The crumbling football gallery at Government Engineering College, Thrissur, where football legends I M Vijayan and Jo Paul Ancheri once trained, has got a new lease of life, thanks to the institution's 1997-2001 alumni batch. For many of them, the gallery was more than a set of concrete stands; it was where they spent countless evenings watching their sporting hero, I M Vijayan, in action.

The batch, comprising around 430 students from seven engineering streams including mechanical, civil, electrical, electronics, production, computer science and chemical engineering, raised ₹25 lakh for the renovation.

"We used to sit in the gallery and watch him play. He was our hero. So when we thought about how we could give back to the college that made us who we are today, renovating the gallery felt like the natural choice as its condition was deteriorating," said Peter Ivan, a former mechanical engineering student who is now a senior consultant with TCS.

"When we studied here, the fee was just around ₹1,000 for the entire course. That was the advantage of government education," Peter said. "Today, many of our batchmates are working or leading major companies across the world and there is a deep sense of gratitude towards the institution. It also gave us memories we continue to cherish. Despite belonging to different branches, we were a closely knit batch. We brought out combined magazines, made short films and organised activities together, so that rapport still exists."

According to Dr Manilal, a former student and now a professor in the college's chemical engineering department, the alumni initially planned separate reunions for each branch before deciding to come together for a common cause. "Once the idea of giving something back to the college that shaped us came up, we narrowed it down to renovating the gallery," he said.

Planning for the project began in November. Peter said its execution was spearheaded by Babitha N, a former student and Executive Engineer with the Public Works Department in Thrissur.

"Because of her, the paperwork wasn't held up. We were able to finalise the contractor and vendor quickly," he said.

A part of the renovated gallery was recently inaugurated as nearly 250 alumni from across the world returned to Thrissur for their silver jubilee reunion. "Some of us arrived a couple of days ago and were busy rehearsing cultural programmes based on nostalgic memories from our college days. Others joined us on the day of the event," Peter said.

He added that the project was entirely funded through voluntary contributions from the alumni. "People contributed whatever amount they wished. We deliberately chose not to seek CSR funding or sponsorships because this was something we wanted to do ourselves."

So far, 110 metres of the gallery's total 350-metre length has been renovated. The remaining portion will be restored in phases. "When we take up the next stages, we may involve others to help speed up the work financially. Our dream is to complete the entire gallery and then invite I M Vijayan sir to inaugurate it," Peter said.