MY MEMORIES WITH BHAICHUNG BHUTIA

There are millions of football fans in this world and I am also one of them and I am of proud that. Football for me is more than just a game. It’s like a feeling and Indian football, well I can talk and talk about it and bore people around me. But today I would like to talk about a player who has taken Indian Football to the next level single handedly and is still going strong and whenever he is on the field he has never bored us. Even people who don’t follow football knows his name.

You might have already guessed who I am talking about. Yes its none other than Bhaichung Bhutia whom I call Agya (means brother in Bhutia dialect).He was my senior in school,Tashi Namgyal Academy, Gangtok and he was already a Hero in our school as he had achieved so much success at a very young age- getting selected for the School Federation camp, being the best player in the 1992 Subroto Cup, getting a call up for the India Under-16 team and he used to play for the number one team in Sikkim called the Boys Club. This is my most early memories of Agya Bhaichung in School, I can remember me and my friends running around him and trying to talk with him at school.Oneday I guess it was during lunch break we had gone up to the ground and Agya came out of the Hostel which is perched just above the ground and a group of us got excited and asked him in nepali (Note- TNA is and English medium school but back in the days Nepali used to be the first language, I guess barring the teachers nobody spoke in English)  Agya kata janu bhako? Agya wher are u going? He looked at us smiled and replied with a hindi song -Main toh chala jidhar chalay rasta- I am going where the road goes.Nowdays I have not seen his lighter side that much but I am sure his boyish sense of humor is still intact. As I see him making comments on the photographs of his friends on facebook and they are most of the times funny.

The next episode I remember about Agya is a match during the All India Governor’s Gold Cup Football Tournament in Gangtok ,which bagged him his first professional  Contract  with the East Bengal Club. The year was 1992 and I had gone down to the Paljor Stadium with my Grandfather to watch the Semi-Final match between Sikkim Football Association (Blue) and Mohun Bagan AC.My grandfather was a big football fan and was a decent player during his younger days. Now coming back to the match. The atmosphere was electrifying and the stadium was full as after many years a local side had reached the quarter finals.Agya playing for SFA (Blue) had a wonderful game. Now I understand that he didn’t play as an out and out striker like he does today but as an Attacking Midfielder. He was running,sliding,winning the balls, making runs into the Mohun Bagan half and I recall here that he gave a very tough time to one of the Mohun Bagan defender. If I am not mistaken he was an African player named Christopher.Mohun Bagan scored an early goal and SFA although they tried their best could not score the equalizer in the first half but in the second half SFA got a free at the edge of the box, If my memory is not failing me here I guess Agya had won that free kick .Devendra Gurung another good player from our school stepped in to take the free kick.All the spectators were waiting in anticipation that he’ll score and that’s what he did. He took an in swinging shot, practical example would be like that of David Beckam.The ball curled in and the Mohun Bagan goalkeeper had no chance. The whole stadium erupted in Joy and I remember hugging my grandfather. But the joy was short lived as Mohun Bagan scored later and SFA’s run in the Gold Cup ended. But another story of Bhaichung Bhutia was about to begin,A star was born that day.I still remember my Grandfather telling me after the match-tero Dhaichung lay pura naam kamaocha,bahut ramro khelda raicha-your Dhaichung will earn a lot name he is a very good player. it’s funny he used to pronounce Bhaichung as Dhaichung.

Now my memory jogs back to that school assembly which was like a farewell for Agya.Within a year everything was finalized with East Bengal and he was ready to leave his beloved Tashi Namgyal Academy. The assembly was held at the football ground that day instead of the Auditorium. Quite symbolic as one of its best footballer was leaving the School and the Assembly was held at that very ground where he trained and played the matches. After the school song Agya was invited by the Principal to share his thoughts with the students. I don’t exactly remember what he said but it was a short speech in the lines of “I will miss the school”- he was looking very sad and downcast. May be I was too young, I did not go up to him and wish him luck and watched others doing that. But in my mind I did that. After he went down to Kolkata our school’s notice board would have the paper cutting’s of his matches and we used to read those with interest. Even I pasted some of those and we all used to feel proud about his achievements. After Agya established himself at East Bengal the paper cutting’s at notice board  got fewer and fewer as he used to hit the headlines almost every match and I guess every student of TNA or for that matter whole of Sikkim was aware of what he was doing simply put he had become a Star now and his paper cuttings on the notice board was I guess no more needed.

By 1997 Agya had become a big star of Indian football. I was also with my School Under-14 team and we were playing in a junior tournament at Gangtok .We had reached the finals and to our joy we heard that the Chief Guest will be Bhaichung Bhutia.The day came and  we went down to the Paljor Stadium for the Final match. The Captain of the team had asked us to put on crab bandages and as that was for the first time I had used those. I put it up very tightly. I could feel my foot going numb as we were moving towards the ground in our school bus. By the time we reached the stadium the numbness had lead to pain. We got off the bus and all my teammates trooped in for the warm up and I was there in the corner removing the carb bandages from both my foot. Agya had also arrived by that time and the coach after shaking his hands shouted at me-What are you doing? Hurry up. To which I replied Sir- My blood circulation has stopped due to the crab Bandage.Agya found that funny smiled at me and said- Bhai ko blood circulation baadh bhayo haray? I gave him a nervous smile. That was for the very first time he had directly talked with me. Then during the photo session I tried my best to stand next to Agya and succeeded (I still have that photograph) after that we went in, won the match and got certificates signed by the man himself Bhaichung Bhutia.I also remember giving a tough time to my Mum after the finals going around Lal Bazar looking for the same kind of shirt that Agya was wearing. I succeeded but got a poor replica of that.

Then in 1999 Agya went to England after he got a contact with Bury FC.I guess he had come back to Sikkim during off-season. Whenever he is in Sikkim he makes it a point to visit his Alma Mater and sometimes even trained with the school team boys. That year he was taken around the different classes in School and he interacted with the Students. He came to our class too followed by some teachers. We all got up when he entered and he smiled and gestured us to sit down. We sat and one of the teacher told us to ask questions to him. Nobody had any question understandably we were all nervous. Some of the boys nagged me on to ask something. So I got up nervously and asked him-How much do you earn in England? Of all the questions I came up with that silly question. Later on I found out how closely guarded secret is a professional player’s earning in India. But Agya smiled back and said- I get around 1000 pounds per week and things are very expensive there and I can’t save that much. I am not sure whether he told me that in lighter vein but it would have been quite an achievement if I was a journalist to get that information out of him.Soon our date with the Star was over. He was ushered into the next class.

I am not sure weather it was during that visit or the next he also played a game with the School team. Even the ESPN crew had travelled with him that time to make a package on him. The coach informed us that he will be playing and we all got really excited.Agya’s team consisted of all the Ex players of TNA and there was lot of excitement in School as football is really big in our school. After lunch classes were cancelled and all the students turned up for the match. I was not in the starting eleven but in the second half the coach pointed at me and asked me to warm up. I got really excited and started the session then the coach called me and within no time I was in the ground playing against Bhaichung Bhutia!.A sort of dream come true kind of feeling hit me.I played in the midfield and I must say here though it was a friendly game Agya was not taking it lightly. I saw from the close range the way he runs with ball, blowing the air out from his mouth. When he makes those runs I am sure he sends a chill down the defenders spine. It did more than that to me. Then I suddenly found myself face to face with the man. He took the ball in the midfield and I went in from Behind to tackle him. He went for a sharp turn and tried to put the ball between my legs but I didn’t allow that to happen although he won the ball which is obvious ,he gave a disappointed grin after passing the ball and I was just happy that I did not allow him to put the ball between my legs. I don’t exactly remember the shoreline but Agya’s team won the match. After the referee blew the final whistle a funny incident happened. I went up to shake hands with Agya and said the words which I still find embarrassing and funny “well played” and nearly patted his back as if I was the senior player. Funny things happen when your nervous. I still have those nervous break downs whenever I meet Agya.Years later I got an opportunity and narrated that incident to him but he didn’t seem to remember it.  

I completed my schooling and decided on Kolkata to do my further studies and It was in Kolkata I got a chance to come in touch with Agya in a more personal way. My first encounter with Agya in Kolkata was during my stint as the Sport Secretary of Sikkim Student Association. We had gone over to East Bengal Club to hand over an invitation letter for the North East Sports meet which we were hosting  that year. After training he came out and greeted all of us we just stood there with our President doing all the talking. He thanked us for the Invite and dropped in to watch our football match and We lost in front of him. The meet is held over five days so he again came and this time unannounced. We were all caught off guard. He went straight to the basketball courts where the match was on. We had no chairs so I quickly arranged for one and took it for him. But he said just leave it-how can I sit when all the other people are standing. Just one example of his humbleness. Then after I joined Zee Sports our encounters became quite frequent and Agya got a grip of my name and started to know me better.

After I was removed from Zee Sports It was Agya who came to my rescue and gave me an employment with Football Players Association of India which he is heading as the President. It was a pleasure working under Agya who never lost his cool on me even when I made some big mistakes but he used to tell jokingly-Administrative work is not your forte. When I decided to move on from FPAI he supported my decision and wished me luck.When he became a father of two beautiful twins. I got a text from him saying “We were today blessed with two beautiful twins” to which I had quickly replied. I forgot my exact words and months later on a personal visit I got a chance to see his cute and beautiful daughter-Keisha Dolma.

I think I might go on writing about him so I will have to stop here. In the end I would like to add a few more lines, Bhaichung Bhutia’s game never stops to inspire me and I consider myself fortunate that a legend like him knows me by my name.His humbleness has also touched me likes millions of his other fans. He is still the same Agya I know from my school days. I wish him all the luck in life and in football where he will be going to play in Asian Cup next year and I hope I will have many more memories with the Man and again I would be able the jot down more lines about him.