Advantages of conducting pre-season training camps

A new trend started in the last few seasons - Pre-season training camp. What is this training camp all about?

Currently, almost all the I-League teams, both the 1st and 2nd division second teams are going through the pre-season training camp. And guess what, most team prefers to carry out their pre-season training camp outside the regular places - locations where one would least expect a football team camping for couple of weeks.

So, if East Bangal chooses a serene beach resort in the outskirts of Puri, then the arch-rival Mohun Bagan chooses a hill resort encapsulated by fog, some 18 km away from the hill station Kalimpong. If Pune Football Club feels that the artificial grasses in Goa are good for their pre-season campaign, then Mohammedan Sporting feels that training on the loose sands of the Digha beach would help the players for the coming season.

I am not going to delve into the technicalities of pre-season training camp, but the basic essence of conducting a pre-season training camp are as follows:

• Fitness training
  Players resume their club after a long vacation, it is important for them to be in good physical condition. This training enables them to bring back their fitness level in shape.

• Endurance training
  A calculated way of exercising to increase the stamina. Endurance training strengthens and help build muscles. Classic example of endurance training would be a 5-km run across the beach or through the hilly terrains.
• Team bonding
  Another important aspect, which is highly emphasised these days. Different players embarking to the club from different parts of the country, globe, etc. This is the right time to understand each other and gel as a cohesive unit. Excellent off the field understanding among the players’ definetely helps the team in the field.

Apart from the technical aspects there are also other aspects involved when you are conducting a pre-season training camp outside the club – a strong sense of community bonding.

A classic example to this is Mohun Bagan pre-season training to Kalimpong. Nobody has ever heard that Kalimpong boasts of excellent football facilities. However, this hill town’s geographical location is ideal for fitness and endurance training. Team management wisely chose a resort, which is away from the Kalimpong city, idyll, and not visited by the tourists at this part of the year. Even after a strenuous training session, the team nicely integrated with the local folks. The locals celebrated Rakhi Dore, (Rakhsha Bandhan) with the team and presented local souvenirs to the team followed by some cultural program. A Kodak football moment of peace and integration!

Later when Mohun Bagan turned out to play a friendly match against the local club, there were around 8000-odd spectators who flocked to the stadium ignoring heavy rain and stormy weather. Mohun Bagan club secretory, Anjan Mitra reciprocated a similar feeling by contributing the match gate fee for the development of football in Kalimpong.

As the team prepares to leave Kalimpong tomorrow, they have won the hearts of the locals. Now, it is up to the decision of the management to leverage the momentum generated by the pre-season camp. Maybe they can induct few local talents in their academy, MBSFA or play an exhibition match to encourage the local football.

Very similar thing was planned by Chirag United for their pre-season training camp at Murshidabad, local aspiring footballers would have benefited a lot. Unfortunately, their stay was reduced only to 3-days.

Final take

Lest we get overboard with the *other aspects* of the pre-season training camps, it is football what matters. You make new friends, win the heart of locals, all that are fine. But, ultimately all boils down to a 90-minute game.

Let’s hope the coaches and the footballers utilized the pre-season camp to the fullest. Players are refreshed, toned up, and fully fit and ready to display an entertaining game of football in the coming season.

John Anthony passes away

A. John Anthony, former Karnataka state footballer passed away after a huge cardiac arrest in Bangalore on Tuesday, August 4. He was 54 years old.

The talented midfielder had played for the 515 Army Base Workshop team for two-decades, 1974 – 1994. Anthony also represented the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) XI in the prestigious Nizam Gold Cup tournament in Hyderabad in 1978.

AIFF's apathy towards the Olympians

You request for pension to the highest football body of the country and in response you get a grant of meagre Rs.25,000.

All the 9 surviving players out of the 18-member Indian football team, who helped India to reach through the semi-finals of the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne had decided to return their grant sent by the AIFF.

A couple of months back, the footballers from the golden-era had requested the AIFF to provide pension to the former footballers, very similar to the initiative taken by the highest cricket body of India, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, in return all the Olympians had received a cheque of Rs.25,000 as a grant from the AIFF Secretory, Alberto Colaco.

This action by AIFF has upset the veteran players, they are hurt by the use of the term "grant". The players feel that they have played for the nation and they do not require any kind of grant.

The surviving players who represented India at the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne are Samar (Bardu) Banerjee (Captain), Tulsidas Balaram, Nikhil Nandy, PK Banerjee, Krishna Chandra (Kesto) Pal, Ahmed Hussain, Shankar Narayan, Mohammad Zulfikaruddin, and Mohammad Abdus Salam.

Injury scare for Barreto, to miss IFA Shield

Darling of the Mariners, Jose Ramirez Barreto's injury has forced himself to be out of the IFA Shield action.

Barreto had picked this calf-muscle injury on his right leg while he was in Brazil. At Kalimpong, during the pre-season he felt the pain again, didn’t want to aggrevate the injury, and refrained himself from practicing.

Coach Kareem does not want to take risk right at the start of the season and wants Barreto to take proper medical attention so that he will be fully fit for the long and exhaustive I-League.

Barreto returns to Calcutta today. He will go through a thorough medical test including few physiotherapy sessions.

Barreto is visibly upset about the entire incident, but he vouches that he will be back in action at the earliest for the sake of the team.

Bay of Bengal beckons Mohammedan Sporting

The Red and Golden brigade has opted for sea, the Mariners have opted for misty clad mountain, and now it is Bay of Bengal for the Black and White brigade.

Mohammedan Sporting has started phase two of their pre-season camp at Digha, a seaside town at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal, 183 km from Calcutta.

A couple of weeks back, Mohammedan Sporting had kicked-off their pre-season campaign at the club ground. However, to stress on the fitness level and the team spirit among the footballers the team management has decided to hold a residential camp.

This year's team is a heady mixture of youth and experience. Big club veterans, Dipendu Biswas, Dipankar Roy, and Sashti Duley will be turning out for Mohammedan Sporting this time along with foreigners Theodore Sunday Wrobeh and Peter Odafe. The team has almost retained the newcomers from last year.

"Training on the sand should increase the fitness level, also, the hotel is equipped with gymnasium and swimming pool", reckons Coach Shabbir Ali.

Old warhorse, Dipendu Biswas fully obliged to coach's view. He feels that such a camp of 12-14 days would do a world for good for the players.

After the Cobra training by East Bengal and Mongoose training by Mohun Bagan, let us wait and watch what's Shabbir's team up to!

The other side of Kalyan Chaubey

What would a soccer player do at his spare time? Spend quality time with his family, help the football coaching camp at his neighbourhood, work as a commentator for a sports channel, or double up as a columnist for a news daily.

But one would never think of a translating a 280-odd-page book in his playing heydays and that too on a topic, which is remotely related to football. That’s Kalyan Chaubey for you, TFA graduate, former national keeper, and currently on the rolls of Mumbai FC.

Kalyan has translated an entire book from English to Bengali (his first language) on the daily life of Sai Baba of Shirdi, miraculous Guru and Yogi who is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of god. He has achieved this feat with any assistance from co-authors.

This is indeed a great achievement, may Sai Baba bestow his blessings to you!

Mohun Bagan Day celebrations, Mohun Bagan Ratna to Samar (Badru) Banerjee

Amidst much fanfare, the National Club of India celebrated Mohun Bagan day on July 29. The event also witnessed the Mohun Bagan Ratna being conferred to the Olympian, former captain of Mohun Bagan and National team, Samar (Badru) Banerjee.

Seemed like the football roads were all leading to the Mohun Bagan ground. It was a galaxy of sorts, where the current, budding, and former footballers from past seven decade blessed the occasion. Not to forget the thousands of Mohun Bagan fans who were present at the Mohun Bagan tent to celebrate the famous win of 1911.

This win naturally ignites the pride and passion among the players as well as fans over the years.

The Mohun Bagan tent and the club lawn were all decked up for the occasion along with the bright green and maroon lights. A huge stage was put at at the right side of the ground, where the felicitation ceremony, cultural extravaganza, and dinner ceremony took place.

The event kicked off with a series of exhibition football matches. U-13 teams of Veterans Club and Mohun Bagan Club locked their horns. The match had all its excitement but ended in a goal less draw.

The next match was played between the former Mohun Bagan players, Shib Das Bhaduri XI vs Bijoy Das Bhaduri XI. Both football legends who had donned the colors of Mohun Bagan and above all the winning member of the epic 1911 IFA Shield. Such was the excitement of the match that a total of 85 footballers were divided into two teams. The players from the 50’s to the 90s, all exibited their fine skills and reminded of the glorious past of Calcutta football. Finally, Bijoy Das Bhaduri XI got the better of his sibling team, Shib Das Bhaduri XI, and worn the match 3-2.

The name of the few players who played the match includes, Kannan, Syed Nayeemuddin, Shibaji Banerjee, Jo Paul Ancheri, Pranab Ganguly, Abdul Khaleq, Achintya Belel, Sukhen Sengupta, Gouranga Banerjee, Sudip Chakraborty, Uttam Mukherjee, Hemanta Dora, Pradip Talukdar, Krishnagopal Chowdhury, Gunabir Singh, Amit Das, Saumitra Chakraborty.

The final exhibition match was played between the Artist Forum XI and the Sports Journalist XI. Also, this match between the amateurs was a closely contested match, and ended in a 1-1 draw.

The members of the Mohun Bagan fans club had organized a photo exhibition of the club's history, former and current players along with some memorable moments of Mohun Bagan Ratna, Samar (Badru) Banerjee.

Football legends, Sailen Manna, P. K. Banerjee, and Chuni Goswami witnessed the entire proceedings. The legends rose to the stage to give away the much-coveted Mohun Bagan Ratna to Samar (Badru) Banerjee. Also, on the same stage the officials took the opportunity to introduce each of the players and the coaching staff for the current season to the fans and members.

Also present in the occassion were the Mohun Bagan coach, Karim Benchariffa, IFA secretary Utpal Ganguly, CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya, and numerous other players who have made Mohun Bagan proud.

Photo courtesy: Tridip Sheet and Sumanta Mishra

Pre-season practice blues for Chirag United

What could have been a nice built up for the upcoming football season, turned out to be a damp squib. Chirag United's pre-season camp at the historic town of Murshidabad came to a pre-mature end and the team has shifted their base to Kalyani, 65 km from Kolkata.

Excessive power cut has been the main reason to shift the camp from Murshidabad to Kalyani. Chirag United will hold a four week camp at Kalyani; pre-season camp at Murshidabad lasted only for a week.

Team management chose to practice at the serene location of Lalbag, which lies close to the bank of river Baghirathi. However, after six hours of strenuous practice session (three hours each in the morning and evening), players were not able to sleep properly due to power cut. To top it up, there were disturbances from mosquitoes and other insects.

This decision has deprived the local budding talents, who could have learned a lot by witnessing the quality practice sessions from Chirag United.

Mohun Bagan fans prepare to celeberate Mohun Bagan day

The recent spate of controversies cannot be a good enough reason to dampen the spirits of the Mohun Bagan fans as they prepare themselves to celebrate Mohun Bagan day.

Though Mohun Bagan Athletic Club was established in the year 1889, but Mohun Bagan day is celebrated on July 29, the day when the club defeated the mighty East Yorkshire Regiment by 2 – 1 to lift the IFA Shield back in 1911. Mohun Bagan was the first Indian club to have won the IFA Shield.

This year’s Mohun Bagan Ratna will be conferred to Samar (Badru) Banerjee, footballer Olympian, former captain of India and Mohun Bagan.

The club is organizing the following exhibition matches to celebrate the occasion:

• Mohun Bagan under-13 Junior Team vs. Veterans Sports Club under-13 Junior Team
• Match between the former players of the club
• Calcutta Sports Journalists Club vs Artists’ Forum

The matches will start at 1 pm in the club ground.

Later in the evening, Mohun Bagan Ratna will be the main attraction along with other cultural programme. The proceedings will conculde with a sumptous gala dinner.

Ancheri to take charge of Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy

Come the month of August, the students of Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy (MBSFA) will get a new coach in Jo Paul Ancheri. The former National Senior captain has agreed to take this assignment.

MBSFA, a joint venture between Mohun Bagan and Steel Authority of India is situated in Durgapur, West Bengal.

Ancheri started his football career with State Bank of Travancore (SBT) in 1992. Later he went on playing for almost all the leading football clubs in India, Mohun Bagan, JCT, FC Cochin, East Bengal, etc. He retired as a player few seasons back.

Recently, Ancheri has taken up football coaching and was associated with the National under-13 as an assistant coach and manager.

Ancheri entertained the football lovers by playing in various positions, defender, defensive midfielder, midfielder, and striker.

IndianFootball.com wishes him luck for the new endeavor. May many more Ancheris emerge under his tutelage!

Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy celebrates 6th anniversary

The endeavor, which was started by the National Club of India, Mohun Bagan and the largest integrated iron and steel producer in India, Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy (MBSFA), celebrated their 6th anniversary on Monday, July 20.

Mohun Bagan is perhaps the only club in India to run a full-fledged residential football academy. MBSFA is located at the industrial town of Durgapur, 113 miles from Kolkata.

The colorful celebration was kicked-off by the flag hoisting ceremony by Mr. Jeebesh Mishra, ED, Durgapur Steel Plant, SAIL.

Displaying academy’s bright future in coming days, the facility was decorated with sparkling green and maroon lights.

To encourage football among the local school wards, MBSFA organized a 2-day long inter-school football tournament. This tounament was divided in three groups, grade II, III, and IV.

General Secretory of Mohun Bagan club, Mr. Anjan Mitra, senior club official, Mr. Debasish Dutta, and various other club offcials and their families were present in this occasion.

Mr. Mitra encouraged the participants and the academy wards. The celebration concluded with a friendly football match between the academy officials and the guardians of the participating students.

MBSFA has produced players like Sankar Oraon, Reisangmi Vasum, Rahul Kumar, Sanjoy Boro, and Suman Bose who are currently playing for the top football clubs in India.

Grass-root initiatives by SPT Sports in Bangalore

As a part of a grass-root initiative, leading sports management company, SPT Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. runs three football academies in Bangalore, and Sunfeast ably supports this venture.

“The main aim of our academy is to develop football skills among children below 16 years,” said Kanishka Saran, Vice President, SPT Sports.

Kanishka also talked about the following programs that SPT Sports runs in Bangalore:

Sunfeast Football Academy program
SPT Sports flagship academy, located in Sarjapur Road, in the outskirts of Bangalore boasts over 500 children participating in various year-long training programs, summer camps, and winter camps. For the last 3 years, Sunfeast – ITC Foods is supporting this initiative.

Over the years, this academy has grown from strength to strength – added two more academies that are catering to different pockets in Bangalore. Eight footballers cum qualified trained professionals take care in honing the football skills among the children. The coaching classes are conducted four days a week in the regular program with children grouped in different age and skill levels.

Talent hunt program
This is perhaps the largest talent hunt football program in Bangalore. Scouting talent for the future development programs at the Sunfeast Football Academy, this program covers over 60 schools and 1500 children.

The winners from each school get to participate in the finals at the Sunfeast Football Academy. The overall winners are inducted in the Sunfeast Football Academy advanced training programs for free of cost.

Sunfeast village football
The SOCCER-A-CHILD program was kicked off in August 2007. The main objective of the program is to reach out to the rural talent. Four villages around Bangalore have been adopted under this program.

The Sunfeast Football Academy coaches provide free coaching to the children in these villages twice a week.

The idea is to provide the children from the rural areas an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful game of football and identify potential talents.

Bagan assistant coach Satyajit Chatterjee resigns

Mohun Bagan assistant coach, Satyajit Chatterjee announced his resignation on Tuesday, July 14. It is assumed that Satyajit did not wanted to be a second fiddle to someone who is junior to him in age. Also, rumor has it that he is not pleased with clubs over-dependency on chief coach, Karim Bencherifa, with whom at times Satyajit had differences in opinion.

A true loyalist, Satyajit had played for Mohun Bagan for 14 seasons on a trot. After retiring from the game, he was associated with his favorite club as an assistant coach. Earlier, he had assisted coaches like Amal Dutta and Carlos Roberto Perreira.

Know to be a true gentleman on and off the field, Satyajit never came out against the club, he silently put down his papers. However, he felt that he was not given his due recognition.

Another former Mohun Bagan player, Shyamal Banerjee is set to take the role of the assistant coach. Mohun Bagan’s pre-season camp starts in a few days.

May be Mohun Bagan management should think of utilizing Satyajit’s experience in some other areas or encourage him to complete the AFC License courses.

Senegalese flair in the IFA Shield

Association Sportive (AS) Douanes, Dakar is all set to play in the 114th edition of IFA Shield. This football club based in Dakar, capital of Senegal.

Per the players’ list sent to the organizers, IFA, this club from Senegal consists of national stars like Vito Badiane, Karamba Diallo, Mor Diouf, Sidy Ndiaye, and Malick Fall.

Douanes in French means Customs, AS Douanes is mainly sponsored by the Government Customs Authority, Senegal.

All set to witness quality African football in the century-old football tournament!

Coach Karim crosses the first hurdle of AFC Licence A course successfully

On his quest for completing the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) licence A course, Mohun Bagan coach, Karim Bencharifa has passed Module A successfully.

Apparently, AFC license A course is divided in two modules, A and B, and the duration of each module is two weeks. Module A of the AFC licence A course was held in Singapore from May 25 to June 6.

Bachelors of Sports graduate, Karim has completed a plethora of courses, including licence A course from Morocco, and perhaps the most qualified soccer coach serving in India. However, AFC does not recognize this course and Karim was adviced to take up AFC Licence A.

Interestingly, Morocco is ranked much higher than India in the FIFA rankings, and Karim’s licence A course from Morocco was not recognized by AFC. However, AFC recognized his Diploma from German Football Association, Leipzig, Germany equivalent to AFC licence B.

Karim needs to complete AFC Licence A - Module B successfully and then resume his duty in Mohun Bagan.

Best of luck, coach!

Corporate football extravaganza 2009

National-level corporate football extravaganza, National Corporate Football Tournament – 2009, is all set to kick-off in August. In its 9th edition, this tournament is arguably the largest corporate football tournament in India.

Played in a 5-a-side Futsal format, the title sponsor for this event is Kingfisher. Other sponsors include, ING Life, Gati, and Playgroundonline.

Talking to IndianFootball.Com, the organizers, SPT Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. provided this information. This tournament was started in Bangalore in 2001 and then the event has gradually grown to several other cities across India - Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata.

The winners from each city will be flown down to Bangalore for the national finals and the national winner will be awarded an all-expense-paid international holiday.

The event kicks-off in August in Hyderabad and then moves to other cities with the grand finale scheduled in November in Bangalore.

For more information, visit the SPT Sports website www.sptindia.com.

For the Bangalore-based corporate soccer freaks, SPT Sports is hosting an inter-corporate league in December.

For the wannabe soccer stars, SPT Sports is hosting an inter-school football tournament from October thru January next year. This event will be simultaneously hosted 4 cities across India, Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

Lajong Football Club starts their pre-season camp

New entrant to the I-League Division 1 Lajong Football Club (FC) has started their pre-season camp from today. Based in Shillong, this is the first club from North-east India who will be playing in the I-League Division 1.

Former national assistant coach, Stanley Rozario is the Lajong FC coach. The team practiced today at a picturesque practice pitch, which is located at the outskirts of the city.


Lajong FC has a good mix of local and out-stationed players. Coming to the big-stage for the first time, this team is eager to prove their worth.

Tete-a-tete with Gumpe Rime

North-east of India has been a happy hunting ground for the national club recruiters. All the top national clubs have players from this region on their roster. However, you will barely find a player from Arunachal Pradesh. One such rare player who hails from Arunachal Pradesh is custodian Gumpe Rime, playing for the top clubs for almost one and half decade.

After playing for Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL) six successful seasons, Gumpe is all set to keep the goal of the newly promoted first division I-league team, Shillong Lajong FC.

Q: Hi Gumpe, tell me what prompted to take you this decision?
A: I wanted to play for a first division club and Shillong Lajong FC is the first North-east club who will be playing in the I-league first division. I hail from North-east part of India, it will be a privilege for me to play for such a club and part of the history. And If my experience can be of any use then nothing like that.

Q: Tell us something about your childhood?
A: I come from a town named Aalo in Arunachal Pradesh. After my schooling, I was spotted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Guwahati, and groomed there for a while. I started playing for clubs since 1995.

Year	Club
1995-96 to 98-99	Mahindra United
1999-00	Bengal-Mubai Football Club (BMFC)
2000-01	Vasco Sports Club
2003-04	Salgaonkar Sports Club
2004-05 to 08-09	HAL
2009-10	Lajong FC

My experience while playing for BMFC has been quite frustrating, it was a mis-managed team where players were not payed regularly.

Some clubs appear all of a sudden and after couple of seasons they literally disappear from the scene; leaving the players in lurch.

I would like to bring to the notice of AIFF that they should check the credibility of these clubs before sanctioning their entity. Clubs like Chandni FC, Malabar FC, and Happy Entertaintment, gets a chance to play in the I-league (second division) and sad to see that HAL being left out.

Q: Goalkeping is a demanding job, how do you keep yourself fit, that too for so many years?
A: That way I have been fortunate enough, I have never got serious injuries while playing. But I do work on my fitness, during off-season I am regular at the training grounds.

Q: How was the experience playing in HAL?
A: Definitely good. After playing for so many years I am regarded as a home player.

However, they need to be more professional in their approach, there are many formalities and protocols to get the budget approved. This becomes frustrating many times.

Team management should stress on retaining talents. Lot of promising players plays for HAL during their formative years and then leaves for better growth. They should look at retaining the best talents.

Also, there is lack of involvement from the management. HAL Sports Club members are high-ranked HAL officials, you would barely find them interacting with the players. Except for sports secretory, Mr. Rajan, I don’t see anyone interacting with the players.

On the contrary, in Salgaoncar the owner himself would take his busy time out to talk and encourage the team.

Q: How is HAL team this year?
A: This current bunch looks good. Management has picked up the core of the Karnataka Santosh Trophy team, including some promising players from BEML. But as I have mentioned before, this is story happens every year, they fail to retain the talents.

Q: And what about your experience playing in Kolkata?
A: I had a short stint with Mohemadan, I’ve never played a full season there. Even during that time they changed coach many times, the management was bad. Players like Odafa and Chidi started their career in India by playing for Mohemadan. Pity that they could not retain them and later they dominated the India football scene.

Once, I had got offer from East Bengal, but I had to reject it for some reason. But yes, the media coverage is amazing, you don’t get it anywhere else in India.

Q: How is football played in North-east?
A: The local bodies in Manipur, Mizoram, Assam functions well. They have proper infrastructure, grass root level, and youth development programmes.

I am not sure about Arunachal Pradesh, the football association does not have enough funds. There is no local league in Arunachal Pradesh. The players should get proper exposure by participating in the tournaments outside Arunachal Pradesh.

This year the Arunachal Pradesh team participated in the under-21 nationals at Goa and the result was decent. Football should be played throughout the year. We have now two young players from Arunachal Pradesh, Nyamar Loyi and Tassar Techi playing for clubs. Hope they play well and make Arunachal Pradesh proud.

At times discipline becomes as issue among the North-east players. Reaching to a height is not difficult, maintaining is difficult.

We have Baichung Bhutia as our icon, but after that there is a void, there is no one even close to him.

Q: Any disappointment of not making to the national team?
A: I have played for India juniors. However, I was never selected for the senior team. I have attended national camps several times, but failed to make to the final squad. Mainly because our coaches preferred tall keepers.

Q: Who is your favorite goalkeeper?
A: I have always found Jorge Campos, the famous Mexican goalkeeper exciting. Not because of his flashy outfits, but for his agility. He did not have the height, but the kind of saves he made was amazing.

In India, I have seen Ghanaian international Edward Ansah’s keeping. He was playing in India when he was in his 40’s. Even at that age, he was one of the best keepers to have graced Indian football. Currently, Edward Ansah is the goal-keeping coach for Ghana.

Q: How long you want to continue playing football?
A: Another 3 years at the top level. (grins)

Q: Any post-retirement plans?
A: I have not made any plans yet. Definitely something related to football, maybe an instructor. I will leave it to my destiny. (smiles)

Q: Thanks Gumpe for your time and best wishes for your new venture.
A: Thanks and all the best to Indianfootball.com, keep up the good work!

Luisao, the Brazilian national defender to play for Chirag

It has been a good hunting for Chirag as far as foreigners are concerned. They have roped Josimar da Silva Martins, 24 year Brazilian who plays in the striker position.

Chirag’s Brazilian Physio Djair Garcia has helped to get Josimar on their rolls. Josimar comes from National AC, Sao Paulo, and has earlier played in Russia.

If you thought that Josimar is the only catch, then you are absolutely wrong, hold your breath, it is the star defender Luisao, who has just represented Brazil in the successful Confederations Cup mission, is all set to play in the next I League.

27-years old Luisao currently plays for Benfica, Portugal.



If you have taken the later part of this article seriously, then you are at your own risk. Call it an early or a belated fool’s day celebration!

Djair and Luisao’s are family friends and they used stay in the same neighborhood in Sao Paulo. Luisao made a visit to Djair’s family last week, where they exchanged their jerseys.

On a serious note
Luisao is a very polite and simple person. He sincerely believes in the success of Indian football and wants to be a part of the Indian football in near future.

Karnataka footballer attempts suicide, dies in hospital

Our apathy towards sportsperson resurfaced yet again. In a shocking incident on Friday night, city footballer, A Ravindran, popularly known as Velu, attempted suicide by consuming poison. He was rushed to the nearby private hospital. After battling for life in the ICU, Velu was declared dead on Saturday, July 6.

Velu was on the rolls of Controllerate of Inspection Electronics (CIL), now known as Centre for Quality Assurance of Electronics and Radar Development (CQAL & R) as a guest player. He had turned out for this team in the Bangalore District Football Division (BDFA) super division league for many seasons.

A tenth-grader Velu was frustrated with life. In his suicidal note, he had mentioned of not having a decent job and marriage. He had also alleged his former CIL coach, Shayam Shahi, for a false job promise.

Velu first represented Karnataka in 1998, later he was offered a contract job at the CIL canteen, which he left after a year.

Bangalore football in poor state

This incident again highlights the poor condition of the local footballers. Football in Bangalore is dominated by the Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) teams. These teams are cash-trapped with minimal or no budget allocated to the team. Few soccer-enthusiast officials run the show.

The better players migrate to a different club outside Bangalore, the rest settles down by playing as a guest player with meagre pay, and the frustrated ones end their life.

High time to think about the players who bring laurels to the club, state, and country. All is needed is a job security.

Officials speak

Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) officials said that the entire incident is bad for the state football. However, they stood by the former CIL coach, Shayam Shahi. Incidentally, Shahi has been associated with the game for many years in Bangalore in the capacity of a manager, coach, and football official. He has trained many footballers.

Xavier Vijaykumar, Captain, HAL:
My deepest condolences to Velu’s family! May his sould rest in peace.

I’ve played with him in the under-21 and –19 tournaments. He was a robust footballer, utility player who was accustomed to play in all positions, be it defence, mid-field, or striker.

He used to think a lot about the game and wanted to be associated with it even after retirement. It is sad that we are loosing such players.

Ateast a decent job should have prevented him from doing such an act. I am told that he was promised for some job, however, I am not going to the authenticity of this information.

Velu played for CIL for many years and also captained last season, rather that waiting here, maybe he should have looked for other opportunities, that too when he was at his prime time.

A.R. Khaleel, President, KSFA:
Paying 500-600 per month is no good, players should be paid enough so that they can lead a decent life, atleast 3000 per month.

Simple solution to this is that the government or PSU, who run their football teams should change their policy on channelizing the talents. Since 80’s funds stopped coming to these teams.

To run a football team in Bangalore, you need a minimum budget of 50 to 80 lakhs per year. When the team displays a good performance at the top-level, the mileage an organization gets is enormous; many times more than the football budget.

I could see HAL trying to manage their team professionally. Also, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), Bangalore putting up a good effort.

Shayam Shahi, former coach, CIL and official, CIL:
Velu was hard working and was very good in speed and stamina, however, he was not a skillful player. He was ambitious but at the same time he was a short-tempered player.

Some wards told me that he was planning to end his life, however, we never paid heed to it.

When I first got the news, I could not believe it! I’ll try to help the family in my best possible capacity.

Gumpe Rime moves out of HAL

Bangalore’s loss is Shillong’s gain. On the quest for the Bangalore footballers looking for greener pastures, here is the latest. Veteran custodian, Gumpe Rime is shifting his base. Come next season, he will don colors of newly promoted first division I-league team, Shillong Lajong FC.

Gumpe confirmed this news while speaking over phone.

“My main motivation in this game is to play at the highest level, I had a great time playing for HAL, but I would definitely like to be a part of a first division I-league team.” says Gumpe.

Pune Football Club – on the right track…

When I look at the progression of Pune Football Club (FC), one question always comes to my mind – after qualifying for the first division I-league, now what?

Within second year of formation, Pune FC has been promoted to the first division I-league. This indeed is a commendable achievement. My recent trip to Pune provided me an opportunity to visit their office and ask the officials about the same.

Backed by a corporate partner, Pune FC is probably the only club that runs a professional football club in India. In the era of professionalizing Indian football, one would get a true sense of how a professional club operates, when you visit their facility at Pune.

The reception center was flooded with youths that have come to enroll themselves for the under-17 trials.

Dr. Ashok Kumar, who is the general manager of Pune FC, since its inception shared his views about the team composition for the coming season and nurturing local talents as a part of the youth development program.

The team is almost set, however, the players list could not be disclosed until the official formalities are done. But definitely national keeper Subrata Paul is the prize catch. Team management is also finalizing the quota of overseas players. 3+1 formation (three overseas players plus one from the Asian origin) has provided them an opportunity to look out for a top quality Asian player.

New coach, Derrick Perrira has taken charge of the team. He has met the players, prepared training schedule, and handed over the schedule to each of the players. This will ensure that the players keep themselves fit during off-season.

Pune FC, will kick-off the training session in the first week of July. Two newly-laid pitches are prepared near Hinjewadi, outskirts of Pune. Come this season, the team will be practicing there. Later, July 13, they will move to Goa for the preconditioning camp. This training would involve practicing in the artificial pitches.

As a preparation to I-League, the team is pinning hopes on participating in the Western India Football Association (WIFA) initiated Maharashtra State league. This league would provide exposure to play with the top teams in the state. “I am hopeful the state league starts in this season”. Adds Dr. Ashok.

Later Pune FC will be participating in the IFA Shield, Durand Cup, and Federation Cup. This should give the team to play at least 9-10 matches. “Good built-up for going to the main stage – I-league”, recons Dr. Askhok Kumar.

“Team is mostly likely going to play their I-league home matches at the Balewadi Sports complex”, confirms Chirag Tanna. Only concern is the distance that the fans needs to travel, as the Balewadi Sports complex falls in one corner of the city

Pune FC is emphasizing a lot on youth development program. This year they are introducing an under-17 team, they already have under-15 and under-19 teams on board. However, team management felt that there is an utmost need to bridge the gap, hence forming a team for the intermediate level. There are not many tournaments for the under-15 team, once they come out of the age group, it becomes difficult to retain the skills till under-19 level.

The new under-17 team will ensure that the talent is not gone lost, they will be smoothly transitioned to under-19, and finally they will be graduated to play for the senior team. The current senior teams boasts of two such under-19 players. Also, the new under-17 team will participate in the local league B division.

Norbert Gonsalves is heading the youth development program, ably supported by former Pune FC player, Gift Raikan. The youth development program is fully focused on spotting local talents.
Professional outlook towards the game has not yet come here. But the Pune lads are intelligent and possess good game sense. However, they don’t take the game seriously at the later stage. Hopefully, the youth development initiatives would do a world of good to the rookies, and they too can dream of making it big to the national and international level.

The team footballers are slowly getting recognized among the masses, thanks for the consistent good show over the last year. Numbers of enrollments for the age group team trials are doubled this year.

All set for a bright football season!

Bangalore footballers looking for greener pastures

This is what happens when you don’t have a team from Bangalore in the national level. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), who missed the second division I-League bus in the recently concluded season due to not conforming to the AIFF guidelines will soon loose some of their important players in the next season.

Thanks to their good performance in the ongoing Santosh Trophy, striker Dada Nabeel, mid-fielder Goutam Debnath, and defender Sumit Thapa are all set to join the premier division I-League clubs.

“I don’t see any problem, this was bound to happen”, says prominent football coach Andrews sir. “In this professional era, players would definitely want to earn more; this is the time for them to play and earn in a national level. They could not participate in the second divion I-League last season, and unsure about the coming season. So, I reckon this is a right decision.”

Andrews sir also adds, “Club management should look to it that their team is able to play the top-ranked national-level tournaments and ensure that their team conforms to the guidelines. Unfortunately, most of the city clubs are from the public sector, and public sector clubs functions unlike the other top-ranked football clubs”.

“Leaving HAL, I don’t see any team at par with the teams in the national scene. So you don’t really improve your game by only playing in the local league. When you go out, play in the national-level tournaments, you feel the difference, and then you raise your standard.”

HAL captain, Xaview VijayKumar opines that their team will not be weakened by the departure of these players. “We are in the process of making a good team for the coming season. Team management is working in tandem with the state and the district association to ensure our participation in the second division I-League, and I am sure we will be back with a bang in this season”.

“HAL football team is totally dependent on the sanctioned football budget. We can’t afford to pay high salary to the players, so they are bound to look for better growth.”

Asking about his own plans, Xavier says that he is very much a part of the HAL football team. “I am open to play for short stints, possibly on a loan, provided my club permits”. Xavier grins.

Football scene in Bangalore

If you thought that India’s success in clinching its maiden Nehru Gold Cup and qualifying for the Asian cup after a gap of 24 years has lifted the enthusiasm for football in the country, then you are completely wrong.

Football is still played in few areas in the country. And in those areas where the game is played, the local governing body finds it extremely difficult to run the show – sponsors, infrastructure, fighting between two governing bodies, you name it!

Amidst such a mess, you will still find few servants of the game working effortlessly nurturing talents. These rare breeds’ keeps a very low profile, stays away from murky politics of the game, and works with the sole aim to dish out football talents to the state and country.

One such rare breed is Bangalore-based C Thyaga Rajan, ex ITI footballer and Sri Kempe Gowda Awardee. He is running Sri Nandhan Football Coaching Camp for last 27 years.

But before I go on talking about him and his contribution towards the game, let’s understand Bangalore’s contribution in Indian football.

History
IT capital of India is no stranger to football. Olympians Raman, Kannaiah, Shanmugham, and J Anthony were part of the 1948 and 1952 Olympics football contingent. Arumainayagam who dominated the national scene in the sixties and Ulganathan in the seventies all belonged to this city. Not to forget Shanmuham Venkatesh, Carlton Chapman, Noel Wilson, R C Prakash, the list is endless.

The city used to host a top national-level tourney, Stafford Cup and the rivalry between the top teams Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would bring in many frenzied fans to the stadium. Alas, Stafford Cup is stopped for many years and ITI has closed their football team. No team from the city is competing in the 1st division I-League as HAL got relegated couple for years ago. Situation is more compounded when the public sector enterprises like NGEF, BEL, BHEL, BEML, ADA, ADE, HMT, and MEG have stopped recruitment in the sports quota.

Present
Its amazing to see how these cantonment areas in India has emerged to a melting pot of sports, especially in football. I could easily name two cities, Pune and Bangalore. You will always find a group of kids playing football in areas like Khadki and Ghorpadi in Pune. And how could you forget Bangalore’s Austin town, considered to be the nursery of Bangalore football. Right from the era of playing the game in bare feet to modern day, Austin Town has always produced quality players who have made our country proud.

If you happen to be in the city and by any chance visit Austin Town football ground, (better known as Nandan ground) during evenings, you will found group of kids practicing football under watchful eyes of an elderly gentleman. Well that’s Thyaga Rajan for you, tirelessly doing it since 1981.

Thyaga Rajan focuses on nurturing young talents and feels there are enough of such talents around Austin Town. Sadly, he points out that the city boasts of so many footballers of international repute, but seldom have they come out to train these kids.

These kids come from very poor background and can’t afford to buy their own kits. Putting his own money and sometimes taking help from his old students Thyaga Rajan continues his show. He encourages them to continue studies, as he says, “During my times, there were ITI and many other enterprises who would offer job to the footballers. Nowadays, it is impossible to get a job under sports quota, so it is very important be educated.”

“Until you make it to the top level, there is no financial security.” He urges that the IT should step forward to take up sponsorship.

For the recently concluded season, none of the Bangalore teams were seen participating in the I-League, not even in the second division.

HAL who was relegated from the first I-Leages dominates the local football scene. However, they missed the chance to participate in the second division, as they could not conform to the guidelines set by AFC and AIFF.

One has to understand the fact that most of the football teams in Bangalore are from the public sector. The public sector football teams functions in a different way, unlike the other privately managed football clubs. At times following the guidelines takes too long and by the time the formalities are completed, you have gone past the scheduled date.

This exactly happended with HAL and the football lovers of Bangalore were deprived of watching their team participatig in the national level.

Whats next…
Needless to say that there was a communication gap betteween AIFF and HAL management team in the last season. It seems that the HAL management team has leant from their previous mistakes. They are more careful this time and ensuring that all the formalities and the requirements are met in well advance. Also, the state body is ably supporting their cause.

The feud between the state and the district association that delayed last season’s local league is also sorted out. The football lovers of the garden city will be able to see their favorite teams’ game much early this time.

BiPaSa

In the context of the coming election when exercising electoral franchise, this is what a voter would look at:

BiPaSa - Bijli Paani Sadak

Nice acronym, alright.
JAI HO!

Height of multi-tasking!

Driving a car, breast-feeding her daughter, talking on her mobile phone, all together at the same time!

Am I missing anything?

Great goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj passes away

Arjuna awardee, great servant of Indian football, Peter Thangaraj passed away at the age of 73 on November 24 at Bokaro, Orissa. He is survided by his wife, son, and a daughter.

Thangaraj was ailing for quite some time. In his long illustrious career, he represented India in the 1956 and 1060 Olympics. Also, represented India in the three Asian Games, Tokyo in 1958, Jakarta in 1962, and Bangkok in 1966. He was the key member of the gold winning football team of the 1962 Asian Games.

Thangaraj came into notice when he played for the Services team. Later, donned colors of Md.Sporting, Mohun Bagan, and East Bengal at Kolkata. He played for Railways for more than a decade.

He represented the all Asian Star team and honored with the goal keeper of the millennium by East Bengal club.

HAL defeats Pune FC

It was a day to remember for the football fans of Bangalore. City giants HAL, defeated Pune FC, and entered the final rounds of the Federation Cup 2008. It was a combined effort of tight defence, operating midfield, and sharp attack to overcome the challenge of Pune FC.

HAL got the better of their opponent in every department the game. They dominated the proceeding right from the beginning. Veteran war horse, RC Prakash scored the most important goal in the 38th minute of the match. Local lad, RC Prakash, who is back to Bangalore after playing eight seasons for different clubs in Kolkata and Goa, started his career for ITI.

The combination of captain, Xavier Vijay Kumar and RC Prakash really played well and entertained the crowd. Pune FC tried hard to come back to the game with some goods work from hard working Kamal Thapa. Mid fielder, Asim Hassan tried some lovely long rangers, which missed the goal by a whisker.

Teams
HAL: 30-Amar Deb; 8- Xavier Vijay Kumar (90'+4', 15-Satish Jr), 6-Satish Kumar; 14-Rajendra Prasad; 9-Dada Nabeel; 18-Goutam Debnath; 17-RC Prakash (75', 7-Karthigayan); 2-Sumit Thapa; 4-Naveen Babu; 26-Joseph Femi Adeola; 10-Fredrik Okwagbe

Pune FC: 1-Balaji Narsimhan; 2-Othallo Tabia; 3-Caitano Costa; 4-Kamal Thapa; 6-S Venkatesh; 7-M Sudeesh (61', 18-Crispin Chettri) 8-Asim Hassan; 10-Jeje Lalpekhlwa; 15-Lalrojama (59' 9-Santa Kumar); 27-Chika Wali; 28-Gobin Sewaram (79' Sandesh Gadkari)

Yellow card: 85' Kamal Thapa

Referee: G Thambiraj
Assistant referee: Nazir Ahmad, Kamil

Du Talks

Out of the plethora of foreign football players playing in India, Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda, popularly known as Du has been one of the few who has carved a niche among the football lovers in the country. His commitment towards the game is highly regarded he is a very popular figure amongst his colleagues.
Du is presently in Bangalore and representing Salgaonkar in the Federation Cup qualifiers. Bumped onto him for an informal chat and our discussion wend on for an hour.

Q: So, Du how has been the journey so far in India?
Du: It has been good. Around four years ago, in this city I started my football in India. Played for HAL for 3-months. Later joined Mohun Bagan, played for more than two seasons, got injured, was out o action for a year, returned to Brazil, got recuperated, played few exhibition matches there to be match fit, and finally returned this season in India, and joined Salgaokar, Goa.

Q: Now the obvious question, you have played in both Kolkata and Goa, places where football is the most popular sports. What difference do you see?
Du: I knew this was coming (laughs). The most striking difference is pressure, which is enormous in Kolkata. When you play there, the officials, the supporters, everybody wants to win. When you go outside to play the exhibition matches, the officials would come and tell, “We must win this match”. Winning is good alright, and everybody wants to win. But, while doing this you are constant pressure for every moment and makes you very difficult to perform consistently.If you look at the present East Bengal team, they have so many national footballers in their rooster. Yet, they are not performing well, it is all because of pressure. We have to understand that we can't win each and every matches, there are good and bad days at the office. During bad times, you have to stay behind the players. I have nothing against the officials, they have always been good to me. It is high time that the Kolkata club officials/supporters change their mindset.
In Goa, though the people love and follow football, they don't come to the ground to cheer their team. We play in empty gallery for most of the matches. Exactly opposite in Kolkata, forget derby matches, even when a big team plays against a small team, the fans come in numbers.

Q: How is the Goa local league?
Du: Better, local club matches are competitive. There is not much difference between the I-League teams and the other teams. This Sesa team, who is also playing here in the Fed Cup qualifiers defeated many I-league teams in the local league.(Goa Football Association) GFA is professional. They delayed the local league from the middle to the end of the monsoon so that we get better grounds. Also, ground conditions are much better in Goa.

Q: You have played under several coaches in India, whom do you consider the best?
Du: It has to be Subhas Bhowmik, he is like a father figure! You will find him very strict at the ground, but when he is out of the pitch, he is just like any other friend. Joking, making fun, mixing freely with the players.Also, I cannot forget veteran Amol Dutta, he saved Mohun Bagan from difficult times.Other day I was reading a book written by a famous coach. He says about few basic thing that a coach is only successful when his players and the team is successful. And in order to achieve that coach must feel for the players and vice-versa. There should be no egoism here.

Q: Another aspect of you is your commitment towards the game. I can't forget the incident in the I-League 06 (that time NFL) away match against Salgaonkar, when you received marching orders but you stayed close to the field, you were not ready to head towards the players arena.
Du: Ohh, don't talk about the match, I wanted to go again to the field (laughs). I guess every Brazilians are committed towards the game and feels for the team. When you go inside, that's your life, you have to give your best shot.I am a professional footballer, I left my country, friends, relatives for the sake of money, I have to be committed towards my game.

Q: Who are the best Indian footballers to you?
Du: Forward: Sunil Chettri Midfielder: N P Pradeep Defender: Mahesh Gawli, though he is somewhat struggling due to injury. Also the other defender from Dempo is good. Goalkeeper: It was Subrata Pal sometime back, now I have to search for it! (laughs)

Q: What is up next?
Du: I like to take everything game-by-game. Presently, We need to play well in the Federation Cup and qualify for the main rounds.Hopefully, we will also play well and qualify for the 1st division I-League next year.I am with a 2-years contract with my present club, I would like to oblige that.Also, I am interested to go back to Kolkata should I get a good offer. Though there are many cons playing there, there are also many pros (laughs). I loved the fan following there, Whenever you go, people would recognize you, ask for autographs, take pictures, etc. That's an amazing experience, I will cherish for life! There's nothing like that in Goa, I've almost lost the touch for giving autographs here (laughs)!

Q: Du, thanks for talking to Indianfootball.com, wish you very best for your future endeavors!
Du: My pleasure and take care!

Salgaonkar through to the next round

Salgaonkar overcame the challenge of BEML and entered the final ofpreliminary round. Enjoying the home support, the local outfit BEMLstarted well by taking a lead with Prakash's goal. Salgaonkar cameback strongly after conceding the goal. The equalizer, an outcome ofexcellent one touch football by the center-half and the forwards,fooled BEML's defence, and finally Bijen Singh netted the ball to thegoal.

BEML exerted pressure at the begining of the of the second half.Winger Gopi mand some excellent moves with many goal-mouth centers.Jotin Singh's powerful shot was saved by keeper Moraes in the 55thminutes. Coach Bhowmik made a clever move, by replacing tired Bungo Singh with Anthoy. The winner for Salgaonkar came in the 59th minute,Bijen Singh's powerful center addressed to Antony, and striker IvenD'Silva made no mistake to place Antony's cross to the goal. IvenD'Silva later displayed some amazing touches and missed a sitter in84th minute.

Team
Salgaonkar: 31-Moares; 28-Du; 8-Agnelo Colaso; 18-Denzil Franco;17-Biju Kumar; 7-Bungo Singh (57', 9-Anthony); 30-Francis (84',14-Jerosu); 16-Bijen Singh; 10-Iven Da'Silva (90+2', 11-Anil Kumar);27-Beevan Demello; 32-Cajetn F
BEML: 22-Rajan; 2-Ricky Joy; 3-Shivamani; 4-Obinna Winners; 9-Prakash;7-Gopi; 6-Md. Dadakhalandar; 8-Sanath Kumar; 10-Jotin Singh (66'15-Govinda); 11-Samuel Jackson; 17-Deepak (78', 13-Wilfred);
Yellow cards:
Salgaonkar: Francis, Bijen Singh
BEML: Obinna Winners, Gopi, Jotin Singh, Wilfred

Refree: Thambiraj
Assistant Refree: Amjad Khan, Nazir Ahmad

BEML beats Indian Bank, through to the next round

A spirited display of attacking football in the second half ensured local outfit, BEML to go through to the semi final of the Federation Cup 2008 group A qualifier.
The first half proved to be a dull affair with both the teams tried to gain lead by taking futile long rangers. However, the last minute of the first half, almost proved fatal for Indian Bank when a valiant move from BEML import, Samuel Jackson, who passed the ball to Ramana Kumar, and Ramana's shot only found the woodwork.
The second half belonged to BEML as they displayed attacking football right from the start. Orchestrated by Samuel Jackson, BEML made repeated attempts to the goalmouth but failed to convert one. It was only in the 65th minute, when the opportunistic Md. Dadakhalandar scored the opener. Two minutes later, another goal from Gopi sealed the game for BEML. Bankmen tried hard to come back into the game in the dying moments, but in vain.
BEML will meet Salgaocar Sports Club on Saturday, November 22
Teams:
BEML, Bangalore: 22-Rajan; 2-Ricky Joy (81', 15-Govinda); 3-Shivamani; 4-Obinna Winners; 9-Prakash; 7-Gopi (87', 12-Wilfred); 6-Md. Khalandar; 8-Sanath Kumar; 14-Tiken Singh; 10-Jotin Singh; 11-Samuel Jackson
Indian Bank, Chennai: 30-Udayshankar; 2-Prathiban; 21-Ignatius Sanga Satish; 19-Hemanta Singh; 16-Bengkok Nameirakpam; 8-Gunasekhar; 5-Manikandan (70', 14-Rocky Philem); 9-David (89', 24-Kartikayan); 6-Nirmal Kumar (80', 3-Rajasekhar); 10-Elamueragan; 7-Fredy
Refree: Amjad Khan
Assistants refree: Md. Kamil, Nazir Ahmad

Football action returns to Bangalore

There is some good news for the football lovers in Bangalore. After making news for all sorts of wrong reasons, the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) league is going all set to start in December.

But before that the soccer fans would witness some national-level football action when the top clubs lock horns for the 30th Federation Cup qualifier. Bangalore Football Stadium will host the qualifying matches for Group A and B from November 20 to 28.

Issuing a press release on Tuesday, the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) general secretary, Krishna Narayana stated that the state association is apparently trying hard to kick-start the football activity.

The release further stated that the office of the newly constituted BDFA committee met the KSFA officials to discuss the BDFA league including Super, A, B, and C divisions scheduled to commence from December.

Meanwhile, Krishna Narayana also said that the new committee headed by M P Swamy will meet shortly and KSFA has assured full support.

KSFA announced that football activities in the state would kick-start with the inter-district football tournament to be held in Mangalore from Nov. 13-18.

Cheers to Chhang!

Must be the first week of May when we were traveling to Sikkim. Enroute to Yungtham, we stayed over at Lachung. It was around 7-ish in the evening, pitch dark, came out of the hotel for a stroll.
Quite amazed to see how a shack-like shop could stock foreign liquors. Out of curiosity, peeped inside the shop, saw a middle-aged cop happily sipping-in a drink from a bamboo glass.

I knew what to do... Ordered one for myself and started talking to the cop, employed in Indo-Bhutan police. Later, the lady owner and her husband joined the conversation. Came to know that the drink, named Chhang or Thumba, is a local-brewed millet beer, and traditionally served in bamboo glass with a wooden straw.

Took few pictures on my cell-phone camera, but alas, lost my it while returning from Tukla.

It was an amazing experience to see, taste, and feel the unofficial state drink of Sikkim.

Photo courtesy: Anindita Sarbadhikary

Hello world, I’m WFH!

I am whistling, opps working from home (WFH)! My wish of composing a mail with the similar subject line is soon going to be a reality.

A small one-liner, not-so-important mail means a lot to me. Sounds funny, huh! Lest I get emotional, you need to read this story…
It all started more than a year ago, when the bumpy roads of Pune affected my lower back. Orthopedic surgeon got scared after knowing the fact that I drive 10 miles daily to work and consulted me to go for an MRI scan.

Next is what? Stuck in acute pain, I applied for WFH option. Looking at the response from the HR department, I felt I’ve seriously done something wrong.

Like a true government organization (hey, did you hear BrinhanMumbai Municipal Corporation - BMC) WFH option starts from a certain band, and poor me, I didn’t fall under that category.

However, the HR department did advise me to take necessary medical test and get it certified by the company-appointed doctor, and the doctor has the final say. Spend 6K for an MRI scan and the scan report suggested that I should refrain from driving such a long distance.

However, the MRI report didn’t satisfy the doctor to give me a go. Rather, he resorted to a holistic approach and started explaining me all the possible means and methods of getting rid of this pain. It took no time to understand he’s parroting management’s view, perhaps in a different way.

So my wish to WFH dashed into the yard, and I continued commuting to work with pain. Hopes revived when my director who came from US to Pune for a business trip and promised to take this matter to the authorities. However, that didn’t yield any different result.
Cut to June 2008, new job, new location. My employer, Big Blue, values a lot when it comes to wasting time on beating long city traffic, and encourages WFH.

Now, broadband connection is up and running (BSNL, thanks), can get connected to the office networks, and all set to sent the mail.

Hello world...