For two Indians, World Cup work is paid holiday

New Delhi, June 12 : The Mundhras are fond of travelling to watch sport anywhere. Be it the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup or the Cricket World Cup, Om Prakash and Premlata try not to miss them.

The Mundhra couple from Nagpur has another Indian for company, Gopal Ghosh from soccer-mad Kolkata. Mudhra and Ghosh are among the 11 lucky volunteers picked from India for doing sundry jobs during the World Cup. While the whole world is busy enjoying football, the two will be busy with their designated work.

Ghosh is working in the administration and marketing department while Mundhra has been assigned the transport duties at the Soccer City Stadium in Soweto township.

Mundhra opted for a shift that starts at 6 in the morning and is prepared to brave the chilly winter at daybreak so that he can watch some matches later in the day.

"The morning shift is tough as the temperature drops to two degrees. But that is the only way I can watch some matches. I was lucky to get a chance to work in a flexible shift," Mundhra told IANS.

But Ghosh was not that lucky.

Being in the administrative department, his hands were full on the inaugural day Friday.

"There was lot of pressure on the administration department to ensure that everything was in place. In the last 24 hours, I didn't get a single minute to rest," Ghosh told IANS.

For Mundhra, sport is a passion. It all started for the industrialist in 1982 when as a student, he was associated with the 1982 Asian Games. But he had to wait another 18 years for his next next odyssey and the dream was fulfilled in 2000 when went to his first Olympics in Sydney. He was for the next Olympics at Athens, too, four years later.

Mundhra produly claims that this is his third straight football World Cup, having been to South Korea and Japan in 2002 and Germany in 2006, but as a spectator.

The man from the city of oranges knows South Africa like the back of his palm, having come here for the cricket World Cup in 2003. Not to miss the link, he went to the West Indies for the next World Cup.

"I know it is not easy mixing pleasure with work, more so this time as I have plenty of work to do. Still, I consider it a paid holiday. Fortunately, I've never travelled alone and my wife is more excited about these sports events than I am," he said.

Ghosh, 45, is East Bengal Club's General Manager (Operations). He is mighty pleased that he is the lone football official from the India to get a chance to be here.

Recalling the turn of events, Ghosh said: "I think I am the chosen one after all I was the 67,999th applicant. Earlier this year I was called for an interview at the High Commission in Mumbai. And after a series of online training and tests I was finally selected."

Ghosh, a former deputy manager of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), said all the volunteers had to pay only their airfare and FIFA takes care of the rest.

"They are paying us 120 rands a day as daily allowance and 100 rands as stipend besides providing board and lodging," said Ghosh, who is on his maiden trip to World Cup.