook and corner of the Village, offering visitors a warm welcome and calling on the athletes to aim for perfection in life-size posters.
A sprawling food court, with a lip-smacking spread of ethnic delicacies from different states of the country ensures that every taste-bud is taken care of.
Majority of athletes, coaches and team officials, who have seen "substandard facilities" in many previous Games, are all praise for the Village here.
Morramme, a vibrant triathlon player from Assam, said she was pleasantly surprised to find air-conditioned accommodation for the athletes and were several notches better than what even her home state offered in 2007.
"I am really happy and excited to be in the Games Village. I never expected that we will be offered such plush facilities here. It is my second Games and the first one was that which had been hosted in my home state. Though it is was also good, the facilities here are much better," she told PTI.
Morramme's sentiments were shared by most of her fellow athletes, who heaped praise on the management system and the safety offered at the Village. Kerala's teenage athlete V V Jisha, on the other hand, could not stop lauding the wide variety of food on offer here.
