Arindam:- Here is the list of 12 players. Just go through it.
Santosh:- Hmm…let me see the list. The names of the 12 players are: - Gosthopal, Manna, Chuni, Habib, Iliyas, Krishnendu, Pradip, Thapa, Manohar, Haradhan, Sujoy and Bhunia. Ok, now tell me briefly about each of them, to get a rough idea about them before starting the football training.
Arindam:- Rough idea about them! Ok, let me try. Gosthopal is the best sprinter of Sutanuti. Manna is good in high jumps. Manna is a good singer and also displays his acrobatic skills in the ‘Shib-er-Gajan’ festival of Sutanuti. Chuni is expert in marathon race and he has so much stamina that he can even run on the streets for 3 hours without stopping for a second. Habib is a son of a butcher. His father was killed in the communal riot during the Bengal partition. At present, Habib looks after that meat shop in Karimganj village. Habib is the No.1 wrestler of Sutanuti. He can throw away a person with his one hand only. Iliyas is the son of the maulvi of the mosque in Selimabad village. Iliyas is not only good in wrestling but also in kick boxing. Krishnendu is the best stick swinger (lathial). He can even block a knife thrown at him by swinging his sticks. His eyes are very sharp. Pradip is good at long jumps and relay races. Thapa hails from a poor family of North Bengal. His father came to Calcutta in search of a job, but later settled down in Sutanuti as a poor farmer only. Thapa is good at climbing rocky cliffs and trees. He is good at sack races and hurdles. Thapa also has a terrific stamina like Chuni. Manohar is the best body builder of Sutanuti. Even the British Police officers once asked him, ‘Hey, Manohar, what do you eat daily? Your body is a piece of art.’ Manohar cannot run faster but no one has ever been able to beat him in the ‘tug-of war’ games. He has a record of pulling a rope singlehandedly beyond the target, where 10 men were pulling the rope from the other side. Haradhan is a lanky guy but surprisingly has lots of strength in his body. He has a record of eating 150 rasogollas in a ‘Bou-Bhath’ (Bengali wedding) ceremony. He is a good swimmer and a diver too. He can stay under the water of a pond for 2 minutes without using any oxygen mask. Sujoy is the fastest swimmer of Sutanuti. He can cross a big pond within 2-3 minutes. Bhunia is the laziest boy of Sutanuti but whenever he becomes excited to do any work, he does it much faster than anyone. His father is a fisherman. Even he is also a fisherman. He can even catch fish by diving under the river waters. I don’t know how he does that but that’s a talent he possesses. He can dive in the river in any style. He loves to dive with many poses. That is his time-pass, he he he…
Santosh:- Ok, all the guys are physically fit to play football. But, I told you to include best persons from all the games that are played in the Annual sports of Sutanuti. You have not taken any best player from the Kabaddi games.
Arindam:- Oh! I forgot to consider the game of Kabaddi. Anyway, you have got 12 players. That is enough for you, right!
Santosh:- Ha ha ha…I think that you are scared of the game of football. That’s why; you are trying to escape from me.
Arindam:- Sorry! What are you trying to say?
Santosh:- Boss, I am a lawyer. Before taking any case, I am bound to do a detailed study about it. I have collected the lists of all the activities that took place in the Annual Sports of Sutanuti last year. You were the captain of the Kabaddi Team of Jairampur village and Radhanath was the captain of the Kabaddi Team of Bhaduribagan village. The final match was between Jairampur and Bhadiuribagan. You had the last laugh.
Arindam:- Ha ha ha…yeah, it was a very tough competition, though we won it by 5 points.
Santosh:- You and Radhanath are also in my team. But, I will keep Radhanath Bhunia and you in the reserve bench. If anyone gets injured in the main team, then only you will get the chance to play.
Arindam:- As you wish! Ultimately, our team has to win all the matches. I will be happy to sit in the reserve bench of a winning team rather than playing matches for a losing team.
Santosh:- Day after tomorrow, just bring all these 13 guys with you at the Bhaduri Bungalow at 3.30 PM. Mr. Richards will be coming on that day to inspect our club. Don’t be late to reach there.
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Richards:- My goodness! Your estate is very big. In the middle of your garden, there is a large ground, ha ha ha…Good, good…so; here your boys will practice football. That’s great. You have really maintained your garden well.
Bhaduri Babu:- Actually, this garden was created by my grandfather Mohandas. Many of the big trees that you are seeing in and around the garden were planted by my grandfather only. The small club house that you are seeing now was at that time a stable only. My grandfather had two horses. Every day, he used to roam around the village while riding on either of those horses. I was a little kid, when he died. After his death, all the horses were sold by my father. After that, no one domesticated any horses here. So, I transformed this stable into a small club house. This part of the garden is named after my grandfather’s name only.
Richards:- Yeah, yeah, that I can make out from the name written on that signboard. The name of this part of the garden is ‘Mohan Bagan’ and your grandfather’s name was Mohandas Bhaduri. Ok, I am totally satisfied. You just have to deposit the registration money within a week. Accha, let me give you the tentative fixtures of your matches. On the 3rd Monday of next to next month, you have a match against ‘Mysore Masters’ at the ‘Midnapore Town Football Ground’ and on the 4th Friday of the next to next month, you have a match against ‘Himachal Hulks’ at the ‘Tamluk Army Field’. EICFF will not bear the expense of travelling to and fro in this case.
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Houghton:- Hello! Roland, what is going on, in Sutanuti now?
Roland:- Everything is going fine, Sir. Why? What happened?
Houghton:- Recently, I came to know from a Bengali person that yesterday a Bengali article has been published in the ‘Amritbazar Patrika’ newspaper, where it was written that some Bengalis of Sutanuti have created the first Indian football club on Indian soil. Even it was written in the article that those Indian footballers are ready to take up any challenge and are very much confident to win the ‘Queen Elizabeth Diamond Cup’ tournament of this year.
Roland:- Ha ha ha…Sir, I know that today is 1st April. Therefore, don’t try to fool me. Who is that writer who has written all those craps in that Bengali daily newspaper?
Houghton:- Hey, Roland, I am your boss. I remain busier than you throughout the day. I don’t have ample leisure time to do all these jokes with you.
Roland:- Oops! Sorry, Sir! I was not meaning that way.
Houghton:- Take this matter seriously. If this football team wins the tournament, then that victory will not remain confined to football grounds only. Probably, you are not as experienced as me; that’s why, you are not able to see the bigger picture of it. Do anything, but, this team should not win this tournament at any cost. That’s an order. If they win the tournament, then I will transfer you from Sutanuti. It is as simple as that. By the way, you wanted to know the name of the writer, right? His name is Arindam. Now, do whatever is needed to be done in this regard.
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Santosh:- Guys, our club has got registered with the EICFF. We have only 40 days in our hand to learn the game of football. We will start our training from tomorrow. I want to see everyone at this ‘Mohan Bagan’ ground everyday sharp at 3.30 PM. Remember, one thing; that we are going to play football for our Bengali pride and prestige. We have to prove to the British people that Indians can also play football. Therefore, as a coach, I will not force you to learn football, but you people will force me to make you learn football. Don’t hesitate to ask me even a silly question about football. Sometimes, silly questions have intelligent answers, which will ultimately help us to formulate new strategies. So, go back home now. See you all tomorrow.
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