As bulldozers loom in Nehru Stadium, Guwahati pauses to recall decades of dreams

Guwahati’s Nehru Stadium, the arena that first placed Assam on the national and global sporting map, is on the brink of being reduced to rubble as part of an ambitious redevelopment plan.

According to reports, the Assam Cabinet, in November, had approved an allocation of Rs 765 crore for rebuilding the stadium into a modern, world-class sports facility.

The new complex will feature contemporary amenities, including an international-standard football ground, while retaining the seating capacity of 25,000.

The proposed sports complex will comprise four blocks housing offices of various sports associations, the Directorate of Sports, sports hostels, a parking facility for nearly 1,500 vehicles, an auditorium, indoor training facilities, football practice grounds, and amenities for badminton, table tennis and other sports.

Nehru stadium has been a theatre of dreams, discipline and determination. (AT Photo)

Yet, amid the rush to modernise, the ageing structure occupies a space far deeper than bricks and beams in Assam’s collective memory.

For generations of athletes and sports lovers, Nehru Stadium has been more than a venue. It has been a theatre of dreams, discipline and determination, where countless journeys began long before the spotlight arrived.

Built through the tireless efforts of sporting visionaries such as Radha Govinda Baruah and Pulin Chandra Das, with the backing of passionate sports enthusiasts, the historic stadium emerged as a powerful symbol of Assam’s sporting aspirations.

Completed in 1962 and named after India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, the ground soon became a sacred space for sport in the region.

Since its inception, thousands of sportspersons have walked onto its turf, countless historic matches have unfolded, and generations of cricketers, footballers and athletes have taken their first tentative steps here; many of them going on to represent Assam and the country.

“So many memories are attached to this place. We have organised several cricket and football tournaments here. I’ve been associated with this stadium since my school days. We only hope the government provides proper alternative arrangements,” said Aditya Agarwala, a local resident.

Over time, the complex expanded to include indoor stadiums, a swimming pool and other key infrastructure, later coming to be known as the Radha Govinda Baruah Sports Complex.

From local tournaments to national and international encounters, the stadium bore witness to moments of triumph, heartbreak and collective pride.

For decades, Nehru Stadium remained the beating heart of Guwahati’s sporting life, offering most of the city’s sports facilities under one roof.

Rakesh Baishya, a former cricketer, said the stadium was where his cricketing journey began.

“When Nehru Stadium was built, it became a one-stop hub for sport in the city. Now, as it stands on the brink of redevelopment, we feel a sense of sadness because of the many memories associated with this place. The primary issue is that Guwahati lacks a proper stadium,” he said.

An official who has vacated his office from the complex ahead of the revamp, echoed the same sense of uncertainty.

“There are countless memories attached to this place. Everything happened here. We hope that once reconstruction is complete, associations will be allotted space again, as they were earlier,” he said, requesting anonymity.

The move also comes as Assam fast-tracks the development of world-class sports infrastructure ahead of hosting the 2027 National Games.

“The idea is to have a stadium of international standards because, if we are to host the National Games in 2027, the infrastructure must be ready,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said in May, while reviewing the upcoming international cricket stadium at Amingaon.

This push is part of a broader, state-wide effort. Over the past three years, Assam has invested heavily in strengthening sports infrastructure, including the construction of complexes across all 126 Assembly constituencies.

As Nehru Stadium prepares to make way for a new future, it leaves behind a legacy deeply etched in Assam’s sporting history; not merely of concrete and grass, but of dreams nurtured, passions ignited and decades of unwavering devotion.

Demolition is slated to begin after December 25, following which refurbishment work will commence.