Shimla-the birthplace of the Durand Cup and the Indian Air Force ...

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July 2011 Vol. 2 Issue 7 | Rs.75 

Purple Beret 

capping military issues 

FORCE FOOtball 

durand cup 

2011

Seeking India’s 10 

DURAND CUP 

According to its constitution, the Durand committee is headed by the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff 

committee as its president, with the other two Chiefs as vice-presidents. The other members are the 

Adjutant General, General-Officer-Commanding, Delhi Area, Chief of Personnel, Indian Navy, the Air 

Officer-in-Charge Administration, Commissioner of Police, Delhi, the Delhi Municipal Commissioner, 

President and Secretary of the Services Sports Control Board, representatives of the Delhi Football 

Association and Railways Sports Control Board and three important non-official civilian personalities 

elected by the Durand Football Society. 

purple beret July 2011 5

start up 

Editorial 

The 2009 leadership summit organised by the Hindustan 

Times, featured a panel discussion on the future of 

cricket. The panellists consisting of Sunil Gavaskar, 

Ravi Shastri and Richard Hadley fielded numerous 

questions from the audience. Surprisingly, a gentleman 

commented on the bleak future of cricket in India, especially 

in view of the challenges posed by other sports. The gentleman 

used his personal example to make the point. He narrated that 

he had a luncheon invitation with Sachin Tendulkar, and he 

asked his son to accompany him. But to his horror the son curtly 

said that he was not interested - had it been Beckham, he would 

have definitely come along. However, the question raised by the 

gentleman touched a raw nerve – his comment was sacrilegious 

in a country that reveres both Sachin and cricket. 

It is obvious that the gentleman must have been wealthy and 

influential enough to be invited for lunch with Sachin. As a 

corollary, his son must be regularly vacationing in Europe 

besides being a student of an elite school where soccer is a 

popular sport. That probably explains the son’s exposure to 

international football and their stars. One does not discount 

the role that television has played in bringing live international 

football to Indian homes but the football craze is still, more of 

an up market phenomenon. It has yet to percolate down to the 

masses. 

For the Indian masses, an unshackled cricket is only a three 

decade old phenomenon. Prior to the 1983 World cup victory, 

cricket was more of an urban phenomenon, with ‘copy book’ style 

batsmen ruling the roost. There was more style than substance 

in their performances. It is only when commoners from small 

towns like Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni started arriving on stage 

that cricket got a new lease of life. IPL further democratized 

cricket. The hegemony of Delhi and Mumbai over Indian cricket 

was dismantled and aspirations of ordinary Indians to make it 

a livelihood have been kindled - one finds gully cricket being 

played in every nook and corner of the country and even in 

the middle of pot holed roads. And this bottom up movement 

explains India’s top ICC rankings in all forms of cricket. 

Barring a few towns and schools, football is far from being 

Atul Bhardwaj is a former naval officer. He 

is a graduate of King’s College London. He 

can be contacted at atul.beret@gmail.com 

Durand is back with a bang 

the most preferred sport. 

Messi and Man United are 

the topics of discussion 

among kids born with a 

silver spoon. In nutshell, 

the revival of football in 

India is happening from 

the top. Furthermore, 

for these children, the 

play station rather than 

the playfield is a more 

exciting option. Thus, the 

revival of football in India 

is not likely to happen in 

the next decade. It may 

eventually happen, but 

it surely is going to be a 

protracted affair. 

The Indian Armed 

forces with a deep 

rooted love for football 

need to be commended 

for their efforts to take 

the Durand tournament 

to the level it deserves 

- to see India on the 

international football 

map. The armed forces 

can create local football 

heroes reaching the 

hearts and minds of 

Indians 

For India to come up in global football reckoning, talent would 

have to be unearthed from the villages and small towns. But talent 

can’t be nurtured by thrusting Rolando on the downtrodden by 

showing them international matches, where the players are as 

alien to them as Sachin Tendulkar is to people in Germany and 

Greece. Local heroes have to be groomed and alongside, best 

sporting practices, devoid of politics and partisanship have to 

be established. It is these good practices that will ensure that 

infrastructure that comes up is as world class as the Delhi Metro 

and tournaments like Durand get adequate support for public 

as well as private agencies. 

The Indian Armed forces with a deep rooted love for football 

need to be commended for their efforts to take the Durand 

tournament to the level it deserves - to see India on the 

international football map. The armed forces have men who hail 

from remote corners of India and from all communities and can 

create local football heroes who would be brand ambassadors 

of the game, reaching the hearts and minds of Indians - fatigued 

by too much cricket. The Indian army and other two services are 

more than willing to perform this role with dedication, ‘bend it 

like Beckham’ to make Durand a grand success. 


ill-o-fare 

Purple Beret 

capping military issues 

July 2011 Vol. 2 Issue 7 

www.purpleberet.com 

Editor 

Atul Bhardwaj 

Hony Chief Consultant 

Lt Gen (Retd) 

PC Bhardwaj 

Executive Consultant 

Vice Admiral (Retd) 

Venkat Bharathan 

Vice President Marketing 

Col (Retd) RS Ratra 

Vice President Operations 

Maj Gen (Retd) Vinay Bhatnagar 

Editorial Consultant 

Gp Capt (Retd) Ramesh Sukumaran 

Editorial Team 

Khursheed Dinshaw 

Poonam Talwar Sayal 

Denise Bhatnagar 

Graphic Designer 

Rahul Bahuguna 

Designed, produced & marketed by 

Beret Media Pvt. Ltd. 

Printed, published & owned by 

Atul Bhardwaj 

543 Sangam Appartment (Opp. Police line) 

Pitampura, Delhi-110034 

Printed at 

Modest Graphics Pvt. Ltd. 

C-53, DDA Sheds 

Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, Delhi 

RNI No. 

DELENG/2010/33162 

Opinions carried in the magazine are those of the 

writer’s and do not necessarily reflect those of the 

editor’s or publisher. While the editors do their 

utmost to verify information published they do 

not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy 

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part 

without permission is prohibited. 

4 July 2011 purple beret 

IN CAMERA 06 

The beacon... 

IN CAMERA 08 

Taking Durand to new heights 

HEROES 20 

The Madras Regiment Football 

team 

By A Purple Beret Story 

COLUMNS 

HISTORY 12 

The legacy 

DEBRIEF 29 

Durand Football 

SITREP 30 

‘Chak De’ Manipur 

GUEST COLUMN 32 

Football: An inspiration for 

Infrastructure Development 

HISTORY 34 

Football-Hope of salvation 

FEATURES 

DIG DEEP 26 

Decline of Regimental teams in 

the Durand Tournament 

RECALL 36 

Playing ball 

HUMOUR 38 

The feat of God 

ON SCREEN 41 

R0ll on Football 

TOTAL RECALL 24 

Mike Lahiri 

By Lt Col (Retd) A K ‘Sam’ Sharma

the coveted trophy 

Durand is the third oldest football tournament in the world and oldest in Asia and India. The 

tournament is unique because the winning team gets not one trophy, but three! The Durand Cup and 

Shimla Trophy are rolling trophies while the President’s Cup, first presented by Dr. Rajender Prasad 

is given to the team permanently. 

The tournament is conducted in two phases, ‘knockout’ and ‘quarter finals’ phase. Currently, 20 

teams participate in the knockout phase, from which two teams are selected for quarter finals. The 

top nine league teams, according to their current ranking, and the Services champion team are 

directly seeded in the quarter finals. The tournament is conducted over twenty days. 


6 July 2011 purple beret

The beacon... 

Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, PVSM VSM ADC, President of the Durand Football Society in an 

interview with Atul bhardwaj, editor Purple Beret comments on the legacy of inter-relationship 

between the armed forces and sports in general and football in particular as well as the bright 

future of football 

The Durand Cup Football is the oldest tournament in the country, 

how has it helped to awaken the football spirit in the country? 

Durand Cup is not only the oldest football tournament in 

the country but entire Asia and it is the third oldest football 

tournament in the world. A number of Indian and Asian teams 

compete for the coveted trophy. The tournament has a lot of 

mass appeal and enjoys emotional attachment with old and 

famous clubs. Two of India’s premier football clubs, Mohun 

Bagan and East Bengal, have qualified for the finals 25 times 

each and have won the Durand Cup 16 times each. Most of the 

players are of Indian origin, though lately many teams have 

foreign players also in their ranks. This is an indication of 

the growing popularity of the tournament, both in India and 

abroad. The Durand Cup remains an important event in the 

football calendar every year and has tremendously contributed 

to the football spirit in the country. 

How has the direct association of the armed forces with this 

prestigious tournament helped the tournament sustain itself over 

the years? 

Armed Forces have the tradition of sustaining themselves 

against all odds. Similarly, the Durand Cup has continued since 

1888, under the patronage of the defence forces. The tournament 

was only suspended twice during World War I and II for obvious 

reasons. Otherwise the rich legacy of this exalted tournament 

still lives on and the armed forces have a special attachment to 

this tournament. The armed forces are committed to promoting 

sporting events that encourage camaraderie, esprit-de- corps 

and sportsmanship. 

In a country where cricket is almost a religion do you think it is 

difficult for football to grow in such an environment? 

Cricket is a religion in our country but at the same time other 

sports are getting popular by the day. Every sporting event has 

its own charm and followers. I am sure that our country has a 

lot of scope to absorb various games and football is one of the 

more popular ones. In fact, India is being termed as a football 

sleeping giant. We are realising the immense potential that we 

have in terms of talent in our country. With improvement in 

sports infrastructure, availability of professional coaching and 

adequate sponsorship, I am sure football standards are bound 

to improve in our country. 

What should be done at the national level to promote other 

sports and especially, football that has a potential following in 

the country. 

To promote football we need to bring in more players from the 

grassroot levels, develop required infrastructure and ensure 

greater involvement from the Government and corporates to 

support the cause. Establishing of Sports Academies in each 

state will be a beneficial step. We also need to concentrate upon 

having a scientific approach to training our players. They would 

also need good medical support. After all, training by good 

coaches, physiologists, psychologists and fitness specialists 

is the order of the day. While, some steps have been initiated, 

the requirement is to increase the penetration of trained staff 

at all levels. The Indian Air Force has contributed towards this 

cause by conducting and managing the Subroto Cup Football 

tournament and sponsoring deserving talent. 

What are the important features of the Durand Cup this year? 

This year, the Durand Cup is scheduled from mid-September 

to mid-October. The tournament organisers are trying a 

transformative approach as far as the format of the tournament 

is concerned. We are pursuing a strategy of aggressive marketing 

this time by increasing the prize money and providing the 

tournament greater media coverage. We hope that these 

measures will bring in new dynamism to this tournament and it 

will increase the popularity of football in our country. 


Taking Durand 

to new heights 

Maj Gen Manvender Singh, AVSM, VSM, GOC Delhi Area and Chairman Durand Football 

Tournament Society in an exclusive interview with Atul Bhardwaj and Col (Retd) RS Ratra, spoke 

at length about rejuvenating Durand to its past glory and his plans to take it to a much higher level 

and give the sport its due, that will no doubt enthuse football fans in India 

Last year the Durand Cup faced some problems, how did you 

manage to save it from becoming extinct? 

There was no trouble in conducting the tournament, barring 

the fact that the financial outlay was not readily available. 

Being a part of the uniformed community it is difficult for us 

to chase sponsors to raise money. It’s not easy for us to go out 

and ask for money. Yet we made an effort, but there were not 

many sponsors forthcoming to support this national sporting 

event. We tried our level best to generate funds through various 

government agencies, also through corporate bodies, armed 

forces, and para military forces. We did get some assistance but 

that support was not adequate. No help came from the corporate 

sector. So to that extent we did encounter a little problem last 

year. We ran the tournament on a shoe string budget, cutting 

down the frills, and the entire money was raised by the Indian 

Army. 

What are the challenges of organizing a sports event at a national 

level? 

The cost of running the tournament of such magnitude is very 

high. Our main aim is promote football and a sports culture in 

the country. The Durand football is free for people to watch and 

enjoy, and hence we do not generate any revenues through 

gate money. Booking the stadium is not costly and the Delhi 

government has been supportive in giving us the dates that 

we want. But electricity tariff bills with respect to flood lights 

are very high. The matches have to be played in the evening to 

ensure that maximum crowds get an opportunity to watch them 

after their office hours. This year we are better prepared, and 


from this year onwards we intend to take the tournament to a 

much higher level. 

What help are you seeking from government agencies? 

We are getting all the support from government agencies. Soon 

I will be meeting the sports minister Mr Ajay Maken too. But we 

are not banking on government support alone. 

What is the scale at which the Durand Cup is being organized 

this year? 

After the experience of last year, I sat with my team and analyzed 

the entire system. Although complete support is extended by 

the All India Football Federation (AIFF) I felt that there was a 

need to change the method in which Durand football was being 

conducted for the last 61 years. We also understood that any 

good sporting activity if not backed by solid financial resources 

loses its appeal not only to those watching it but more so to 

those who are playing in it. Therefore the first change was 

the decision to approach the issue of raising money in a more 

professional manner. 

Secondly, it was thought that the tournament cannot continue 

to be run on a low scale. We needed to scale up the appeal of the 

tournament or else its impact would be lost. Over the past two 

decades the tournament has been successively losing its sheen. 

Clubs had been coming to participate in the tournament paying 

for their expenses themselves and players too were not getting 

anything from us for their effort.

Lastly, we had to evolve a system through which Indian football 

players would begin to see the sport as a means of livelihood 

rather than just a stop gap arrangement before getting a job. 

To achieve this Durand must pay the players sufficient money 

so that they put their best foot forward in the tournament and 

take football to the next level in India. We debated this at length 

and finally came to a conclusion that to sustain the tournament 

and to make it more popular, large amount of money will have 

to be raised. We spoke to football lovers, some friends in the 

corporate world and professionals. In fact the idea struck me 

while I was attending a Golfing conference, their method of 

raising funds and conducting their tournaments inspired me to 

approach marketing firms through an open tender system. Now 

we are in the process of finalizing the selection of the firm. 

The new system will ensure that this year onwards Durand will 

chart a new chapter in the history of football. With continued 

support from AIFF and working within the norms and frame 


laid out by the parent body of Indian football, we will reestablish 

the brand value of Durand cup. 

What better provisions are you making for the players and 

clubs in the forthcoming version of Durand? 

From this year onward every team that participates even 

in the preliminary rounds will get paid a sum of money. Of 

course, the prize money for the winning team, runners up 

and semi finalists will be substantial. We will also honour 

yesteryear footballers and encourage players who have 

brought laurels to the country in the past. This will be done 

every year. All players will be provided decent boarding and 

lodging facilities. As of now we have 26 teams participating 

in the tournament. From next year onwards, when we have 

a long-term contract with the sports marketing firm, we may 

increase the number of teams to even forty. We could even 

be looking at playing some matches in different locations 


across the country in the zonal configuration. We are also 

looking at inviting some top class foreign teams as a part of 

promotional activity that will give fillip to the tournament 

depending on the sponsors generating enough money. 

What is your media plan to take Durand Cup to maximum 

masses in the country? 

We are promoting the Durand by creating more awareness 

among the print media with regard to the history and future 

scope of the tournament. Coverage in newspapers and 

magazines will take the message to maximum number of 

people across the country. As far as broadcasting rights 

for the tournament etc are concerned, we are not going to 

get involved in it at any stage. It will be the responsibility 

of the company that is selected to market Durand. We are 

looking at the fact that the company must have the adequate 

experience to hold national and international events.

What are the future plans to take Durand Cup to next level in the 

coming years? 

We are looking at building a Durand stadium, the COAS is very 

supportive. We will build this within the military authorization. 

It will be a multipurpose stadium but only cricket will not played 

because the pitch in between hampers football. However, it will 

have athletic tracks and would be of international standards. 

The land has already been earmarked. 

In pursuit of Durand 

By Col (Dr) MS Gill 

I 

took over the position of Honorary Secretary Geneneral 

Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) in May 2010. 

Within a few days of taking over I started interacting with 

the GOC, HQ Delhi Area, who also happened to be the new 

incumbent to the office as Chairman, Standing Working Committee 

of DFTS. The 123rd edition of the Durand Tournament 

was scheduled for February 2011 as per the AIFF football calendar. 

However, the 123rd edition of the Durand Tournament was all 

set to stumble when AIFF changed the scheduled calendar of 

Currently the Women world cup football is being played in 

Germany, do you also have plans to promote women football? 

Yes, woman football is picking up gradually in our country 

too. There is some encouraging news that fresh talent among 

woman footballers is beginning to make its mark. I am sure that 

from next year onwards we may introduce women football in the 

Durand format. The idea behind all this is maximum number of 

players both men and women should get a credible platform to 

showcase their talent. 

football (due to unforeseen constraints) and provided DFTS 

barely a month to organize the National level event. Notwithstanding, 

the GOC, HQ Delhi Area took on this humongous 

challenge giving me all the liberty to explore, utilize and move 

any and every resource to conduct the tournament. Given 

the paucity of time, no financial resources in terms of sponsors 

coming forward the challenge seemed larger than life. 

Nevertheless in true service tradition under the leadership of 

GOC, HQ Delhi Area, the Raj Rif Regiment Centre, Comdt Brig 

A K Shukla, VSM helped organise the conduct of the 123rd Edition 

of the tournament. The flawless and smooth conduct of the 

Durand Cup in such a short span of time attracted a lot of media 

coverage. Actually it turned out to be better than ever before. 

While we overcame the crisis and preserved the rich legacy 

of the Durand tournament the question as how to save it and 

carve the future of the tournament lurched on the screen of our 

minds. During few further interactions on the subject with the 

Chairman, SWC DFTS it was decided that a long term strategy 

be put into place for the conduct of the tournament. Working relentless 

even after the tournament was over the DFTS has finally 

embarked on the long term strategy to ensure the continuity of 

the tournament and enhance its visibility. A lot is being put into 

place for conducting Asia’s oldest and world’s third oldest football 

tournament in an utmost professional manner. Live broadcasting, 

logistics, participation, increased prize money, strategies 

to make it an attractive sport have been planned and are 

being executed on the ground. A few months down the line will 

be the deciding factor. Durand will take the envisaged shape 

and I am sure our efforts will bear fruit and Durand will earn its 

rightful place in the world football fraternity. 

The author is the Hony Secy Gen of the 

Durand Football Tournament Society 


12 July 2011 purple beret

The legacy 

A Purple Beret Story 

The Durand cup history dates back to 1888 in Shimla. 

It is the oldest football tournament in India and also 

the 3rd oldest in the world-after the English and the 

Scottish FA cup. It was started by Sir Mortimer Durand, 

the then foreign secretary of the British Raj. Sir Henry Mortimer 

Durand was born in Sehore, Bhopal State of India on the 14 th of 

February 1850 and died in England in 1924. During the Second 

Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880) he was the political secretary 

at Kabul and from 1884 to 1894 he was the foreign secretary 

of India. In 1893 he negotiated with Abdur Rahman Khan, 

Amir of Afghanistan, the frontier between British India and 

Afghanistan. This line is called the Durand Line after him. 

The Durand tournament was basically intended as ‘out-door 

relief’ and recreation for European troops stationed in India. 

The British Indian Army was given the charge of running and 

organizing the cup. Initially, it was an intra-army cup, where 

about eleven different teams used to participate. The Royal 

Scots Fusiliers won the inaugural cup by defeating Highland 

Light Infantry with a score of 2-1. 

Some historians opine that there were two reasons that the 

British introduced the football tournament in India. Firstly, it 

was their extreme passion for the game and secondly it was 

also a way of inculcating camaraderie in the army. However, 

notwithstanding the larger objectives, the British cannot be 

condemned for pioneering a harmless sports tournament. In 

fact, just as we credit them for introducing railways, English 

and of course cricket, they need to be given their due for 

ushering in competitive football in India. 

The Durand tournament has encouraged generations of 

Indians to pursue their dream of playing and winning at the 

highest level. The tournament is also unique wherein the 

winning team gets not one trophy, but three! The Durand Cup 

and Shimla Trophy are rolling trophies while the President’s 

Cup, first presented by Dr. Rajender Prasad is given to the team 

permanently. The tournament was suspended in 1914 due to 

World War-I and was revived in the year 1921 and continued 

as an All India Inter Regimental Football Competition till 

1939 at Shimla. Ever since India’s Independence in 1947, the 

tournament is being organized by the Indian Army and is held 

history 

at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi, under the aegis of HQ Delhi 

Area. It was in 1940, that the Durand Committee decided to 

hold the tournament at Delhi. In the same year, civil teams were 

also given permission to participate. That year, Mohammedan 

Sporting won the tournament to record the first ever victory of 

a civilian team. With the outbreak of World War-II, the Durand 

Committee decided to suspend the tournament during the 

period of war. 

In 2005 the sporting clube-de-Goa missed the title by a whisker 

when Army XI produced an upset win. Earlier in 2002/03, 

the Army XI lost in the finals to East Bengal club. With the 

relegation of sports to a low priority owing to many operational 

and counter insurgency commitments, participation of the 

Army teams has been quite low key. Mohun Bagan and East 

Bengal have shared 32 Durand Cup victories between them. 

After the down-slide of the high profile teams from Hyderabad, 

the Durand Cup, with rare exceptions since 1970 has been won 

mostly by teams from Kolkata -Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, 

or Punjab - Border Security Force and JCT Mills, Phagwara. 

In 1997 FC Kochin from the South won. In 2002, for the first 

time a team from Mumbai, Mahindra United, won the title 

twice, while in 1999 and 2003 the Goan side, Salgaocar, won 

the trophy twice. The new Millennium’s first title was once 

again won by Mohun Bagan. In 2006 it was won by Goa’s 

Dempo S.C., who beat JCT 2-0 in the finals. Recent seasons 

have been dominated by Churchill Brothers from Goa. They 

won the tournament twice in 2007 and 2009, while finishing as 

runner’s-up in 2008. 

The main aim of the Durand tourney now, is to promote 

football in the country by conducting it annually. It is open to 

all club teams in the country and conducted under the aegis of 

All India Football Federation. This tournament has emerged as 

the most prestigious one in the country along with IFA Shield 

of Calcutta and Rovers Football tournament of Mumbai. Of 

all these it is only the Durand that has managed to preserve 

its original character, vision and prestige. The support and 

backing of the AIFF, Sports Ministry, Government of India and 

the three armed services has been most forthcoming. 

The 123 rd edition of Durand Cup was conducted from 17 October 


2010 to 7 November 2010. The finals was graced by Hon’ble 

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr M S Gill. Chirag United 

won against JCT Phagwara in a well contested match. The 124th 

edition of the Cup will be played in October 2011 at Delhi. 

A dramatic match that marked the arrival of Indian football and 

broke the British hegemony over the sport was the Durand cup 

final in 1940 when Mohammendan Sporting of Calcutta won 

a niche in the sport’s ‘Hall of Fame”. They lifted the glittering 

Durand Trophy, becoming the first Indian team to achieve the 

feat. The tournament which was held at the famous Annandale 

in Shimla since its inception in 1988, was shifted to New Delhi 

in 1940 in view of the “policy of the Government of India to 

retain many of its offices in Delhi”. 

Then at their zenith Mohammedan Sporting crushed one 

opposition after another to finally take on the powerful 

Warwickshire Regiment. It was chance that the Indian team 

managed to break the complete British Army monopoly in 

the tournament. Jk Bose recalled in his 1967 article, “The 

venue of the fight was the Irwin Amphitheatre, which is now 

called the National Stadium, New Delhi. It was a battle, as the 

nationalist Indians loved to think, between ruled India and 

their illegitimate ruler, Britain. The stage 

was set with the picturesque Purana 

Qila as its backdrop. The crowds were 

distinctly divided into Indians on the 

one side and British on the other. They 

had settled down hours before Captain 

Harnam Singh, a former Secretary of the 

Durand Committee, whistled for the kickoff. 

He was the first Indian to referee a 

Durand final. 

The match began after what appeared to 

be a long wait. Amidst crackers from the 

British and full-throated shouts from the 

Indians, the Mohammedans, who were 

all booted, made piercing attacks and 

defended heroically. They retired with 

honours even at half-time with the score at 

one-all. Excitement mounted high as the 

second session began. The clock ticked 

by and still there was no score. Would the 

golden opportunity for the Indian team 


slip? The Indians became restive but not for long. In the 20 th 

minute the Calcutta forwards initiated a delectable move and 

their slick inside-left Saboo scored the match-winner. 

It was an unforgettable sight of joy and jubilation as the referee 

blew the long whistle. The Indians were uncontrollable, each 

one of them trying to greet their eleven heroes. I cannot 

recollect whether Osman, Hafiz, Rashid and Bachi Khan, all 

ex-Delhi players, received special cheers. All that I remember 

is that along with them Saboo, Noor Mohammad (jr), Jumma 

Khan, Rashid, Masoom, AM Hussain, Karim and Rahman 

received perhaps the biggest ovation of their lives. Warman, 

Harris, Lewis, Wharton and company of the Warwickshire 

Regiment surrendered to the might of the Calcutta team who 

won all other major soccer trophies except the I.F.A. Shield in 

that year. 

Mohammedan Sporting’s triumph came after years of glorious 

but vain attempts by other teams to break the British monopoly. 

It was, however, another Indian side, East Indian Railways 

who made the final for the first time in 1927. Assisted by giants 

like Samad, Rabi Gan Bhowmick and B. Das the Railway went 

down gallantly to the York and Lancashire Regim 2-0. 

Young Men of Delhi, who once reached 

the semi-final, Sandamoniums of 

Quetta, Loco Sh Lahore, Collegians 

and a host of other teams were regular 

visitors to Shimla. Mohun Bagan had 

won the I.F.A. Shield in the epochmaking 

1911, began to make their 

appearance in the Durand from the 

1920’s. Even if they were beaten they 

left an indelible impression. 

The national feeling was evident every 

time an Indian team participated. The 

feeling was never greater than the 

memorable full tie between Calcutta’s 

Aryan Club and Green Howards in 1936. 

The footed Aryans, ably guided by their 

mentor Chhoney Mazumdar, not only 

matched the skill of redoutable rivals 

but nearly downed them. The Aryans 

were right on top, an eye-witness tells

me. They got a penalty award towards closing stages of the 

exciting match. They duly converted it amidst deafening cheers. 

But to the surprise of all referee Fletcher disallowed the goal, 

and ordered for the spot kick to be retaken and it was a goal 

again. But the referee refused and another shot was ordered. 

The specatators’ patience had reached the limit. The Aryans, 

however, sportingly obeyed and scored. There was tumultuous 

joy. But the joy turned into shock as Flethcer turned down the 

goal for the third time. No more of such injustice could be 

tolerated. The volcano of their mass protest erupted. The entire 

Annandale was on fire and the Aryans left Shimla never to go 

back there again. 

Mohun Bagan achieved a rare feat of winning the trophy for 

three years in succession. Two other teams H.L.I and the Black 

Qatch had done so in the last centuary. H.L.I also holds the 

distinction scoring the biggest victory, 8-1 in the final of the 

tournament. 

However, the momentous day arrived a day after the Vijay 

Divas, in 2005. The Army XI won the Durand Cup football 

tournament for the first time beating Sporting Clube-de-Goa 

5-4 in the tie-breaker. The Armymen had lost to East Bengal in 

the final in 2002. The game remained goal less even after the 

extra time forcing the implementation of penalty shootout to 

ascertain the champions. And in the do-or-die moments, the 

Army team held their nerves to edge out their more fancied 

rivals as they had done in the semi-final against JCT Mills, 

Phagwara. Ramachander, Thirunavukarsu, Birendra Bora, 

Binod Bantava and Raghu Kumar found the net for Army XI 

while Chidi Edeh, Nicholas Rodregues, Rajesh Meetei and 

Hardeep Saini were on target for the Goan outfit. The spot kick 

of Macpheien O Dudu, the Nigerian captain of the Goan club, 

was saved by substitute custodian Abungobi Singh, who had 

come on just before the shootout, to win the Durand Cup to 

Army XI. The soldiers, coached by Stanley Rozario, effectively 

neutralised the threat of Dudu and Chidi thereby controlling the 

history 

game to a large extent. The Goans were to blame for the defeat 

as they missed several chances, Dudu being the main culprit. 

His misery was complete when he missed the fifth kick in the 

tie-breaker. Army XI coach Stanley Rozario said that tall and 


strong foreign strikers in the opposition camp prompted him 

to adopt a defensive strategy in the Durand Cup final against 

Sporting Clube-de-Goa here today. “They had three foreigners 

in their ranks, two of whom were strikers, so going on all out 

attack would not have been the right strategy,” Rozario said 

after his side lifted the coveted trophy for the first time. “But 

we did have a strategy do go for counter-attacks”, he said. “A 

win for a team comprising totally of Indian players was a very 

good sign for the game in India”, Rozario said. 

Describing the win as a “dream come true,” the coach, 

who was previously with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, 


Bangalore, said beating a “big team” which finished second in 

the National Football Lesgue was a big achievement. “My boys 

played like brave soldiers and defended their goal like their 

life depended on it,” he said. “We had very limited resources 

but got the best out of them.” The threat of Dudu and Chidi 

was taken care of and the duo became frustrated as a result. 

“Only Bebiano Fernandes looked dangerous as he played very 

well and created a lot of chances,” Rozario said. Admitting that 

luck was also on Army XI’s side, he said “the Sporting forwards 

missed a few chances but we reduced their effectiveness to a 

large extent.” “We played a match against the national team 

before it left for Karachi as part of our preparation and we 

learnt a lot from marking players like Bhaichung Bhutia,” 

Rozario said. 

With inputs from JK Bose and Sam Sharma

The IAF football team in 1948. Seated 3rd from left : Sqn Ldr Arjan Singh, now Marshal of the IAF 

history 

Shimla-the birthplace of the 

Durand Cup and the Indian Air Force 

“While the bored soldier circled Jakho and in all likelihood entertained himself by throwing stones at the monkeys, the Simla 

elite focused on Annandale. This is approached by a sharp descent and is the largest stretch of level ground in Simla; Annandale 

was the spot that saw the first plane landing in the town at the end on the First World War. It is now used as a helipad. Before 

aviation became an indispensable part of our lives, this glade surrounded by deodars in all their majesty, was the magnet for 

everything that required space - fairs, horse races, polo and cricket matches or gymkhanas. Annandale was the original playing 

field for the Durand Football Tournament named after Sir Mortimer Durand who, when Foreign Secretary, donated the challenge 

Trophy; this, the oldest soccer tournament in the country, is played up to the present day - but no longer at Simla.” 

(excerpts from- Shimla The summer capital of British India - by Raaja Bhasin) 

AN AIR FORCE IS BORN 

“The Gazette of India No.41, Simla, Saturday, October 8, 1932” 

No. 564 In pursuance of sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Indian Air Force Act, 1932 (XIV of 1932), the Governor General in Council 

is pleased to appoint the 8th October, 1932 as the date on which the said act shall come into force. 

No. 565 The Governor General in Council is pleased with effect from the 8th October 1932, to establish the Indian Air Force....” 

Contributed by J.R Nanda, CEO AviOil India, from his collection of memorablia on Shimla, 

his birth place and home town. 


Year Winners Runners-Up 

1888 Royal Scots Fusiliers Highland LI 

1889 Highland LI Simla Rifles 

1890 Highland LI Royal Irish 

1891 Scottish Borders East Lancashire 

1892 Scottish Borders A & S Highlands 

1893 Highland LI A & S Highlands 

1894 Highland LI Royal Scots Fusiliers 

1895 Highland LI Somerset LI 

1896 Somerset LI Black Watch 

1897 Black Watch 2nd (Simla) PVRC 

1898 Black Watch N Staffordshire Regiment 

1899 Black Watch Yorkshire Regiment 

1900 SW Borders E Lancashire Regiment 

1901 SW Borders S Staffordshire Regiment 

1902 Hampshire Regiment E Lancashire Regiment 

1914-19 The tournament was not held due to World War I 


1924 Worchestershire Regiment Essex Regiment 

1925 Sherwood Foresters Worchestershire Regiment 

1926 Durham LI Sherwood Foresters 

1927 York & Lancaster Regiment East India Railways 

1928 Sherwood Foresters York & Lancaster Regt 

1929 York & Lancaster Regiment East Yorkshire Regiment 

1930 York & Lancaster Regiment Leicestershire Regiment 

1931 Devonshire Regiment Border Regiment 

1932 King’s Shropshire LI Devonshire Regiment 

1933 King’s Shropshire LI Leicestershire Regiment 

1934 B Corps Signals A & L Highlanders 

1935 Border Regiment R Norfolk Regiment 

1936 A & S Highlanders Green Howards 

1937 Border Regiment Royal Scots 

1938 South Wales Borders Border Regiment 

1940 Mohammedan Sporting Club Royal Warwickshire Regt 

1939 The tournament was not held due to World War II 

1941-49 The tournament was not held due to World War II & Partition 

The Durand 


1903 Royal Irish Rifles Queen’s Regiment 

1904 N Staffordshire Black Watch 

1905 Royal Dragons Dorsetshire Regiment 

1906 Cameronians Bedfordshire 

1907 Cameronians Royal Welsh Fusiliers 

1908 Lancashire Fusiliers Royal Irish Rifles 

1909 Lancashire Fusiliers King’s Regiment 

1910 Royal Scots 3rd KRR 

1911 Black Watch Lancashire Fusiliers 

1912 Royal Scots Lancashire Fusiliers 

1913 Lancashire Fusiliers 3rd KRR 

1920 Black Watch Cameronians 

1921 Worchestershire Royal Fusiliers 

1922 Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade RFA 

1923 Cheshire Regiment Essex Regiment

Winners 

Years Winners Runners-Up 

1950 Hyderabad City Police Mohun Bagan AC 

1951 East Bengal Club Rajasthan Club 

1952 East Bengal Club Hyderabad City Police 

1953 Mohun Bagan AC National Defence Academy 

1954 Hyderabad City Police Hindustan Aircraft 

1955 Madras Regimental Centre Indian Air Force 

1956 East Bengal Club Hyderabad City Police 

1957 Hyderabad City Police East Bengal Club 

1958 Madras Regimental Centre Gorkha Brigade 

1959 Mohun Bagan AC Mohammedan Sporting Club 

1960 Mohun Bagan & East Bengal (joint winners) 

1961 Andhra Pradesh Police Mohun Bagan AC 

1962The tournament was not held due to Indo-China War. 

1963 Mohun Bagan AC Andhra Pradesh Police 

1964 Mohun Bagan AC East Bengal Club 

1965 Mohun Bagan AC Punjab Police 

1966 Gorkha Brigade Sikh Regimental Centre 

1967 East Bengal Club Bengal-Nagpur Railway 

1968 Border Security Force East Bengal Club 

1969 Gorkha Brigade Border Security Force 

1970 East Bengal Club Mohun Bagan AC 

1971 Border Security Force Leaders Club 


1973 Border Security Force RAC, Bikaner 

1974 Mohun Bagan AC JCT Mills 

1975 Border Security Force JCT Mills 

1976 Border Security Force & JCT (joint winners) 



1979 Mohun Bagan AC Punjab Police 

1980 Mohun Bagan AC Mohammedan Sporting Club 

1981 Border Security Force JCT Mills 

1982 Mohun Bagan & East Bengal (joint winners) 

1983 JCT Mills Mohun Bagan AC 




1987 JCT Mills Mohun Bagan AC 

1988 Border Security Force East Bengal Club 


1990 East Bengal Club Mahindra&Mahindra 

1991 East Bengal Club Border Security Force 

1992 JCT Mills Mohammedan Sporting Club 

1993 East Bengal Club PSEB 


1995 East Bengal Club Tata Football Academy 

1996 JCT Mills Oil Club (IRAQ) 

1997 FC Kochin Mohun Bagan AC 

1998 Mahindra&Mahindra East Bengal Club 

1999 Salgaocar Sports Club East Bengal Club 

2000 Mohun Bagan AC Mahindra United 

2001-02 Mahindra United Churchill Brothers SC 

2002-03 East Bengal Club Army XI 

2003-04 Salgaocar Sports Club East Bengal Club 

2005 Army XI Sporting Clube de Goa 

2006 Dempo Sports Club JCT Mills 

2007 Churchill Brothers SC Mahindra United 

2008 Mahindra United Churchill Brothers SC 


The Unforgettables... 

Jarnail Singh 

Jarnail Singh, a football legend in his lifetime and one of 

India’s greatest footballers passed away in 2000, at the 

age of 64. A stopper-back in the three-back system, Jarnail 

was a prominent member of the Indian team that won the gold 

medal in the 1962 Asian Games at Jakarta. Four years later he 

led the team in the Bangkok Asian Games. He was also the 

Indian captain for three years in a row in the Kuala Lumpur’s 

Merdeka tournament in the 60s. At the domestic level, Jarnail 

spent his best years with Calcutta’s Mohun Bagan. Born in 

Lyallpur (now in Pakistan) in 1936, Jarnail Singh Dhillon first 

caught the eye while playing for Punjab University in the DCM 

tournament. He shifted to Calcutta to play for Rajasthan Club 

in 1957. Next year he joined Mohun Bagan and remained their 

most prized catch till he decided to go back to Punjab in 1969. 

At the fag end of his career but still possessing enough fire, he 

led Punjab to their first Santosh Trophy triumph in Jalandhar in 

1970. He joined Punjab Government and retired as Additional 

Director (Sports). 

M. Kempiah 

M.Kempiah, the stalwart of Indian football passed 

away on 3rd July, 2008 at the age of 75 at Bangalore 

A box to box midfielder who excelled in defensive 

qualities he stole the eye of the pundits with his 

uncanny anticipation and neat tackling much so that he not 

only became a permanent feature but also an asset to the 

Indian side. Kempiah aptly fit into the role of a defensive 

half back in the 3-2-5 formation. He made his international 

debut in the 1955 Quadrangular football tournament. At the 

International level, he is capped twenty eight times by the 

country - being the member of the Indian team in the Olympics 

(1956, 1960), Asian Games (1958), Asia Cup (1959), Merdeka 

tournament (1959.1961) and Pre Olympics (1959,1960,1963). 

He also scored his only international goal vs Afganisthan in 

Jia’s 5-2 win in Pre Olympic tie in Kabul in 1959. At the club 

level he shot into prominence with Bangalore Muslims from 

1953-55. In the following year he shifted to the Mecca of Indian 

Football, Kolkata and joined East Bengal. He helped the elite 

club win Durand Cup and P.K.Nair Gold Cup that year. In 1957 

he switched over to Mohun Bagan and stayed with them till he 

hung up his boots in 1964. 


Ashoklal Banerjee 

Ashoklal Banerjee was 64 when he passed away 

in 2008. He started his footballing career in the 

Kolkata maidan in the mid sixties as a defender. He 

first drew attention while playing for Kidderpore 

Club and switched over to East Bengal Club in 1968 to fill the 

vaccum created by the sudden departure of legendary stopper 

Nayeem. He went back to East Bengal in 1971 and was a part 

of the glamour outfit till 1976. He achieved many laurels with 

the club winning the Calcutta League continuously from 1971- 

75 and I.FA. shield from 1972-1976, the last year jointly with 

Mohun Bagan. He famously captained the red and golds in 

triumph over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan in the finals of the 

1975 Shield. He also won the Durand Cup with the Club in 

1972 and performed consistently throughout the tournament 

that year. He also won the Rovers Cup (1973, 1975) and DCM 

trophy (1973, 1974). He individually had some outstanding 

performances against Pyongyong City Club (1973 IFA Shield 

Final) and Dok Ro Gang (1973 DCM final). In 1977 he switched 

over to Mohammedan Sporting. He represented Bengal in the 

Santosh Trophy from 1969-74 being the Captain. He won the 

trophy thrice (1969, 1971, 1972). He made his international 

debut for India in the 1970 Merdeka and won the bronze medal 

that year. 

Noor Mohammed 

Aluminary of Indian football, Noor Mohammed, died 

at the age of 80. He played in three Olympics -1948 

(London), 1952 (Helsinki) and 1956 (Melbourne) - and 

three Asian Games -1951 (New Delhi), 1954 (Manila), 

1958 (Tokyo). He was a member of the playing eleven which 

won the gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games, beating Iran 

1 -0 in the final and the Indian team which finished fourth 

in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. In the old 2-3-5 system, 

Noor Mohammed was a rock-solid left half, with uncanny 

anticipation, game sense, superb timing of the tackle and fine 

distribution of the ball. At his peak he was rated as the best 

in Asia in his position. Lanky and sinewy Noor Mohammed 

was a fitness freak and never missed a match for his side, the 

legendary black and yellow shirted Hyderabad City Police. 

They won the Rovers Cup at Mumbai, five years in a row from 

1950-1954, a record unsurpassed in domestic football. Noor 

Mohammed was the epitome of dedication.

heroes 

The memorable Gorkha Brigade 

By Novy Kapadia 

In 1996, the Gorkha Brigade lost in the first round of the 

pre-Durand tournament 0-1 to the local league runners 

up Hindustan F.C. On their way to their first ever Durand 

triumph (Shyam Thapa’s exploits enabled them win once 

again in 1969), Gorkha Brigade beat Leaders Club, Jalandhar 

4-1, Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) Bikaner of Magan 

Singh fame, 0-0 and 8-0, former champions Mohammedan 

Sporting 4-0 in the quarter finals, holders Mohun Bagan 2-0 in 

the semi final and the mighty Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC) 2-0 

in the final to win the Durand tournament, with an enthralling 

display of speedy, attacking football. 

In the last decade of the 20th century, the once mighty Gorkhas 

were a pale shadow of their all conquering unit of years ago. 

The decline was an apt reflection of changing values in society 

and receding interest in regimental sports. In the 1966 Durand 

tournament, three of the semi finalists were regimental teams 

from the Services, Gorkha Brigade, SRC and EME Secundrabad. 

Bagan was the only civilian side in the last four of the Durand 

tournament. 

Gorkha’s owed their 1966 triumph to their brilliant quintet 

of forwards, outside right Rawat, inside right Ranjit Thapa, 

nippy centre forward 

Bhupinder Singh Rawat, 

dapper, diminutive 

inside left Tika Ram 

Gurung and wily left 

winger Amar Bahadur, 

Their skill, speed, thrust 

and goal scoring abilities 

were a source of wonder 

and delight. They 

were ably supported 

by indefatigable Nar 

Singh as left half. 

The Gorkhas played 

in the old fashioned 

3-2-5 formation, 

three defenders, two 

midfielders and five 

forwards. However, 

Ranjit Thapa and Tika 

Footballer Bhupender Rawat Ram’s versatility and 

Chima Okorie greets Shyam Thapa 

work rate enabled them to backpedal and bolster midfield 

when under pressure as well as initiate speedy counter attacks, 

with deft throughs. So though Gorkha Brigade started in a 

3-5-2 formation, they frequently functioned in a 3-3-4 or 3-4-3 

formation. 

Short-statured Bhupinder Rawat, nicknamed ‘Scooter’ for 

his blistering speed and quickness off the mark was an ideal 

poacher of goals. He would hover around the goal area, drift 

into vacant space, when the inside forwards fell deep and 

use his speed to brcak through and score with placements or 

diving headers from measured crosses by Amar Bahadur. With 

his speed and instinct for goal, Rawat was like a poor man’s 

Paolo Rossi. Amar Bahadur was all silky skills on the left flank. 

His repertoire of dribbling skills drew gasps of admiration. He 

was not an old fashioned left winger but could cut in and score 

goals. Above all the five forwards gelled perfectly as a cohesive 

unit. Of this famous five, four were snapped up by Mafatlal 

Mills, Bombay. Amar Bahadur joined in 1967 and Bhupinder 

Rawat, Ranjit and Tika Ram a year earlier. Only right winger 

Rawat retired with the Gorkha Brigade. Subsequently, Tika 

Ram ran a provision store in Dehra Dun, Amar Bahadur looked 

after a family hotel in the outskirts of Bombay and Bhupinder 

Rawat joined an administrative post with Sports Authority 

of India (SAI). Only Ranjit Thapa maintained some link with 


football, as a sports teacher with St. Mary’s school in Delhi and 

trained local clubs and occasionally the Delhi state team. 

Three of them, speedy Bhupinder Singh Rawat, hard working 

Ranjit Thapa who shifted to midfield in the 4-2-4 formation 

and elegant left winger Amar Bahadur became regular 

internationals. Tika Ram played for India in the 1969 Merdeka 

tournament. Ranjit and Amar Bahadur were members of 

the Indian team which finished third in the 1970 Merdeka 

tournament. Amar Bahadur also scored the winning goal 

against Japan which enabled India win the bronze medal in 

the 1970 Games at Bangkok. This was the last great year for the 

senior national team, the last occasion when it won medals at 

the Asiad level. 

In the 1966 Durand tournament, the final was quite 

unforgettable, as the Sikh Regiment could not match with 

the speed and thrust of the Gorkha Brigade. The match to 

remember was the semi final against Mohun Bagan. For 

three successive years (1963-65), Bagan inspired by greats 

like Chuni Goswami, Jarnail Singh, Kempiah, Dipu Das and 

Arumainayagam, had won the Durand Cup. They were first 

Indian team to achieve a hat-trick of wins. With East Bengal 

upset by EME Secundrabad (snap left footed top of the box 

volley by inside left Jayaraman) and Mohammedan’s trounced 

by the Gorkha Brigade, in the quarter finals, it was left to 

Bagan to maintain Calcutta’s pride. 

The match played on a cold, sunday afternoon in January 

1967, aroused tremendous interest and excitement amongst 

local football fans. The query on everybody’s lips was, “would 

the experienced Jarnail Singh, C. Prasad, P. Kannan and Nitu 

Ghosh be able to thwart the rampaging Gorkhas?” Around the 

Ambedkar stadium (then known as the Delhi Gate stadium) 

there were serpentine queues, as eager spectators clamoured 

to get tickets for this historic match. Touts did roaring business. 

The Re. 1 tickets of the third enclosure were sold in the black 

for Rs. 20 or Rs. 25, a princely sum in those days. The match 

was well contested. Initially Bagan controlled proceedings. 


Coach Shyam Thapa 

The dribbling skills of Kannan, Arumainayagam and Ashok 

Chatterjee enabled them retain possession and slow down the 

pace of the game. Mighty Jarnail Singh, C. Prasad and Sushil 

Sinha managed to blunt the Gorkha attack. 

Just before half time, Gorkhas changed their approach play 

and used one touch football to level attacks. Bhupinder Rawat 

broke the ice with a dream goal. Running in from the blind side 

bravely flung himself in front of lunging Jarnail and scored 

with a diving header at the near post a right flank cross. The 

crowd went ecstatic. 

Midway through the second half, Gorkhas sealed victory when 

tenacious midfielder Nar Singh scored with a snap shot, a 

rising left footer which somehow deceived the usually reliable 

Prodyut Burman in the Bagan goal. Bagan exerted pressure 

in the end, but the Gorkha defenders averted danger with 

their first time clearances to record a memorable win and end 

Bagan’s unbeaten six year streak in the Durand tournament. 

Prior to this defeat, Bagan had lost in the Durand way back 

in December 1961. On that occasion they were beaten 0-1 by 

Andhra Pradesh Police in the final, with inside left Zulfiqar 

scoring the match-winner. In 1962, the Durand was not held 

due to the India-China war and Bagan were champions from 

1963-65. 

This article was earlier published in 1996 

P.K Banerjee (right) with Shyam Thapa

The Madras Regiment 

Football team 

‘Soccer is very close to the heart of every south Indian 

especially so in the Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu). The game is 

passionately played and followed in South India and so is 

the case with every ‘Thambi’ in the Madras Regiment. The 

Madras Regiment at the Madras Regimental Centre, Wellington 

organised and trained the team to reach the pinnacle. From raw 

soldiers, the team was built with great planning. Some of the 

known players included Aruldas (Captain), Peter Thangaraj, 

Sadasivan Nair and Alphonse. 

The team had a tradition of victory and won various tournaments 

like the Palghat Foot Ball tournament, the Travancore Trophy 

and their dream run culminated in winning the Durand Cup 

twice in 1955 and 1958. The MRC had the privilege of receiving 

the trophy from the then President of India, Dr Rajendra 

Prasad. 

The Madras Regiment team was sought after and received 

invitations to participate in various tournaments all over 

India. The individual players too were the envy of other teams. 

Peter Thangaraj represented India in both Asian and Olympic 

games in Melbourne and the Rome Olympiad. Thangaraj also 

represented India in three successive Asian Games from 1958 

and was adjudged as the “Best Goal Keeper of Asia” in 1958 

and was honoured with “Arjuna Award” in 1967. 

heroes 

In recognition of the services rendered by Peter Thangaraj, 

the Regiment re-named a stadium after him as ‘Thangaraj 

Stadium’ in May 2009. 

Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of India with winners of Durand Cup 1955 Dr Rajendra Prasad having tea with winners of Durand Cup 1958 


Mike Lahiri 

By Lt Col (Retd) A K ‘Sam’ Sharma 

It may be hard to believe by many, that, cricket has 

never been as popular as football in Britain. The British 

brought football to India. The Gorkha troops picked it up 

from them. The gorkhas fought alongside a few Scottish 

Highland infantry units of the line, and to date have association 

with them, in military accoutrements and procedures, ethos 

and traditions. The Scots loved football as well and thence the 

gorkhas too! Why not? 


Pandit Nehru, the then Prime Minister Mike Lahiri, wearing the Gorkha Brigade Football “blue” on his riflegreen 

blazer 

Football has been popular with the kanchas. They have 

produced national level soccer players too. M K (Moloy Kumar) 

‘Mike’ Lahiri for one. Mike was my CO in 4/3 Gorkha Rifles way 

back in the early seventies, in NEFA. He was a member of the 

Indian team that won the Malaysian Merdeka Tournament. Also 

the one that played Afghanistan in the pre-Olympic fixtures. 

Earlier, he had cationed the football team of the National 

Defence Academy when they reached the Durand finals in 1953; 

“I do not remember the exact details but it was one hard fought 

tournament with the kids from NDA proving, even to them, 

that they could go the extra mile. In the semi finals they beat 

Mohammedan Sporting Club. And there wasn’t any provision 

for extra time in those days or penalty shoot outs. The match 

had to be replayed in case of a draw. It was in the semi finals 

that they had to play their opponents thrice to finally get into 

the finals. Dad used to say that every day before the match they 

used to pack their bags to get back to NDA knowing that they 

were most likely to lose against a team that had half a dozen 

India players then. They finally went on to the finals and were 

so fatigued by their exploits that they were routed by Mohun 

Bagan 4-0. This was the best ever performance by the NDA team 

to date,” said Chandan Lahiri, Mike’s elder son. 

As Mike also led the Gorkha Brigade team even later, when he 

was holding the rank of a Captain in 3/3 Gorkha Rifles, Chandan 

further recounts, “I once asked dad how he ended up joining 

the Gorkhas. He looked at me and with a wry smile told me, 

“I heard they played football”. And thus after passing out of 

NDA he went on to become a 3 Gorkha Rifles officer. The Gorkha 

Brigade team in those days was a formidable one and went on to 

play and win in tournaments across the country. He captained

the Gorkha Brigade team for many seasons. As a senior officer 

he did try and revive the forgotten fortunes of football within 

the Gorkhas and indeed within the services, but the world had 

changed by then and football was never the same in the Indian 

Army after the mid 1960s. Even after his death, his mother took 

on the mantle of bringing football back in the forefront in the 

name of one of the Indian Army’s most illustrious players by 

donating the Lahiri Memorial Trophy to the 39 Gorkha Training 

Centre. For some reason, the trophy has been ‘lost’. 

He represented India in the Asia Cup in Ernakulum, the 

Merdeka Tournament in Kuala Lumpur and in the Pre Olympics 

in Afghanistan. He was left out of the Indian team (despite 

much talk and indignation in the media) for the 1960 Olympics 

and was named the first reserve. Apparently his name was not 

nominated for selection, as was the norm for selection in those 

days. The person who was to have nominated his name was not 

present at the meeting. The non selection kind of devastated 

him as a footballer and after a few more months of being on 

the field, he dedicated himself to the Indian Army, went on to 

Fort Bragg, North Carolina to become India’s first Green Beret 

Ranger and then went on to raise the Commando Wing of The 

Infantry School, Mhow. 

In the olden days politics was less hectic and the people in power 

had a lot of time for sports. Jawaharlal Nehru was present as 

often as he could be. Dr Rajendra Prasad was often in the ground 

witnessing matches. He was just too good on the soccer pitch. 

Mike could net a goal from either corner flag with aplomb. Such 

was his ball control and power. And, finally Chandan fondly 

reminisces of his ‘baba’, “ I have heard a lot of people mention 

(and among them, his playing contemporaries) that Lahiri was 

one of the finest strikers of his time, in the world. Fortunately he 

also had superior officers who encouraged him all the way and 

gave him leave of absence from his soldierly duties whenever 

he had to replace his Army fatigues for football boots. He was 

Mike and team with President Dr Rajendra Prasad 

lucky to have had the support of his superiors.” 

total recall 

Lt Col Mike Lahiri left the career Senior Command course a week 

earlier in order to be in time for the 39 Gorkha Training Centre 

Inter-Battalion Football Competition. As the CO, he lead the 4/3 

Gorkha Rifles team to victory in that tournament! He was also 

graded a straight ‘Alfa’ on the Senior Command course! He told 

me once, in Babina, that but for his making to the India Football 

XI, he would have been playing test cricket for the country, as 

a fast bowler!! He was an outstanding sportsman. One of his 

endearing habits was to coach the Battalion Football team from 

the sidelines, as he sat with Staff College aspirant officers, like 

yours truly, and teach them the finer points of writing military 

appreciations at the same time, the all-time bug-bear of middlepiece 

army officers! For ‘objectives’ to be attacked, he used his 

two nipples and the navel...and devised the artillery fire support 

plan!! Mike retired as a much acclaimed Lt General. Alas, he is 

no more...Cancer got him in the end. 

The Gorkha Brigade Football team reached the Durand finals 

in 1958 only to loose narrowly to the Madras Regimental Team. 

They however, lifted the Durand trophies in 1966 and 1969, 

beating the teams of the Sikh Regimental Centre and Border 

Security Force respectively. Of this, one time ADC to the Indian 

Army Chief, Brig (Retd) Behram Panthaki recalls, “I was a 

witness to the 1969 finals between the GBC and BSF. The then 

Indian Army Chief, Gen Sam Manekshaw, and K Rustomjee, DG 

BSF were also watching this exciting football match. VV Giri 

was the President. GBC won hands down. After we reached the 

Army House, the Chief went into his cellar, and pulled out a 

bottle of Champaigne and with a small note, told me to go and 

hand over the bottle to Rustomjee. The note read “Khushrow, 

here is to drown your sorrow at the defeat by my Gorkhas!” 

(with inputs from Chandan Lahiri, Mahesh Gill, Chap Narain 

Gurung, and Behram Panthaki) 


Decline of Regimental teams in the 

Durand Tournament 

By Novy Kapadia 

Going down memory lane, it is interesting to note that 

from 1888-1940 British regimental teams held sway 

in the Durand tournament. The first civilian team to 

contest the final was the East India Railways in 1927. 

The East India Railways team consisted entirely of Indian 

players. Assisted by stalwarts like Samad, Rabi Ganguly, 

P. Bhowmickand and B. Das, the Railway team went down 

gallantly to the York and Lancashire Regiment by 0-2 in the final. 

Young Men of Delhi once reached the semi-finals as did Aryans 

Club of Calcutta in 1936. The first team to break the monopoly 

of British regimental teams was the mighty Mohammedan 

Sporting when they beat the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2-1 

in the final, with goals by centre forward Hafiz Rashid and the 

slick inside left Saboo. 

A new era began when the tournament was revived in New 

Delhi, the capital of independent India. Civilian teams now 

started dominating the Durand tournament. Hyderabad City 

Police won in 1950 and 1954, East Bengal in 1951 and 1952 

and Mohun Bagan in 1953. Regimental teams of the Indian 

Army were getting pipped at the post but not totally eclipsed 

as is happening nowadays. In both 1955 and 1958, the final 

was contested between two teams from the Services. In 1955 

Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) Wellington annexed the 

Durand tournament for the first time, beating Indian Air Force 


3-2 in the replayed final. The match on the first day ended in 

a goal less draw. D’Cruz, Alfonso and Alwyn scored for the 

winners. In 1958 for the first time since Independence the final 

was contested between two regimental sides. MRC Wellington, 

with mighty goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj in their ranks ousted 

spirited Gorkha Brigade 2-0 in the final with Mukundan and 

Abu Backer scoring the goals. 

Till the end of the sixties, regimental teams were a force to 

reckon with in the Durand tournament. Gorkha Brigade twice 

emerged winners in 1966 and 1969. In 1966 in an all regimental 

team final, Gorkha Brigade beat Sikh Regimental Centre 

(SRC) 2-0 in the final. Then three years later, inspired by the 

mercurial Shyam Singh Thapa they beat BSF 1 -0 in the final 

to lift the trophy for the second time. After that it has been 

downhill all the way. No team from the Services has entered 

the Durand final since then. Indian Air Force (IAF) sparkled 

briefly in the late seventies, with their excellent forwards Subir 

Sarkar and Unni and playmaker Paul Raj. The Services Sports 

Control Board (SSCB), alarmed at declining standards, started 

the concept of the Army XI, a select team drawn from different 

regiments which competed in various tournaments. Somehow 

this concept has not taken off. Army XI is neither as charismatic 

nor as feared as the regimental teams like Gorkha Brigade, MRC 

Wellington or MEG Bangalore of yore. In the nineties only once

has the Army XI entered the Durand semi-finals in 1991 when 

they lost 0-4 to ultimate runners-up Border Security Force 

(BSF). The regimental teams, IAF and Indian Navy are now 

confined to the preliminary rounds of the Durand tournament 

and play before a few hundred spectators and rarely leave a 

favourable impression by their participation. 

In the last decade of the 20th century, the once mighty Gorkha 

Brigade is a pale shadow of the conquering unit of a little over 

three decades ago. In 1996, Gorkha Brigade lost 0-1 to local 

legend runners-up Hindustan F.C. in the first round of the pre- 

Durand tournament. In 1999, Gorkhas fared slightly better and 

reached the tournament proper, the quarter-final league stage. 

On their way to the quarter-finals they overcame local clubs 

Shastri F.C. and Indian Nationals. Gorkha Brigade was placed 

in group B along with Salgaocar F.C. Goa and F.C. Kochin. 

The twice-former champions of the Durand- tournament lost 

0-2 to the ultimate winners Salgaocar F.C. but salvaged some 

pride by upsetting F.C Kochin 1-0 with a 30th minute penalty 

kick converted by midfielder Pritam Rai. However, Gorkha 

Brigade are no longer crowd-pullers. The array of talented 

dig deep 

players they produced in the past 

are not forthcoming anymore. 

In the sixties, Gorkhas produced 

some of the nippiest forwards in 

India’s football, the speedy striker 

Bhupinder Singh Rawat, nicknamed 

‘the Scooter’ by local fans, the 

dazzling Shyam Thapa, famous 

for his acrobatic back volleys, the 

feline grace of left winger Amar 

Bahadt and the industrious Ranjit 

Thapa, to mention a few. 

In the decade of the 1950s, Gorkha 

Brigade also produced classy players 

like Puran Bahadur, Mole Lahiri, 

Dhan Bahadur and Siri Bahadur and 

was renowned for its enthralling, 

attacking football. Prolific goalscorer, 

Puran Bahadur had the skill 

to torment opposing defenders and the charisma to attract 

large crowds. In the 1954 Durand tournament, Gorkha 

Brigade was involved in one of the greatest matches in the 

history of this illustrious tournament. They took on the 

mighty Hyderabad City Police in a pre-quarter final tie and 

led 3-0 at half-time. That year Hyderabad City Police were a 

formidable unit. They had just won the Rovers Cup for the 

fifth time in succession and would become the first team 

in India to achieve the Durand and Rovers double crown. 

The Hyderabad police changed tactics in the second half 

and made a dramatic comeback. To stifle the speed of the 

Gorkhas attack, the Hyderabad Police defence played upfield 

to catch the opposing forwards in the offside trap. They also 

used the long ball from the flanks effectively to harass the 

short-statured Gorkha defenders. In a match, which old-timers 

consider as one of the best ever seen on the lush green surface 

of the Ambedkar stadium, Hyderabad City Police rallied to win 

6-3 with their centre forward Doraiswamy scoring a hat-trick. 

But it is a credit to the Gorkha Brigade for making it such an 

epic encounter. They continued to play attacking, entertaining 

soccer and did not resort to defensive tactics to hold on to their 

lead. They may have been tactically naive, but those were 

the reasons which made Gorkha Brigade a thrilling side to 

watch and extremely popular amongst the fans. The Durand 

organisers were sure of a near full house whenever Gorkha 

Brigade played because of their enthralling attacking football 

and talented players. Also the big teams of India feared Gorkha 

Brigade for their giant killing feats. 

Alas, how the mighty have fallen. In the Durand tournament of 

the new millennium, the Gorkha Brigade has not even qualified 


as one of the finalists for regimental army teams. Regimental 

teams nowadays play before a few hundred spectators as they 

no longer have the charisma or talented players, for spectators 

to flock to the Ambedkar stadium to see them in action. This 

decline is both sad and baffling but is an apt reflection of 

changing values in society and receding interest in regimental 

sports. It seems like an age gone by, but in the 1966 Durand 

tournament, three of the semi-finalists were regimental teams 

from the Services, the ultimate winners Gorkha Briagde, 

runners-up Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC) from Meerut and 

EME Secunderabad. Mohun Bagan was the only civilian side 

in the last four of the tournament. The 950s and 1960s were 

the heydays of regimental teams in the Durand tournament. In 

1965, the newly formed Delhi Garrison, formed after the 1965 

Indo-Pak conflict was the cynosure of all attention. This crack 

regimental team, with stalwarts like Bhupender Singh Rawat, 

K.B. Sharma and Amar bahadur upfront and Khairuddin and 

Mahadevan in defence and Arvinder Singh as goalkeeper 

delighted the crowds with their attacking, spirited football. 

They upset mighty East Bengal, which included stalwarts like 

Peter Thangaraj, Sukumar Samajpati, Parimal Dey, Sushil 

Sinha and P. Sinha in their ranks, 1 -0 in the quarterfinals. In 

the semi-finals Punjab Police upset them. 

MRC Wellington was a name to conjure with in the Durand 

tournament. In the 1950s and early 1960s they were a wellknit 

team of the most successful and best goalkeepers India 

has produced. He was involved in both their Durand triumphs 

of 1955 and 1958 and left for Mohammedan Sporting, Calcutta 

only in 1961, after having played in two Olympics, Asian Games 

and Asia Cup. Inside forward Kuppaswamy and right winger 

Kamachi, D’Cruz, Alfonso and Mukundan were some of the 

other great players who made MRC a formidable team some 

four decades ago. In the 1958 Durand semi finaIs, they upset 

a formidable East Bengal 2-1. East Bengal had players like 

goalkeeper Sanat Sett, defender Byomkesh Bose, midfielders 

Anil Gupta, Ram Bahadur and Bir Bahadur and forwards 

Moosa, Tulsidas Balaram and Dhanraj in their ranks. In 1956 

MRC also reached the Durand semi-finals and , played an epic 

encounter with mighty East Bengal. Twice the match ended 

in goalless draws but on the third day, East Bengal prevailed 

2-0 with the astute Kanaiyan scoring the opening goal. In 

the 1950s, MRC had a lot of support from their commanding 

officer, who invariably came to witness their important 

matches and arranged to send them to Delhi well in advance 

to get acclimatised. Besides the Durand they also won the DCM 

tournament in 1962 and were runners up in 1961. 

EME Secunderabad, never won the Durand tournament but 

emerged champions of the Rovers Cup in 1961 when they upset 

Mohun Bagan 1-0, which included legends like Chuni Goswami, 


Arumainayagam, Jarnail Singh, Sanat Sett and T.A. Rehman in 

their ranks. In that same year EME reached the Durand semifinals 

but lost 0-2 to Mohun Bagan with goals by Dipu Das 

and Salauddin. EME also upset East Bengal 1 -0 in the quarter 

finals in 1966 with left striker Jayaraman scoring a memorable 

top of the box left-footed volley. EME Secunderabad, emerged 

champions of the DCM tournament in 1963 beating Punjab 

Police 3-1 in the replay after the first match ended in a goalless 

draw. Bir Bahadur, international defender Tarlok Singh and 

Khairuddin were some of the notable players who donned the 

colours of EME. 

MEG Bangalore never reached a Durand final but was always a 

force to reckon with. They produced some outstanding players, 

skillful playmaker Ethiraj, goalkeeper K. Sampath and solid 

defender K. Madhavan. In the 1967 Durand pre-quarter finals 

they played draws with mighty Andhra Pradesh Police for two 

successive days. In the second replay they led 2-0 at half-time 

but inspired by majestic Yusuf Khan, Andhra Pradesh Police 

rallied to win 3-2. ASC Centre (South) Bang produced two very 

skillful players in the seventies, Aziz, who later played for 

Mohammedan Sporting and Shankaran Kutty. BEG Roorkee 

and AOC Secunderabad were other formidable regimental 

teams capable of troubling the best in the land. 

IAF also produced some notable players, dashing winger 

Subir Sarkar who later played for Bengal and Mohammedan 

Sporting, the tall striker Biswas, midfielder Paul Raj, the 

elusive Ramchandran, Matthews, Kanaran, Balakrishnan and 

several others. They troubled the best teams in the country by 

their spirited displays and regularly reached the quarter-final 

stage of the tournament. India Navy also reached the Durand 

quarterfinals regularly and were feared opponents. 

Support from the officer class, which is now declining, 

regimental pride and more emphasis on sports were the factors 

which led to the success of the Regimental teams in the past. 

It was a different ethos in the 1950s which produced so many 

fine Regimental football teams. Now with warfare becoming 

more technological, the same importance is not being given to 

football and sports in the Services.

Debrief 

Durand Football 

In 1947, when the newly formed states of India and Pakistan 

were duelling to define the international borders as per 

their own designs, many more prized possessions of British 

India were also in the midst of the tussle. One such trophy 

that was being fought for with no less zeal was the Durand Cup 

Football. It was perhaps the fact of Durand having originated 

in Shimla that the Indians won in the play off. The trophy has 

since been played every year, barring a few breaks, to become 

the blue riband of Indian football. Durand is the oldest Asian 

football tournament and the third oldest in the word, preceded 

only by the English FA-Cup and the Scottish FA-Cup. The 

cup was started by Sir Durand, in 1888, then India’s Foreign 

Secretary, for British troops stationed in Shimla. Durand’s 

birth in a military module entailed its remaining a purely army 

affair till 1939 as an inter – regiment championship. Durand’s 

history has been influenced by events that shook the world in 

the twentieth century. The conduct of the tournament suffered 

disruption during World War I from 1914 - 1919. In 1940, the 

venue was shifted to Delhi and for the first time football clubs 

were allowed to participate. However, with the war clouds of 

World War II gathering, the tournament witnessed another 

eclipse, starting 1941. 

The next edition had to wait, past the end of World War II, and 

till we won our independence. It was only after ownership of 

the cup between India and Pakistan was decided that the 

tournament was revived in 1949. The cup has been played since 

then, without a break, though of course the 1971 War led to 

delayed conduct of the tournament by a couple of months to 

February, 1972. The army conducts the tournament, no longer 

at Shimla, but at Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi under the aegis 

of All India Football Association. The centenary celebration 

of the cup in 1987 heralded the concept of prize money in 

Indian Football. The last edition – the 123rd – was played out 

from 17 October 2010 to 07 November 2010 with Chirag United 

SC emerging as winners. The Durand trophy is also unique. 

The winners carry home three trophies. Of the three, while 

the Durand Cup and Shimla Trophy are rolling trophies that 

come back for the awards ceremony annually, the President’s 

Cup, first presented by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, remains with the 

winning team as a permanent souvenir. For decades, Durand, 

along with Rovers and IFA shield, has been the mainstay of 

competitive Indian football, National Football League (NFL) 

Brig (retd) S K Chatterji is a former artillery 

officer. He is a well known commentator on defence 

issues. skchatts@hotmail.com 

in 1997 and the Indian Professional League (I-League) which 

commenced in November 2007, the Indian Football calendar has 

become very busy, leading to a curtailed Durand Tournament, 

which otherwise was a month long football festival. 

The Durand Football Tournament Society also boasts a galaxy 

of service officers and bureaucrats. Before independence the 

committee was headed by the Viceroy. All three services chiefs 

are at the apex, with Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, 

currently Air Chief Marshal P V Naik PVSM VSM ADC, being the 

President. The committee includes the Chief Secretary of NCT 

of Delhi, as also the Commissioner of Police. In the Organising 

Committee, the man who actually leads the team in hosting 

the tournament is the General Officer Commanding Delhi Area, 

currently Major General Manvender Singh. He is aided by the 

Centre Commandant Rajputana Rifles and officers of Delhi 

Area. The Physical Training Officer of the Centre, currently Lt 

Col (Dr) MS Gill, the Honorary Secretary General of the Durand 

Committee, also plays a pivotal role. Durand’s winners include 

the best clubs in our country. The initial honours naturally 

went to Army teams and British regiments at that, but as the 

tournament opened up it became a symbol of superiority in the 

national football circuit and the best of teams are to be found 

in the roll of honours. The record of winning the trophy the 

maximum number of times is shared by India’s primer clubs 

Mohan Bagan and East Bengal. Both have carried the trophy 

home 16 times each. They are followed by Border Security Force 

seven times and JCT on five occasions. Mohameddan Sporting 

Club, Kolkata was the first Indian non-military team to have 

won the tournament in 1940, after the gates were opened for 

football clubs to participate. 

The services and sports have always been synonymous. Our 

armed forces lead the field in equestrian sports, boxing, rowing, 

shooting, and have produced excellent sportsmen in many 

other disciplines. However, running a blue riband tournament 

is not what they have been at. Durand is a singular exception. 

The vision of Major General Manvender Singh is, “… to expand 

the Durand tournament and give it an international flavor, 

invite teams from abroad to participate. Initially … get Army 

teams from abroad to participate…” 

Hopefully, the vision will witness fruition soon. 


Sitrep 

Mary Kom, Kunjarani Devi, Thoiba Singh 

Sanamacha. Names that may not ring an instant 

bell but in the sporting arena they are legends in 

their own right. 

Mary Kom is a top notch woman boxer. Sanamacha Chanu 

and Kunjarani Devi have been leading international women 

weightlifters. Thoiba Singh was an important member 

of the Indian Olympic hockey team. What makes it more 

commendable is all of them have honed their sporting 

skills in a distant, insurgency-ridden north eastern state of 

Manipur. 

I remember a stormy July day almost a decade ago in Imphal 

when the Chanu household sat glued to the telly, praying 

silently for one simple thing—that there should be no power 

cuts for the next couple of hours in the day. The electricity 

did not trip that day, and they could watch their daughter 

Sanamacha win three weightlifting golds in the 53 kg 

category at the recent Manchester Commonwealth Games. 

Twenty-four hours earlier, another family in the 

neighbourhood was partying, for a similar feat. N. Kunjarani 

Devi had once again found her magical touch to pick up 

three golds in the 48 kg category. But Manipur’s contribution 

to India’s unprecedented success at recent Commonwealth 

Games in the past decade did not stop with these two. India’s 

women’s hockey team, which showed uncharacteristic grit 

to take the podium with a golden goal in Manchester, was 

led by a Manipuri, W. Surjalata Devi. Three others in the 

team—goalkeeper Ksh. Tingonleima, Pakpi Devi and M. 

Sangai Ibehmal Chanu—all belonged to the state. Even in 

the October 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games Manipur’s 

contribution to India’s medal haul was significant. 

So what makes a tiny state with a small population of 23 lakh a 

sports powerhouse—producing more than 150 international 

andover 500 national players in the past 20 years? 


Nitin A Gokhale is NDTV’s Defence and 

Strategic Affairs Editor. He is the author of ‘Sri 

Lanka: from war to peace’ and ‘The Hot Brew’ 

‘Chak De’ Manipur 

“We are naturally gifted to do well 

in sports. Look at our footballers. 

We don’t have proper facilities or 

sponsorship, but we are still among 

the top 4-5 teams in the country. If 

all our players who have migrated 

to other states are allowed to play 

in the Manipur team, we are good 

enough to beat the best”

Theories abound on this trend. L. Ibomcha Singh, a former 

armyman-turned-Sports Authority of India (SAI)-trained 

boxing coach says, “Since ancient times we Manipuris have 

been good at sports. Earlier we played indigenous games, now 

we excel in contact sports.” A leading journalist says sports 

helps Manipuris escape the drudgery and poverty in the state. 

“Excelling in sports gives Manipuris a chance to move higher 

up in life.” 

This theory is borne out by the fact that all the gold medalwinning 

Manipuris have jobs outside the state. While Kunjarani 

and Sanamacha are employed by the Central Reserve Police 

Force (CRPF), all the women hockey players serve in the Indian 

Railways. 

At least half-a-dozen footballers play in cash-rich clubs like 

Dempo, Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers, in Goa earning a 

substantial salary. Even Thoiba Singh and Olympian Neelkamal 

Singh have been employed with the Food Corporation of India 

and Indian Airlines respectively. 

There are however no jobs at the state level. State sports 

associations are perpetually short of funds. And yet, Manipur 

churns out champions in as varied sports as football and 

archery. Says a football player: “We are naturally gifted to do 

well in sports. Look at our footballers. We don’t have proper 

facilities or sponsorship, but we are still among the top 4-5 

teams in the country. If all our players who have migrated to 

other states are allowed to play in the Manipur team, we are 

good enough to beat the best.” 

media watch 

A visit to the Khuman Lampak Sports complex reveals over 800 

boys and girls practicing and honing their skills in as many as 19 

disciplines—from hockey to fencing and cycling to sepak teraw, 

a popular southeast Asian ballgame. The skills and dedication 

of coaches, players and officials is exemplary. 

Indeed, one significant contribution to the state’s rise as a 

sports powerhouse comes from the local clubs and community 

network. That and the fierce sense of pride in everything they 

do makes Manipur’s gritty sportspeople a power to reckon with 

in India’s fickle sporting world. 


Air Marshal (Retd) TS Randhawa, VM. He is the 

former Commandant, National Defence Academy 

Football: An inspiration for 

Infrastructure Development 

The spring term of 1969 at the National Defence 

Academy (NDA) was an interesting term. We three 

course mates and classmates, albeit from different 

squadrons, all sergeants, would march in the 

seniority of the squadron which was doing the best in the inter 

squadron games being held. Most of our course mates knew 

of this and didn’t have to calculate the positions of at least 

three squadrons in the current game being played. Not that it 

mattered to the Academy, but it reflected the competitiveness 

and high squadron spirit amongst us. This peculiar procedure, 

I believe, was also a motivator to our junior cadets, as some of 

them saw us as role models. 

As things transpired that term, my squadron was to play the 

Inter squadron football semi-final match against my course 

mate’s squadron. The result of the match would decide our 

marching order and was thus even more important for both 


of us. The build up was intense. Both squadrons practised 

hard in order to win. There were regular talks by the respective 

squadron football captains to the teams and the squadron 

cadets. When the time came both teams were pumped up and 

a tremendous match was played. Both teams had a number of 

players who were members of the Academy football team. The 

match was finally decided by a solitary goal late in the second 

half. 

The other memory of that match was the large number of 

injuries that both teams sustained. Since it was a match in 

which no quarters were given, this was bound to happen. A 

major contributor was the very ground we played on. It was a 

hard mud ground with some grass. Remember the red clay soil 

of Maharashtra. That very one was responsible for most of our 

injuries. That is how games were played in the NDA then. The 

details of the match have intentionally not been given as this

article pertains to sports infrastructure and not to the football 

match as such. Times changed and after the Asian games of 

1984 coloured television arrived in the country. After the 

opening up of our economy, we were able to see more ‘sports 

channels’ besides many other entertainment channels. The 

next generation of cadets were being bought up on Star sports, 

ESPN and Neo sport besides others. One was able to watch 

the football world cup matches, as also the EPL, and FA cup. 

There was some improvement in the sports infrastructure in 

the country, even so, that it was restricted to the major cities. 

I went back to the NDA as the Commandant in December 2007. 

While many things had changed in the NDA over the years and 

for the good, many still reminded me of my own days at the 

Academy which I left in 1970. The Academy play fields were 

one such relic. They seemed to have been left in a time warp. 

When I witnessed the first football match in the academy and 

saw the cadets fight tooth and nail to win, it took me back to 

my own days of playing football at the Academy. At the end 

of the match, as I was going back to the car I stopped midway 

and looked back. Like yester years the cadets were limping 

their way back to the squadron. Some even being assisted by 

squadron mates detailed by the CSM. The next day I asked the 

CO of the MH to come and brief me on the extent of injuries 

suffered by the cadets. It was revealed that a large number of 

cadets had to miss training, gleefully, because of their injuries. 

It was then we at the Academy decided to do something about 

the playfields of the NDA. 

Some leg work was then put in to come up with sources that 

were capable of providing the requirement of improving the 

Academy’s play fields. The paper work was completed post 

haste. We were glad that the higher echelons of Command 

and the financial advisors agreed and cleared the project. 

We started small with three football fields. These field were 

relayed with Bermuda grass on a largely sand based surface. 

A sprinkler system was put in place with a captive sump for 

guest column 

irrigating the fields. The task was done by professionals and by 

the next football season we had the fields ready. To inaugurate 

the football fields, it was decided to hold a match between the 

6th term cadets of No. 1 and 2 battalions and the cadets of No. 

3 and 4 battalions. It was a hard fought match even though 

there was no inter squadron rivalry. The cadets were trying 

to emulate footballers they had seen on TV. The same sliding 

tackles, throwing themselves without fear to stop a rival from 

scoring were not new but the quality suddenly seemed to 

improve. Their antics were praise worthy even if these were 

of a lesser degree of finesse and capability compared to what 

one saw on TV. After the match we interacted with the cadets 

and for a change there were no injuries. Their shorts were a 

dirty green with their new found sliding skills but no serious 

injuries to help the cadets skip training and cross country. 

With this success behind us, the NDA team ventured out with 

other sports infrastructure. Basketball courts got a synthetic 

cover, new synthetic tennis courts were developed. The hockey 

fields were levelled to reduce the possibility of injury. The 

riding and show jumping arena was redone to international 

standards and an international event held much to the delight 

of the participants. The golf course was also turned green. 

The crowning glory was when we laid an astro turf for the 

NDA hockey field along the NDA Raj path. The Indian hockey 

team also played on this ground and praised it when the team 

revolted against the establishment for non payment of dues 

and the choice of captain before the last Asian games. Plans 

were laid for upgrading all the football and hockey fields. I am 

sure all the plans would be progressing on schedule. 

Much more needs to be done, but the NDA support team of 

2007 – 2009 laid the foundation for the up gradation of the 

sports infrastructure at the NDA. Successive generations will 

only enhance the quality of infrastructure at this elite training 

Academy. 


Football-Hope of salvation 

By Poonam Talwar Sayal 

Football has long been one of the most popular street 

sports of India. Most kids dabble with football in one 

form or the other during their growing up years, be it 

with an actual football, a tennis ball, a stone, an empty 

tin or simply a scrunched up piece of foil! However despite this 

apparent innate leaning towards the sport, football has not been 

able to make a significant mark on our national sports scene. 

‘Bend it like Beckham’ an inspiring movie on women’s football 

has been an all season favourite, so much so that it inspired my 

daughters to take on football as a sport. Now Durand Cup and 

football clubs are regular meal time discussion topics. And so 

the end of the JCT Football Club, a great football legend had 

us delving into the depths of ‘football-ing’ in India, its glorious 

birth and tragic decline! 

The history of football in India can be traced back to the preindependent 

period, when the British introduced the game to 


the sub-continent. Kolkata (previously Calcutta) became the 

hub of Indian football and initial matches were played between 

army teams. The first football game was organized in 1854 

between the ‘Calcutta Club of Civilians’ and the ‘Gentlemen of 

Barrackpore’! 

The sport soon found its way into civilian society and ‘Calcutta 

FC’, the first football club of India was founded in 1872. Soon 

many football clubs mushroomed in Kolkata and nearby areas 

including the famous Mohun Bagan Athletic Club (later named 

as the National Club of India), which came into existence 

in 1889. Even today, Kolkata is considered to be the home of 

Indian football and its existence as an organised sport is almost 

entirely shouldered by the north eastern states of West Bengal, 

Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram. 

The Indian Football Association (IFA) was created in 1893 and 

five years later, in 1898 the Durand Cup, which is the oldest

football tournament in India (third oldest in the world) was 

started in Shimla. It was named after the then foreign secretary 

of India - Sir Mortimer Durand, who inaugurated it. 

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) administers the game 

in India. It is associated with the Asian Football Confederation 

and the worldwide body FIFA and was responsible for 

establishing the National Football League, which was the first 

semi-professional football league of the country. Later the 

I-League was founded after the disbanding of the National 

Football League. 

The I-League tournament is contested between 14 clubs each 

season and the bottom two clubs are replaced by two teams 

which are promoted from the I-League 2nd Division. The 

popular football tournaments held in India are the Federation 

Cup, the Durand Cup, the Indian Super Cup, Santosh Trophy 

and the IFA Shield. India stands at a shocking 147 in the FIFA 

rankings today. Indian football has not shown any spectacular 

performances in the past few years, instead two major clubs 

have folded up due to lack of funds and depressing results. 

Mahindra United a strong team withdrew from the I-League 

last year while recently the Punjab based JCT Club ended its 

association with the sport causing widespread heartbreaks. 

The JCT club pulled out of the I-League after the team was 

relegated to the 2nd division following a dismal performance. 

Several fans were upset and felt concerned about the upcoming 

and aspiring players in the northern part of the country who 

will now have no club to join. It means lesser opportunities for 

the local talent. The standard of Indian football definitely needs 

a drastic boost. Sponsors, media and the sports authorities need 

to work out a way to improve the facilities offered for the game 

and help in enhancing the training and development of players 

which can hold their own in the world arena. A fan very aptly 

wonders how “a population of 1 billion can’t produce 11 good 

footballers”. 

This is the thought in my mind as I see my daughters chasing 

the ball all around my garden, intent only on manoeuvring the 

ball into my jasmine bush, which is their temporary goal post, 

oblivious to the mud accumulating as they slip on the wet grass 

spoiling a pair of decent shorts! 

Watching them I think it is time to wake up and focus our energies 

to encourage such immense pool of raw talent from all parts of 

our country and work towards improving this exhilarating sport 

and I am sure one day we will have 11 Bhaichung Bhutias on the 

Indian team, bringing much awaited laurels to Indian football. 

history 


Playing ball 

The Bridge course was actually a big curse. It is no fun to 

start running 10 km at 5 pm even before the sun has set 

and then to come back and play football for another 90 

minutes. But Mr Pendred, our football coach (Football 

Blue from Oxford University, and also our English teacher ) was 

adamant, “you have got to build up endurance and stamina if you 

want to be a football player”. 

In one of these runs I was following NJ Nair of 38th NDA Course 

… after a kilometer, I looked down to avoid stepping on a frog (we 

ran along a stream next to paddy fields). By the time I looked up 

NJ was no longer there and I was seeing the back of Joseph George 

and still ahead...Pendred. As we reached back to the school 

football grounds, I once again saw NJ in front of me. I had known 

him for an academic genious, winning the best student trophy(a 

huge brass nilavilakku - a peacock lamp) year after year. But this 

latest trick of vanishing and reappearing fascinated me. 

On one of these bridge course runs, Pendred was in front, pushing 

himself hard with only him in front of me. As we neared the 


Maj (Retd) Viswanath Madhav Rajan is 40th NDA 

course and currently based in Bangalore 

football ground I told myself, can I kick in for a final push to first 

position? I saw myself overtaking and finishing first, my name on 

the Notice Board looked good. That was the beginning of my stints 

in the school football team. For years Malayalees believed that the 

football looked best when it was far up in the sky and anyone who 

could kick the ball the highest was a terrific footballer. 

Then came Pendred and completely changed our notions of good 

football..anyone kicking the ball high into the air would be sent 

on a punishment run of two rounds of the football field. A week of 

this new brand of football and the footballing kazhaks (cadets of 

the Sainik School Kazhakootam) started playing the ground level 

passing game, the Brazilians play minus of course their flair. It was 

a good start. Suresh Bhaskar’s sharp ground pass used to reach his 

uncle Harindran’s feet .. one tackle to befuddle a defender and in 

the next step, he used to send the ball curling towards the net. 

Col Somaiah, our Principal’s elder son became an exponent of 

precision ground passing in the “D”- a selfless act. 

We crushed the pretensions of Kaniyapuram high school in their 

own grounds when Gopalakrishna Pillay beat their goal keeper like 

the German, Klose. But we were put into our place in the hierarchy 

by the Kerala State Team. They crashed the ball into our nets from 

outside the D, beating G.R Mohan hands up and legs down. 

I took Pendred’s lessons to the Army...never lost a football match 

I captained whether playing for the Battalion, Brigade, Division 

or Northern Command. George Best from England, Platini from 

France and Johan Cruyff of Holland provided inspiration from 

across the seas. 

I took my football team to a morning 10 km run to build stamina 

and endurance, as my teacher Mr Pendred had instructed. We did 

push ups, sit ups, and rope to strengthen our upper torso, and I 

coached the team meticulously, in every art of footballing skills 

like dribbling, tackling, heading, passing, creating spaces, running 

into open spaces, defending fiercely, corner kicks, penalty kicks 

I made a chart that is displayed on the following page and stuck to 

it like glue .. resulting in victory after victory.

Period Activities Purpose 

First week 

Second Week 

Running upto 3 kilometers 

progressively 

Basic ball control, running with 

the ball , passing , kicking, 

heading 

Sprinting practice 

Third week 

Running up to 5 kilometers 

progressively 

Dribbling ,tackling, shooting 

at goal,heading,taking corners 

Fourth week 

Taking throws, goal keeper’s 

job, organize defence 


Stamina run 5 kms 

Taking corners,converting 

corners, wall pass,back pass 

Passing into open space, 

running into open space 

Feeding forwards 


Stamina run 5 kms 

Counter attack,long range 

shooting, leadership 

Scannning before passing & 

shooting 


Free kicks, penalty shoots, 

bicycle kicks,feints,deceipts 

Stamina building, strengthening leg 

muscles , enlarging lung capacity 

Develop confidence with the ball 

To outrun the opposition 

Stamina building, strengthening leg 

muscles , enlarging lung capacity 

Taking the first steps towards 

attacking enemy defence 

Thwarting enemy attacks 


Dominate opposition 

Tactics for attack 


Total destruction of enemy 

Winning a tackle 


Dominate opposition 


Football is not such a popular game as hockey in the 

army. One never knows why. Yet, football was the 

CO’s passion. On the other hand, hockey, the army 

game, was an anathema to the CO. It is not that he was 

disloyal to the country or to the army, it being our national 

game, it was just that though he still wielded a hockey stick 

out of sheer patriotism, the stinging shots he had taken on the 

shins by either the ball or the stick, had left too indelible an 

impression on him to attempt to be the next Dhyan Chand! As 

luck would have it, the CO got command of a unit where hockey 

was the fixation and football their alienation. 17 footballs 

and 34 football boots in mint condition in the sports store did 

not require a UN resolution to endorse it so. The CO had just 

taken over. He had to make his mark. Opportunity presented 

itself – and opportunity knocks at the door but once! The CO 

realised that. What opportunity could be better than winning 

the Divisional Football Championship that was looming in the 

horizon? Of course, nothing could be better, except that none 

in the unit would have qualified for the girl guides weekend 

picnic football, let alone anything at the Division level! Heart 

wrenchingly pathetic was the state if one wanted to make a 

mark! Ein Volk, Ein Reich (read unit), Ein Führer (meaning him, 

the CO) rang in his ears. If devastated Germany could rise as the 

phoenix, so could this football team, but hopefully, not meet 

the same fate as Germany. So, all charged up like Hitler, nearly 

doing a Nazi salute to instil the required fervour, the CO met the 

so called football team, rounded up for his august presence! 

Having met them, he collared the most hyperactive junior, 

Ramu, and read him the Riot Act. There were no two ways for 

Ramu. For Ramu, it was Ein Volk, Ein Unit and Mein Führer 

(that meant the CO of course!) Ramu heard the CO out. He was 

an intelligent boy, hardworking and all that, but he did get a 

lingering feeling that there is a limit to intelligence in the Army 

and this CO surely was proving the point. Imagine winning 

the Div football with a team that did not know the difference 

between a football and a hockey ball! In fact, it was a case of 

all balls. Crestfallen, Ramu went to the games ground and got 

the team together. Fortunately, apart from two, all were from 

the new draft that had come just the last week to the unit - still 

not brainwashed that hockey was the only game in the world. 

The CO observed the boys hard at football during Games. It 

didn’t warm the cockles of his heart. In fact, it definitely left 

the cold hand of fate gripping his heart harder by the minute. 


Brig (Retd) SK Raychaudhuri is a prolific 

writer based in Kolkata. He is in the process of 

completing his book on military humour 

The feat of God 

Nonetheless, he steeled himself like Nelson at Trafalgar facing 

the mighty Spanish Armada. If Nelson could do it with a blind 

eye, so could he and he had both his eyes 6/6! 

The CO was distinctly pleased that Ramu statistically was 

kicking around the most, even if not quite contacting the ball. 

It was a good sign indeed! It reminded him of Major Shaminder 

Singh, the second-in-command of his old unit, whose motto was 

– ball jae, lekin aadmi na jae! The CO felt assured. This theory 

won many a championship in his last unit! So, there was hope. 

Yet, in his heart, the CO had a feeling that it would take a Pele 

and Maradona rolled in one to win the Championship and that 

too not without a slight nudge from God himself! Even so, there 

still was this hope. After all, wasn’t it Wordsworth who wrote – 

My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky? The CO’s 

heart was leaping up since there was no chance to go down 

any further. He saw stars of despair, even if not a colourless 

rainbow! Ramu was trying his best to get the team going. 

And as the CO saw the progress every day, his blood pressure 

rose – with hope and excitement and he was encouraged and 

courageous enough to drop by with a tip or two! After all, the 

CO was a hands-on man! They were shaping up since getting 

shipped out was not on Ramu’s mind. 

The boys are not bad, thought Ramu subconsciously as he 

saw the new draft of Bengalis, Oriyas and Assamese racing 

enthusiastically all over the field with the ball even if not quite 

under control. They were getting a hang of football or so it 

appeared. All that was required was coordination and a strong 

defence. The CO’s joke of ball jae, lekin aadmi na jae suddenly 

jolted Ramu from his reverie. He walked to the burly Sikh, 

Kashmira, who was the stopper full back. ‘Oi sardar, you heard 

the CO sahib’s idea of ball jae, lekin aadmi na jae. What do you 

think of that?” 

“Ek dum Sardar wali baat hai”. Ramu wondered whether 

Kashmira meant it was a crazy idea, or was he being sheer 

earnest that the defence should be rock solid. 

“To kia karna?” 

“Sahabji, Hukum manunga”. 

Ramu thought that over. Maybe, things were looking up,

though he felt a bit uncomfortable. He soon forgot about it 

and started training the boys, subconsciously confident, with 

greater vigour. The team improved by the day. The coordination 

between the team players was so good the number of spectators 

amongst the unit personnel (who had earlier thought them to 

be a joke and a flight of fancy of the CO) started to increase by 

the day. Even a few spontaneous cheers of encouragement were 

heard. The team seemed to have arrived. 

The Divisional Football Championship commenced. The 

butterflies catapulting within the unit personnel’s stomach 

calmed down as the team soared from success to success. The 

first round came and went; the second round was another easy 

success. Confidence amongst the unit personnel grew.The semi 

final against the Artillery Medium Regiment was a nail biter. 

They were a contender for the finals. Kashmira, the ball jae 

aadmin na jaiye man had saved the team from a catastrophe. 

The hawk eyed referee saw through his gambit and gave him a 

yellow card. It brought him to his senses, but he still managed 

to stop the raids by the Artillery men, who pompously called 

themselves the Ferozpur Arsenal! 

The Artillery scored twice and there was no reply from the 

unit. Cold sweat broke out. Half time came and went. No spark 

came from the unit team. This state of affair continued and 

then suddenly, out of the blue, some deft dribbling by Ramu 

from the half line netted a beautiful low bend it like Beckam to 

drop the margin. 10 minutes were left. There was no hope in 

hell to square the goals and go into the extra time. Ramu, once 

again proved his mettle. This time he got tripped in the goal 

mouth by a desperate artillery gun loader who rammed him 

as if he was ramming a charge. Ramu flew out like a Charge 8 

Bofor shell and hit the ground. Yells of penalty rent the air. The 

referee looked nonplussed. There was a good chance he had 

humour 

not seen this deliberate thuggery! The time ticked by, tension 

grew….. and the unit was crestfallen. Then the shrill whistle 

came and the referee pointed to the dreaded spot – the penalty 

spot! Thunderous cheer rent the air as the goal’s net bounced 

with the impressively deceptive shot by Chintaharan. The CO, 

forgetting that he was a CO, thumped the astonished Brigade 

Commander hard on the back, not once but thrice!!! The score 

was two all! What a turnaround! 

There was still 5 minutes to go. The game was furiously fought. 

It went back and forth. The spectators were on their feet. Three 

minutes to go and there was still no result yet. The game was 

sure to go into extra time. The spectators were biting their nails. 

And then suddenly, out of nowhere, Kashmira, the stopper full 

back, for no rhyme and reason charged forward, leaving the 

unit goal mouth empty! A dangerous thing to do, but there was 

no stopping Kashmira. He charged past the half line, got into 

a melee at the 25 yarder and heaved one God almighty kick in 

no direction at all! The ball whizzed forward, hit a defender, 

deflected past another and went straight past the bewildered 

goalkeeper and into the goal!! The unit had won the semis!! 

The scene was chaotic within the unit stands. The spectators 

were ecstatic. The CO ran into the field, the Brigade Commander 

wanting to restrain him caught hold of his shirt and in the 

bargain was pulled along and so sheepishly tried to cover up as 

if he too had come in to congratulate the team!Our joy knew no 

bounds and the CO threw an impromptu barakhana that night! 

His cup of joy bubbled over the brim and so did the pegs of rum 

that flowed as if there was no tomorrow. 

Then catastrophe hit the team! Kashmira, the stopper full back, 

who looked and acted as Rocky Marciano aka Rocco Francis 

Marchegiano aka the Brockton Blockbuster/ the Rock from 


Brockton, the only heavyweight champion to finish his career 

undefeated, fell ill. He had an upset stomach! And a day later was 

the Finals! Bad luck knew no bounds. A non-entity of a team that 

had stormed into the final was being robbed of its rightful hour of 

glory by fate. The star of the show was down and out due to over 

indulgence. The whole team was demoralised. The CO drowned 

his sorrow in ‘malt’! He was on the verge of crying himself a river! 

The final was with a boisterous, gung ho Sikh unit, which was 

deft in Shaminder Singh’s adage of ‘the man never to be allowed 

to follow the ball’. The whistle blew the start. The game started. 

The unit was there in full strength though they had not the cheer 

that had become their routine. The CO appeared as if he was 

participating in a matam. The Brigade Commander 

tried to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to get 

the CO back to his boisterous self. He sipped his 

Campa Cola as if he were a child sucking on his 

thumb. Though the star was missing, the unit’s 

team was at it with all the josh as if no one was 

being missed! It did nothing to cheer up the CO or 

the unit. The fat Assamese boy who had replaced 

Kashmira was dancing around the goalmouth as 

if he were Mohammed Ali of football. He danced 

like a butterfly and stung the ball like a bee. Things 

were not going too bad. The unit was holding its 

own. Not a goal had yet been scored by either 

side. The tension was palpable. The Sikh unit’s 

ranks were getting restless and more furious. 

Then relief came for all. Half time was blown and 

still it was goalless! Half time over, the game 

commenced. The CO watched the game proceed 

as it grew thick, fast and furious. No quarters were 

given and no quarters were asked. The game swung from one half 

to another and still there was no score. The frustration was growing 

both on the field and amongst the spectators. The nonpartisan 

crowd seems to be favouring the unit since the Sikh unit had 

been the undisputed champions for two years successively and 

it was expected that the Medium Regiment of the Artillery would 

give them the run for their money and here was a team that was 

unheard of, holding them off! The clock ticked on. There was just 

5 minutes to go. It was still goalless. Two players had already been 

shown the red card and were out. One from the unit and one from 

the Sikh. It appeared that some more were asking for it! 

Three minutes to go. There was a melee in front of the unit 

goalmouth when the fat Assamese stopper full back gave one 

mighty kick and sent the ball well beyond the half line and into the 

Sikh half. All ran towards the Sikh half including Sikh and the unit 

forwards and the midfielders. The ball was sent back into the unit 

half. The Assamese chap who had advanced dangerously near the 

half line, trapped the ball neatly, dribbled past a few Sikh chaps 


and gave an almighty kick. 

It was just 30 seconds to time! There was a huge melee in front 

of the Sikh goalmouth. The goalkeeper had gripped the ball. It 

slipped. Someone ran up, but the goalkeeper pounced on the ball. 

It appeared that it had slipped again. None could make out what 

was happening, when Ramu came from nowhere and in the melee 

gave another almighty kick. And the goalkeeper and the ball were 

in the goal! The goal judge furiously waved his flag indicating a 

goal. The referee blew his whistle and it was over. The unit had 

won the finals one nil! The CO was ecstatic and the unit stand 

went berserk. The Sikhs protested that there was a foul and so the 

goal should be disallowed. The referee consulted the goal judge. 

They were firm on their decision. It was a goal, fair 

and square. 

Catch the Sikhs giving up. They appealed to 

the Committee. The Committee turned down 

the appeal. Thus, the unit won their first sports 

Championship and that too with a team that had 

no hope in hell! It was a grand success. The CO 

was overwhelmed and when he was told to take 

the Trophy from the GOC, he smiled wanly and 

waved Ramu to do the honours. He deserved to 

lift the Trophy more than anyone else! It was a 

historic win. 

Many years afterwards when the CO met Ramu 

and they were reminiscing about the Football 

match that made unit history, the CO gushingly 

congratulated Ramu. Ramu looked embarrassed. 

The CO wondered why and he asked him so. 

“Well sir, we did win. It was not only our win, but it was also by 

the feet of God!” 

“Feat of God, Ramu?” 

“Yes sir, it was a feat of God and the feet of God too!” 

“Feat of God and the feat of God too?” 

“Yes sir, the feat of God and f-e-e-t of God too!” 

“What are you talking about? Are you in your cups? 

“No sir. It was a feat of God because it was done by the feet of God. 

Something like Maradonna’s ‘hand of god’!’ Ramu gave a pregnant 

pause and continued, “You see, sir, in that melee, I am not too 

sure if the ball had slipped the goalkeeper’s hand, but I gave a 

God Almighty kick that saw both the ball and the Goalkeeper in 

the net! 

Ramu paused for effect. 

“It was a feat with the feet and God alone knows the truth!”

Roll on Football 

on screen 

By Khursheed Dinshaw 

Bollywood’s John Abraham needs no introduction 

as his fans swoon and go ga ga over him but how 

many of us know of the existence of John Abraham, 

an American who is a professional national level 

footballer? Or for that matter how many of us crazy cricket 

Indians really follow the sport of Football with the same 

passion and devotion as cricket? Not many right? Realizing 

this Bollywood stars have been doing their bit to increase 

awareness for the world’s favourite sport. 

John Abraham himself is a self confessed football fanatic and 

has acted in the movie “Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal” whose plot 

revolved around a UK based amateur football group that did 

whatever it took to save their local club. The movie was India’s 

first all-out football-related movie. Apart from that Abraham 

has been the chief guest at the opening I-League game, shot 

commercials for the Premier League and alongwith Baichung 

Bhutia is actively promoting the sport. His passion for the 

sport reflected before the Word Cup where he rushed the 

workers to complete not his house that was being renovated 

but his home theatre so that he could watch the matches. 

Bipasha Basu is also a football fan but when it comes to 

merging reel and real life then Abhishek Bachchan takes 

the goal. A Chelsea supporter in real life, he played one in 

the movie “Jhoom Barabar Jhoom”. He also got any football 

fans dream come true when he became the first fan who was 

handed the Blues’ new home kit by Chelsea Football Club last 

year. And Being Human is not the only cause that Salman 

Khan supports. He is the ambassador for football, as named 

by the AIFF and has spoken about football’s immense growth 

potential in India. He has also participated in celebrity 

football charity matches and his presence at the Nehru Cup 

final was a bonus to the game’s followers. 

Ranbir Kapoor is also an avid footballer who got to show his 

skills on the field when he played for a cancer charity match in 

Pune. The audience here didn’t get to see him clad in a towel 

ala Saawariya but they did get to shout and applause him for 

the four goals he scored. And while one is visiting Bandra 


in Mumbai, one can get lucky and spot Dino Morea enjoy 

the game on the field. Former model turned choreographer 

Marc Robinson is such a football fan that he started a yearly 

tournament in Mumbai to give a platform to amateur football 

teams to show their talent. After conquering the hearts of UP, 

Bihar and London after Big Brother, Shilpa Shetty willingly 

gave hers to Indian football. Even hubby Raj Kundra can’t 

seem to compete with her interest in the game. 

Football has also been responsible for giving hope to a youth 

named Basharat Bashir Baba who is an aspiring Kashmiri 

football player. He faced discrimination but persevered and 

is pursuing his dream of playing football as a professional 

player. Baba also has a movie “Football, Inshallah” made 

about him that has been directed by Ashwin Kumar. With 

an award in its kitty the movie is about angry Baba who 

found hope in football, his father who turned a militant and 

then mended his ways and the football coach who came to 

Kashmir to instill hope in young Kashmiris. This 83 minute 

movie emphasizes the importance of football, in Kashmir 

that is plagued by unrest and violence. The sport helps to 

instill values and positivity, ensure challenge, adrenalin 

rush, improve mental creativity and help deal with stress. In 

Baba’s own words, “The mentality of a Kashmiri youth is that 

if the police cannot change, nobody can change. But I think 

football can change”. 

When he initially started Baba faced discrimination while 

playing for a big club in Calcutta. Statements like “You are 

from Kashmir, you are a terrorist, you are a militant. We don’t 

want to play with you.” forced him to leave the club. But the 

young promising talent found help at ISAT (International 

Sports Academy Trust) founded by the Argentinean coach 

Marcus Trio and has been training there. 

When things began going well for Baba his application for a 

passport was denied stating past militant links of his father. 

Baba was furious but later proud that his father had mended 

his ways. After Chief Minister Omar Abdullah intervened, 

and got him the required police security clearance Baba got 

his passport and says, “My passport is a life for me now. It’s 

everything.” 

His vision is to play for India and then open an academy in 

Kashmir. Football gave him a life line and there are many 

other unknown Baba’s out there who live and dream the 

sport of football. May the sport continue to instill optimism 

and hope for all of them. 



RNI No.: DELENG/2010/33162 

POSTAL No.: DL(N)/256/2011-13

Shimla-the birthplace of the Durand Cup and the Indian Air Force ...

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