For neighbours, community bonding is a match away

Apartment residents across cities are avidly taking part in sporting tournaments to get fit and build connections

- Shrenik Avlani

It was a beautiful Bengaluru morning on a Saturday, but work had forced Venkat Atukuri, 47, who works in reinsurance, to travel away from the city. Sitting in his hotel room that morning, Atukuri was glued to his phone watching a live cricket match. Just that this match was being played by his neighbours and friends at Raheja Residency, the residential complex where he lives. It is the "Raheja Premier League," the annual IPL-style cricket tournament complete with team owners, budgets (featuring pretend money), player categories and auctions, team meetings, training sessions, camaraderie, fierce rivalry, injuries, frayed tempers, and some heated arguments as well. A similar story plays out at Adarsh Palm Retreat Condominiums, another residential complex in Bengaluru, when it comes to the badminton tournament, which is part of their annual sports fest.

Sports festivals and mini tournaments in residential complexes across India are all the rage and enjoying growing participation numbers across the country. There are plenty of good reasons for this. Such events are a lot more inclusive, involving everyone from children to grandparents and feature multiple sports. Most of all, they are convenient because all one needs to do is literally step out of their homes.

"Home buyers are not only looking for larger flats but are also demanding sports facilities and amenities within the premises. These are as much safe spaces for children to play and senior citizens to take their daily walks as they are a playground for the adults. This has been the trend post-pandemic," says Prashant Chopra, chairman of P.S. Group Realty Private Limited, a Kolkata-based real estate developer.