Nirmal Chettri- Way to Go Boy!

A proud moment for the entire country a few days back when India lifted the SAFF CUP at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Football is a team sport so the credit for the victory should go to all the team members but I just can’t help mentioning Nirmal Chettri’s name here. This boy from the hills of Sikkim, whom I had seen for the very first time at Gangtok during the SAARC Inter Academy Football Tournament in 2005 and again in the Governor’s Gold Cup,2006 both the times playing for the Sports Academy of Sikkim has shown to all the aspiring young footballers from this part of the country that if you dream big and compensate that will hard work and discipline you can reach your target.

I have known Nirmal for quite a few years now and he has always proved to be a nice human being whenever I have got the opportunity to meet him, humble and down to earth, may be this attitude of his has helped him achieve so much at such a young age. Our last meeting was at Kalimpong in July when he had visited this place on an invitation from the Kalimpong Sports Association as the special guest for one of the matches played at the Sahid Cup. Humble person he is as soon as he reached Kalimpong he had given me a call and we met up at one of the Coffee shops. Though Nirmal doesn’t like to talk too much about football when he is away from the game, I always take the conversation towards that topic. We chatted for almost an hour and I still remember talking about his chances of making it to the India senior side. I had always believed that Nirmal could fit into the Senior team and I had told him then “Bro you can get that blue jersey very soon” to which he had just nodded with a smile. Now Nirmal is a Senior International player.

One good virtue of Nirmal as a footballer, I feel is that he can adjust in any role. He had started off as a striker when he was a kid, then moved to mid-field and finally settled as a stopper when he joined Air India, Now in the SAFF CUP he was used as a full back. This role was not new to him as he had already played many games for East Bengal in that position. A lesson for every young footballer that you should be comfortable playing in at least one other positions along with your preferred role.

Now Nirmal has started another phase of his career as an international footballer and I am sure he’ll keep on playing well and win even more trophies with the National team. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch him play till now. From his Academy days (when I had not even know his name and had remarked to a friend “That Stopper Guy is a wonderful player”) later I had found out it was Nirmal Chettri. Now I know a lot more about Nirmal and even the whole country knows. This Boy from Melli a small town of Sikkim bordering West Bengal has indeed announced his arrival in International football and I wish him all the very best for this new journey of his. Go on Nirmal there is more for you to achieve.

Heros Remembered

Kalimpong has found a fitting way to pay tribute to its sporting heroes of yesteryears,mostly Footballers by organising a football tournament in memory of Late Pem Dorjee and Late B B Pradhan both great players of their respective times.

Pem Dorjee (Nilu) as we all know was a talented stopper of his times and went on to Captian the National Team.Born at Gangtok in the year 1958,he did his schooling from Kalimpong.He played for almost all the big clubs of the country and earned respect and love of the people where-ever he went and played.He had started his footballing journey in Kalimpong playing for his school team Scottish Universities’ Mission Institution (SUMI) and later on he moved to Sikkim and settled there.Pem Dorjee passed away in the year 2001 after prolonged fight with Cancer.B B Pradhan was also a wonderful player of his times and started his career with Kumudini Homes School and went on to play for the Bhutan National team.

Kalimpong Veterans Club is Organising this “Veterans Football Tournament 2011” where 19 Veterans team from across the region including the neighbouring countries of Nepal,Bhutan and Bangalesh is taking part.Eligibility for players to participate in this tournament is that they should be above 45 years of age.

The tournament kicked-off yesterday at Mela Ground, with the first two games taking place.In the first match Darjeeling defeated Namchi in the penalties whereas in the second games Zongri (Sikkim) defeated Jalpaiguri (which had 2 former East Bengal players) 3-2.

The Chief Guest for the opening function was the former Minister of Sikkim Mr Thukchuk Lachungpa who spent is student days in Kalimpong attending Scottish Universities’ Mission Institution.

The tag line for the tournament reads “Heros of Kalimpong,lest we forget” and I stand by that as we can never forget this people who have given so much to Kalimpong by there sporting acheivements and made Kalimpong known to other people across the country.I saw photographs of so many great players of yesteryears at Mela Ground and I was touched.They were the people whos foot-steps the present day footballers of Kalimpong following.Though many us till today were not aware of them but through this tournament we have became aware how rich our town was with regards to the tradition of football and how many talented players Kalimpong had produced in its more than 100 years of Football History.I can’t help saluting all those players whos memories lives on till today.

Information Courtesy- Gyaltshen Dorjee Moktan and the Kalimpong Veterans Club

Thank You Bhaichung!

A few days back when I was flipping through the channels. I happened to catch a sound bite of Bhaichung Bhutia which I thought was another promotional he was attending but a few seconds later the anchor confirmed that Bhaichung has decided to quit International football. Initially I could not believe it but as I looked back into his career for the last year or so I could find some logic in his decision. Although as his fan I had wanted him to play till eternity but Bhaichung is also human and the nagging injury got the better of him and we have to respect his decision. He has created a big void which will be difficult to fill.

Bhaichung Bhutia as we all know was born in a small hamlet called Tinkitam in South Sikkim, this place does not even have a decent playing field. After spending his initial years in Tinkitam Bhaichung joined a boarding school called St Xaviers in Pakyoung where his football career started taking shape and he was selected by the Sports Authority of India and admitted in Tashi Namgyal Academy a premier Public School of Sikkim, I am also an alumni of this school and it was here where I saw Bhaichung Bhutia for the first time way back in the year 1991 when I was in standard one. It’s been so many years now and my memory is vague but I remember Bhaichung playing for the school team. Then in 1992 Tashi Namgyal Academy played in the Subrato Cup and reached the quarter finals and Bhaichung bagged the Best player of the tournament award which showed he was destined for greatness. He was called for the India under-16 camp got selected but had to withdraw due to some personal reasons. This was a setback but Bhaichung came back stronger and gave a wonderful performance in the All India Governor’s Gold Cup in the same year and was spotted by Bhaskar Ganguly who took him to East Bengal and the rest they say is history.

He spent sixteen years with the National team, winning the AFC Challenge Cup 2008 which gave India a chance to play in the Asian Cup 2011.On the personal front Bhaichung has 109 appearances for India scoring 43 goals. He also helped India win the Nehru Cup in 2007 and 09 and has four SAAF Cup winners medal in his trophy cabinet.

Well I wonder what else to write as so much has already been written and said about this footballing legend of our times who has singlehandedly given Indian football a new direction and hope. Now Bhaichung plans to dedicate himself fully towards his own creation, United Sikkim Football Club and also keep playing for the team. Bhaichung has truly been an inspiration to a generation of footballers and I am sure he will keep doing so in future as well. Many are saying that this is an end but I say this is a beginning of another chapter in Bhaichung Bhutia’s amazing life!

Future Star!

         Asif in the middle,second row (Orange Jersey) representing Apex FC,Kalimpong

It’s been a very longtime since Kalimpong gave birth to a footballer of national repute. After Pem Dorjee and Jerry Basi the supply chain of players seemed to have dried up. There can be many factors for this, let me not get into that but focus on the positive side of Kalimpong football. The beautiful game thrives in this beautiful hill town and over two months of my stay here I have seen many talented young players. One of those is certain Asif Ahmed Ansari, a young and very talented goalkeeper. Asif was born and brought up in Kalimpong and used to love playing cricket when he was a kid. But one day at Mela ground this young boy suddenly turned into a footballer. Asif was playing cricket at the ground just beside a group of school level footballers. The coach was giving instructions to his goalkeepers about diving and at the very moment Asif who was fielding at point took a stunning catch diving full length towards his right. The football coach saw that and called him, Asif went towards him hesitantly the coach instructed him to stand in front of his goalkeepers took a ball and asked Asif to dive and catch it. Asif did what he was told to do and coach patted his back and told his goalkeepers that what they just saw was the perfect way to dive.

After that incident Asif slowly started lining towards football. Got into the school team and Asif the cricketer changed into Asif the footballer, He was in standard seven back then. Though he started playing football bit late, Asif proved to be a quick learner and adjusted to football in no time. Asif liked cricket but football was his calling and later on in life he found out that his grandfather, Badruddin Ahmed was also a very well known goalkeeper of the 1950’s and 60’s,who had even represented the Bhutan National team.He is proud of his Grandfather and is happy today that he choose football over cricket.

When Asif was in standard ten he got a wonderful opportunity as he was selected to attend Mohun Bagan Sail football Academy at Durgapur, but due to the board examination he had to return back to Kalimpong just in three months. Asif was disappointed but learned a lot during that period and also got the compliment which he remembers till date. The head coach at the Academy Jahar Das had told him that if he keeps working hard he will play for the national team one day. Those words still inspires Asif.

Asif also represented his school team, Scottish Universities Mission Institution (SUMI) in the BC Roy Trophy, premier School level tournament of West Bengal; winners of this tournament get direct entry into the Subrato Cup. For three consecutive years Asif went for the BC Roy trophy and in the last year he captained the team.

In the year 2007-08 Asif won consecutive player of the tournament award in the Inter School football tournament. After passing out of school in 2009 Asif started playing for the Kalimpong Football Academy team and his talent was quickly noticed by the Denzong Boys FC. He played for the team in the ONGC Cup which was held in Tripura and after three months Asif got an opportunity to play in the second division I-League qualifiers. He featured in the all the matches and gave some good performances but none of the Big Clubs noticed him so he had to return back to his home town but with age on his side Asif can go a long way.

After coming back to Kalimpong he joined a local team called Apex Football Club this year where most of his team-mates are his good friends. He has helped the team qualify for the finals of the Kalimpong league which is due to take place in a few days time and the 2^nd of August Asif by his own admission lived the most memorable day of this life as Apex FC won the prestigious Sahid Cup Football tournament. This was for the first time in the history of this tournament a home side had ended up as winners. Asif had to take two trophies home as he was also awarded the player of the tournament award. He truly deserved that because he had made some outrageous saves in the three matches that the team played.

Asif harbors a dream of playing for one the Big Clubs of the country one day. At the same time he laments that there is no support system for the players in this part of the world but he remains positive and keeps working hard. Asif knows the road ahead is tough and there will be challenges but he believes in trying. So will Asif be able to fill that vacuum of Kalimpong not producing players of national repute? I say yes. Rest the time will tell.

GVS Football Academy-Future Hope

Sikkim State League(S-League 2^nd Division) is on at the moment in Paljor Stadium, Gangtok with twelve teams participating from across the state and the team which caught my fancy is the Gram Vikash Sangathan Football Academy. Gram Vikash Sangathan is actually an NGO based at Central Pendam which falls in East District which floated its own Academy in 2008 as an extension to the host of other social welfare activities it conducts.

The President of this organization is Gangaram Guragai and the manager is Karma Jigmee Bhutia who informed that the GVS football Academy was started in February 2008.It was an initiative by a group of like minded individuals and today they have 25 students selected from the rural areas of Sikkim during the winter camps they used to organize every year. All these 25 boys study at Cental Pendam Senior Secondary School and practice at the school ground which has been provided to GVSFA by the School management. Their intention when they started off was  just to attract kids towards football but due to the positive response from the kids, parents and GVS they decided to go ahead with the Academy.

The GVSFA’s technical team is headed by two coaches Michael Lepcha and Bharat Tamang,both of this gentleman are Santosh Trophy players and have deep passion towards the game. These boys train under the watchful eyes of the two coaches every morning and afternoon. The Academy also provides these boys with decent accommodation and food. The Cental Pendam Senior Secondary school has been very supportive towards GVSFA by providing them the school ground and the recruits also are given direct admission into the school.

After three winters of coaching these boys have shaped up well and are currently participating in the S-League second division which shows that the efforts of collective labor is bearing fruits slowly. The GVSFA boys had a bright start in the second division when they won the 3-0 against Lower Arithang FC but lost 1-4 against physically superior FC United FC Jorethang. But GVSFA is still a work in progress and in future we can surely expect these boys to rise up and play for the big clubs of the country.

The coach Michael Lepcha explained the situation saying that these boys are still young and lack match experience and are under 16 years of age. They have not played many competitive matches and now they are playing in the second division State League the coach further added that the boys will learn and grow after every match.

Michael Lepcha is a Sports teacher in Sajong Junior High School, 1 km away from Central Pendam and holds a Diploma in Football Coaching from SAI Centre in Kolkata. He is a very well known name in the Sikkim football circles and was a wonderful Right Winger in his playing days. He got associated with GVSFA this year after joining GVSFA and is determined to turn these boys into good footballers in future.

The GVSFA plans to give all their support to these boys and also provide them with a launch pad through which they can go on and play for the big clubs. These boys have been divided into two age groups U-14 and U-16 to give them proper attention during training. The later group of boys is currently representing GVSFA in the second division S-League. The parents of these students have also been very cooperative and helpful as they pay Rs 1100 per month as a fee without any complains and the rest of the expense is taken care by the GVSFA which comes to around Rs 2200 per player.

Gram Vikash Sangathan Football Academy has given a new hope to football in Sikkim and it’s a joy to watch these boys taking on stronger opponents during there matches.I am sure many boys from this Academy will go on and play for the big Clubs of the country in Future and many more Bhaichungs,Sanjus and Nirmals will be produced from the state of Sikkim.Salute to all the individuals involved with this wonderful project.

Information Courtesy- Sikkim Express 

SUMI 125th Year Anniversary Football Tournament Kicks-off

A football tournament organized by the Scottish Universities’ Mission Institution (SUMI) based in Kalimpong to mark their 125^th year kicked off at Mela Ground (Kalimpong’s Public ground) from yesterday. Officially the tournament is called “125^th Anniversary Invitational Prize-Money Inter-School Football Tournament-2011”.
This School has a rich tradition in football having produced so many talented players in its 125 year old history. SUMI has also represented West Bengal in the Subroto Cup quite a few times and many of its players have gone on and played for the well known clubs of the country.Pem Dorjee is one such example who even captained the National team.

The tournament which carries an impressive prize-money of Rs 30000 for the winners and Rs 20000 for the runners-up will be contested by fourteen schools from Kalimpong and the surrounding areas. The Finals is slated to take place on the 9^th of July.
The first match was played yesterday between the host SUMI and Saptashree School in front of an impressive turnout, mostly the students of SUMI. The match was a one-sided affair as SUMI won easily with the final score reading 7-1.
This tournament has set a benchmark for other school level tournaments to emulate. The opening match showed how well it has been organized with even the Local cable channel airing the match live and an impressive post match presentation, though this was inspired by cricket. No doubt this tournament will be a grand success and also the success story of SUMI will continue for the years to come. 

Team List

Judhabir High School (Gorubathan)

Kumudini Homes (Kalimpong)

St Augustine School (Kalimpong)

SUMI (B) (Kalimpong)

RKSP (Darjeeling)

St Xaviers (Pakyoung)

MNS High School (Jalpaiguri)

St Peter’s School (Siliguri)

Dr Graham’s Homes (Kalimpong)

West Point School (Darjeeling)

St George High School (Pedong)

Rockvale Academy (Kalimpong)

SUMI (A)  (Kalimpong)

Nirmal Chettri Conducts a Coaching Camp

Nirmal Chettri, East Bengal star defender and India Under-23 International is back home in Sikkim these days on a vacation after a grueling season, But you can never keep Nirmal away from football for long as he recently conducted a Football Awareness Camp for the junior players of his home town Melli in South Sikkim.

The Camp lasted for four days from 22^nd to the 25^th of June and was attended by nearly thirty players from Melli and the surrounding areas. Some senior players of Sikkim also helped Nirmal in this noble effort to give direction to the young players. The camp had morning and evening sessions.

Nirmal expressed happiness with regards to the camp as he saw some very excited kids who carried their own balls to attend the camp though Nirmal had arranged for the balls himself. He also admitted that he is not a trained coach but he shared his experience as a professional footballer with them.

Nirmal wants to make this Camp an annual affair as he feels that the players should be trained in a proper way from a young age which will help them grow into a technically sound footballers in future.  He expressed hope that from next year more people will come in and help him in this endeavor.

This kind of projects should be appreciated and applauded by all and it’s so heartening to note that Nirmal has realized at such a young age that he has to give back to the kids what he has learned as a Professional footballer for more than four years.

Nirmal like any other player gets a one month break in a year and nobody would have said anything if he had taken a complete break from football but he stood up and conducted this camp which proves that he is of a different breed and wants to help the upcoming players and inspire them to follow his foot-steps.

Meanwhile United Kurseong Football Club has decided to felicitate Nirmal Chettri and Sanju Pradhan for their achievements during the Club’s Patrons meeting on the 10^th of July. The Club’s Working President, Dinker Chettri informed.

S.U.M.I and the Beautiful Game

Football has always occupied a special place in Scottish Universities’ Mission Institution (SUMI), a missionary school based in Kalimpong. It has a rich history with regards to the beautiful game having produced hundreds of talented footballers its 125 years of existence. Many of whom have go on and played for the well known clubs of the country. Notable amongst them is Pem Dorjee who was a wonderful stopper who played for almost all the big clubs and even captained the National team.

In keeping with the rich tradition of football in SUMI, this year the team has made a bright start to the season having won the North-Bengal region inter-school tournament a few weeks back, hence qualifying for the B.C. Roy Memorial Challenge Cup  to be held in Kolkata from today. If they win this tournament SUMI will get the honor of representing Bengal in the Subroto Cup which is the National level inter school football tournament.

The team trained for four days at the Mela ground in Kalimpong before leaving for Kolkata on the 22^nd of July. The Boys were made to play the practice games in the mid-day heat with their sweat shirts on. The coach Ganesh Dahal later explained that this was being done as they are expecting a very hot and humid Kolkata during this part of the month. It might be mentioned here that the team is slated to play their first match on the 24^th of July.

The coach further said that he is confident of a good performance from the boys but was honest to add that the weather in Kolkata can be a hindrance in their mission to win the tournament. If we look at SUMI’s recent record in the BC Roy Memorial Challenge Cup, the team can be called one of the favorites as they finished Runner’s up in 2009.Last year they finished fourth and were the champions in 2008. The assistant Coach Prashant Pradhan informed.

So in its 125^th year, Scottish Universities’ Mission Institution’s football team has set out to conquer Bengal and make this year even more special for the school. This bunch of boys seemed to be very hardworking and dedicated towards the game. Practicing and playing for the last two months with an aim to continue the glorious tradition of the school’s football history. Many of these boys might not be aware of what their school has achieved with regards to football in the past but they know that they study in a football crazy school where every match day when the school team play is a holiday. So these boys have a chance to bring Glory not only to their school but to the whole of Darjeeling hills and as their school song say’s “When SUMI Boys go marching on” if everything falls in to place they might just march on straight to the trophy and lift it. Go Boys it’s all yours.

Photograph Courtesy- Praveen Chettri

Footballing Four from Sikkim

Nirmal Chettri and Sanju Pradhan, both now fully established players in East Bengal visited Paljor Stadium at Gangtok a few days back during their short vacation. Robin Gurung and Bikash Jairu who are playing for ONCG, also accompanied them. The Stadium also happens to be the home of Sikkim Sports Academy where all these boys spent their Academy days after they passed out from Namchi Sports Hostel.

Nirmal and Sanju echoed each other and said  that playing for East Bengal is like a fairytale for them  and the club has been treating them well and has always supported them  and on their part  they have left no stones unturned and have tried to give their best performance in every match. They have been disciplined and follow their routine with honesty and strive to improve with every match has been their goal. By far this year has been the best among the three years they were in the club as they managed to win the Federation Cup, Mohammedan Sporting Platinum Jubilee Cup and the Calcutta league.

They further expressed their happiness over the artificial turfs that had been recently laid at Paljor Stadium. They said that the stadium has certainly undergone immense changes and these added infrastructures shall definitely attract many youngsters within the state towards the game and will also open ways for other top division clubs from the country to come and play in the state.     

The state has innumerable talent that has been unutilized thus far, which if properly groomed will definitely have a huge impact on the national scene and may be even further. In order to achieve this feat, the state government and the Sikkim Football Association should work together to organize more grass root level camps at a regular basis, bring back the days when Inter school football tournaments and District level  tournaments used to be organized regularly. Also they further added that keeping in mind the kind of infrastructure we have in the state presently Super league tournaments, invitational matches involving well known clubs and other such tournaments should be regularly organized to recognize more local talents whilst giving them valuable exposure and a much needed platform for their talents.

While on the other hand Robin Gurung from O.N.G.C. Club who was also the man of the tournament at the recently held Governor’s Gold club in Sikkim, said that playing in front of the home crowd certainly gave him a rejuvenated sense of enthusiasm which helped him earn his man of the tournament laurel. He said frequent tournaments would certainly pave the way for budding talents of the state. Bikash Jairu said that United Sikkim F.C. certainly looks promising and has shown great performance in its early stages and its entry into the I league will be a great milestone for Sikkimese football and will further add more numbers to the already growing Sikkim football fans.

Information and Photograph Courtesy- Naresh Chettri 

Sandip Nandy relaxes in Sikkim ahead of national camp

One of the most decorated Indian Football goal-keepers Sandip Nandy, who has played for a number of top division clubs in India, is here in Gangtok with his family to enjoy the serene climate, just before the national camp which is scheduled from June 15.

He has played for reputed Clubs like Mohun Bagan( 1999-2001), Tollygunj Agragami(2001-02), East Bengal (2002-04), Mahindra United (2004-09),  Chirag United (2009-10) and is presently playing for East Bengal. Nandy also featured in the National Team from the year 2000-2008 in which he showcased his phenomenal talent in the Doha Asian games against the mighty Iran team. It won him huge appreciation and applauds. He was, however, sidelined for two years due to a knee injury but has now been called back for the national camp scheduled to kick start from the June mid.

Naresh Chettri, a well wisher of Lateybhakundo caught up with Sandip Nandy and asked a few questions-

Naresh Chettri: When and why did you come here in Gangtok?

SANDIP: I came here on June 9 with the sole purpose of spending quality time with my family and to enjoy the serene climate of Gangtok before the national camp.

NC: Why only Sikkim?

Sandip: I have come here in Gangtok at previous two occasions to play the Governor’s Gold Cup during the year 1998 playing for Mohun Bagan and 2009 under Chirag United. I have fond memory here and I brought my family to experience the goodness that Sikkim provides and Sikkim is the best place to relax and have quality time. It refreshes your mind and body and gives you a morale boost which is much needed before the national camp.

NC: Tell us about your experience playing with Bhaichung Bhutia?

Sandip: Bhaichung Bhutia has always been the face of Indian Football. I have always looked up to him with great respect. While he was the captain of the National team he always motivated the team with outmost simplicity yet very motivating. He is by far the most successful Indian football captain and his natural talent and dedication towards the game is very rare.

NC: Your opinion about the United Sikkim FC headed by Bhaichung Bhutia?

Sandip: The club certainly looks promising and has shown great performance in its early stages. The club will certainly go a long way and its entry into the I-league division would certainly raise the level of competition.

NC: Would you play for United Sikkim FC if given a chance?

Sandip: Yes of course, I would love to play for the team if it manages to get entry into the I-league division and if the offer is good.

NC: What is the future of Indian Football at global scenario?

Sandip: Comparatively the Indian Football has developed to a great extent, technically the players are sound, the team game has improved a lot and the Indian spectators and fans are encouraging the game of football even more. Youngsters are motivated towards a better future prospect in the game and few years down the line if the encouragement and the support continues, we may well see Indian football team at the World Cup.     

NC: Your opinion about the Sikkim Football players?

Sandip: Sikkim arguably produces the most talented and skillful football players. Bhaichung Bhutia, Nirmal Chettri and Sanju Pradhan, all Sikkimese have marked their own niche in the present Indian football scenario. Sikkim will certainly produce more players like them in future is what I firmly believe. 

NC: Lastly would you like to visit Sikkim again?

Sandip: Yes of course, in-fact I am planning to come back right after the national camp to relax, or rather make Sikkim my second home.

Photograph Courtesy- Naresh Chettri

Kalimpong League Kicks Off

Kalimpong is a town and also one of the Sub-divisions in the Darjeeling district. It is a beautiful Hill station which offers pleasant weather throughout the year. Although the number of tourists visiting this town is not that significant. Kalimpong definitely has a huge tourism potential.

With a tag line which says “The ridge where we play” Kalimpong is also a very sporty town where the folks enjoy all kind of sports but football attracts the people of this town the most. It has a rich history of football with tournaments dating back to the 1930-40’s.Kalimpong has also produced plenty of talented footballers over the years and the school football scene is fantastic to say the least.

Football season kicks off early in Kalimpong with this year’s League already underway. There are two divisions. With Super Division having seven teams and the 1^st Division with twenty one teams. The official name for the super division league is “R.B. Pradhan Memorial League” and the 1^st Division is known as “Ravilal Lama Memorial League”. Both these gentleman were renowned people of Kalimpong. Ravilal Lama was a wonderful footballer of his times and was also good in boxing.

All the Kalimpong League matches are played at the “Mela Ground” which is at the heart of the town. The league is organized by the Kalimpong Sports Association (KSA) which has Urgen Lama (Mini),a former footballer of repute as the President. Although faced with so many hurdles like the lack of sponsors and good ground, the league is being run in an smooth manner by the passionate individuals associated with the KSA.

List of the participating teams in the Super Division 2011

-Kalimpong Football Academy

-SUM Institution

-Apex  FC

-Homes United

-BMC Lions

-Kalimpong FC

-PNNS

The favorites to win the Super Division League are the Apex Club along with BMC Lions but Kalimpong Football Academy can spring a surprise, we cannot rule out the other teams too.BMC lions are a new team made up of students from BB Pradhan Management College. The team has two Bhutan International players and they have already become a crowd puller according to an official of the Kalimpong Sports Association. Scottish University Mission’s Institution (SUMI) is another team with students forming its backbone. This team is the traditional power house of Kalimpong Football; although it’s a school team they give tough competition to the Clubs. In its more than hundred years of history these school has produced thousands of quality footballers. 

The league has kicked off on the 28^th of May and will continue till the 21^st of June. It’s amazing that with so many odds stacked against it the beautiful game still flourishes in Kalimpong, Its disheartening to note that there is no cash prizes for the winners of the League and they just play the game out of love for it, but when you have the passion and will nothing can stop you from achieving your goal and these players play in the hope that they will find brighter days in future. The new Sports Minister has promised many packages to develop sports in North Bengal. Hopefully “Poriborton” will also hit “The Ridge where we play”.

Tenzing Tsephel An Exciting Talent

A late starter in the  game of football by his own admission. Tenzing Tsephel was one of the players who had caught my attention around two months ago when United Sikkim FC were conducting their pre 2^nd Division I-league camp in Kolkata. I had found him to be quick, though and aggressive and above all a player with an eye for the goal. A virtue which defines every good striker.

After the camp got over in Kolkata. United Sikkim FC travelled to Guwahati and participated in the 2^nd Division I-League Qualifiers, first round matches. Tsephel was also part of that squad and gave a decent performance and helped the team qualify for the final round in Shillong. Unfortunately United Sikkim FC finished in the 5^th spot and were not able to book a berth in this year’s I-League. So United’s along with Tsephel’s dream of playing at the highest level of Indian Football remained unfulfilled but as they say life has to move on and they will get this opportunity again next year.

Tenzing Tsephel was born on the 18^th of June 1984 in Gangtok. He stayed and studied in the state Capital till class one and after that his parents decided to send him for further education to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. Tsephel was enrolled in Tibetan Children Village School and started playing football for fun. Later on he became a regular with the school team and won many individual awards and certificates, but he is humble to add that the level of football was not that good and he just played for fun and had no intention of taking up football seriously although he used to love the game.

After finishing his school education Tsephel came down to Delhi and joined Guru Govind Singh College but this college had no football ground hence no team as well. So Tsephel tried to curve his longing to play football by trying his hand in another ball game, Basketball.

Tsephel  passed out of college and returned to his home state of Sikkim with an intention to find a decent government job and secure his future but the passion for football with which Sikkim oozes had an effect on this boy and he decided to continue playing football but at the same time he was also looking for a government job to satisfy his parents wish. Tsephel’s hunt for Government Job continues but his football career has truly started taking shape today.

First Club that Tsephel played for in Sikkim was the Zongri FC and after a season with them he was called by the Boys Club (One of the oldest and respected clubs of Sikkim),even Bhaichung Bhutia had played for this club. He played very well with them and was called for the Sikkim State team which was going to participate in the 2007 Santosh Trophy held in Faridabad. Tsephel once again proved here that football was his calling as he played well in all the group games and even scored a goal against Chandigarh.

Then in 2008 Tsephel joined United Sikkim FC, during those days it was known as United Sikkim Sporting Club and played in all the major tournaments of that region. Before he joined United Sikkim FC, Tsephel also had a stint with Delhi League side Royal Rangers, where he finished as the Club’s highest scorer.

Tsephel is enjoying his time with United Sikkim FC and wants to remain committed to the Club. He had a dream of playing alongside Bhaichung Bhutia which has been fulfilled, now he has another dream to take United Sikkim FC to the I-League. He admitted that it was wonderful to play with Bhaichung and every time he  got the ball he tried to keep it simple and passed it on to his idol whom he calls “Agya”.

Players like Tsephel represents those breed of footballers in the country who are educated at the same they have a passion for football. They want to play the game at the same there is an apprehension about the future “What if I don’t make it”? I will not get a job then what will I do? My education will go to waste.

When I last met Tsephel at Gangtok he was waiting for his turn in a Government Department for a job interview. I joked with him “Now you are a Pro Footballer do u still need that job” and his reply was “This  is important to secure my future” which points to the fact that our sportspeople are still  not freely pursuing  their sports as that pressure of What if I don’t make it is always there. The Onus is on the Government and the Corporate sector to come forward and support these Footballers or in the larger context, sportspeople. Governments can create more sports quotas and the private sector can chip in with sponsorship and other benefits sometimes without thinking about the profits and secure the future of footballers like Tsephel who can whole heartedly pursue their passion then. I am sure deep within Tsephel has a wish of playing football fulltime rather than sitting in a Government office and there are also many like me who wants him to play and entertain us and take my word he is a wonderful talent and his best is yet to come.

Ong Tshering Lepcha- Coming back to form

Not so long ago Ong Tshering Lepcha was dubbed as the next Bhaichung Bhutia by the Sikkimese Media.He was playing for Churchill Brothers back then and had also represented the India Under-20 team as the Captain, but an unfortunate knee injury threatened to cut short his career in the year 2007.It was a routine pre-season training at Churchill Brothers which  turned the fortunes of this promising youngster the wrong way. While playing the practice game Ong went in to win a fifty-fifty ball but his team mate made a clumsy tackle and Ong went down to the ground feeling an excruciating pain on his right knee. The team Physio took stock of the situation and found out that Ong had suffered a major Injury on his right knee and he was taken to Mumbai for further treatment. Dr Anant Joshi, the famous Sports Injury expert observed him and advised him to take complete bed rest for six months as he had suffered a major knee ligament tear. Rehabilitation process would take another six months.

After spending few days in Mumbai Ong returned to Goa and spend his days at the Club’s flat. This was a very frustrating period as he was not able to do what he loved the most, play football. During away matches he used to be all alone in his flat as his team mates used to travel to other cities. His only companion used to be the cook with whom he became good friends over the six month period. This was a major injury but Ong did not require an operation. He was confident that he would make a complete recovery and never during this period any negative thoughts crossed his mind.

After six months of complete bed rest Ong moved to Kolkata where he started his rehabilitation process which lasted for four months. After that he felt that he could start off with some light weight training. He started regular gym session and within two months he felt confident that he had made a complete recovery. But he had still not touched the ball till now which is the most important part of this recovery process. Ong understood this and started training with the ball, initially he was not that comfortable but slowly he started to feel that he was getting  back his touch.

2009 proved to be the comeback year for Ong when he joined the Delhi Club, Indian Nationals where his name was put forward by Bhaichung Bhutia. He didn’t play too many matches for them but he gained full confidence. Now the memory of that dreadful injury had faded away.

After a season with Indian Nationals. Ong joined BMFC Mumbai in 2010 but things didn’t move smoothly there and he joined another Mumbai side Kenkre FC on loan and played in the recently concluded 2^nd Division I-League qualifiers.

Now Ong is back home in Sikkim and is training regularly at the Paljor Stadium with an aim to join one of the I-League Clubs next season. He has Captained India Under 16 and Under 20 National teams in the past and has also scored a few International goals so he is also looking forward to win back that India Jersey once again. This time it would be the senior team jersey. Ong has seen it all at this very young age. From the highs of playing for India and Churchill Brothers to the lows of playing with amateur players in the parks of Kolkata during his recovery period. At the moment the media seems to have forgotten Ong but he has no complains as he is confident that it’s just a matter of few more months that he’ll start hitting the headlines once again as they say, Form is temporary but the class is permanent.

BUDDI RAM TUDU- THE RURAL ROOKIE

           (This article was originally published for the indianfootball.com in January 2010)

Buddhi Ram Tudu has come a long way, from the dusty fields of his native place Advasi Para to the maidans of Kolkata. Though he has just begun his footballing journey, his life and his passion for the beautiful game is already an inspiration for the people of his community and to the budding footballers across the country.

Buddhi has fought against all odds to reach where he is today. He comes from a family where it’s even difficult to dream about being a footballer. His parents are landless laborers who find it hard to meet their daily expenses.

He started playing football from a young age with a side called Jagat Dal Sporting. Where he got plenty of support from the officials and Buddhi was inspired, he said “ I was treated very well by the Jagat Dal Sporting members they always encouraged me specially Sibu Da who gave me kits and football boots from his own savings”.

In 2007 Buddhi was inducted into the East Bengal under-15 side where he was paid a monthly stipend of Rupees 500 which was too less for Buddhi to sustain himself let alone support his family. So Buddhi decided to move on from East Bengal and tried his luck in Chirag Under- 19 side. During this time Buddhi’s story was covered by a local channel which came as a blessing for Buddhi as he was once again called back by East Bengal and they inducted him in their U-19 team for the National league. This was in 2008 and the tournament was held at Jamshepur. Buddhi gave a decent performance scoring 1 goal in the 4 matches that he played.

At the moment Buddhi has graduated to the East Bengal senior team as their Under-19 player and is performing well in the Calcutta Premier League. He had a dream debut with the senior team when he scored a goal against Eastern Railways. Boy of very few words Buddhi had to say this “I was delighted to score a goal on my debut for East Bengal, to play for them itself is an honor for me and to score was an icing on the cake”

When asked about his adjustment at a big club like East Bengal Buddhi says “I am having a really good time here as all the players as well as the coach treat me very well, Renedy Bhai gave me money recently from which I bought a boot for myself”

Fans love him but Buddhi has also found admirers amongst the players Bhaichung Bhutia the captain of India football team and his senior in East Bengal had to say this about Buddhi “I think Buddhi is a hard worker and very serious about the game, He has very bright future ahead of him”

Buddhi also had a good run at the recently concluded Federation Cup where his team lifted the trophy. The first taste of success for this promising youngster from Bengal. But we can only hope that the best is yet to come. Buddhi Ram Tudu! People mark this name.

(Currently Buddhi Ram Tudu is playing for the United Sikkim Football Club and is doing well having scored seven goals in the first round of the I-League division II Qualifiers)

Photograph Courtesy- Ronny Roy 

MINI

         This article was also published in Sikkim Express (States number 1 English Daily)

Our region ,the hills of Darjeeling and Sikkim has over the years produced plenty of talented footballers, but  most of us are not aware of them, especially the players from yester years. Late Chandan Singh Rawat’s name comes first  to my mind. He was a great player born in Darjeeling and went on to play for India .Then it was Late Pem Dorjee who was a talented Stopper who played for almost all the big clubs and even captained the Indian National team. He was from Kalimpong but later on settled in Sikkim. I know the names of other players too but have very limited details about them. But I could meet one of them in my recent visit to Kalimpong, He was an exceptional forward of his times. The details are as follows.

It was in 2007 when I had gone to Kalimpong and played in the league there that I had first heard about this Gentleman from my friend. He had told me that this man was like a legend there and people used to flock the ground just to watch him play and when I asked what was the players name my friend told me “Mini” which was his nickname name, later on I found out his real name was Urgen Lama. Since then I had wanted to meet him but had not got a chance. But things changed this year.

After a quick call to Mini I and my friend reached his house in the market area of Kalimpong. The moment he opened the door. I could figure out why he was called Mini. He has a short stature and doesn’t have that footballers built. But a glance around the room proved that there was nothing small about his achievement as the wall along with the wardrobes is decorated with the trophies and certificates he has won over the years. We wished him, offered him a Khada and he directed us to sit down. Then his story began.

Born in the year 1953 to Late K.D Lama and Late Narmada Devi Lami, Urgen Lama (Mini) had started his footballing journey in the year 1969 when he was called up to play for his school team, Scottish University Mission Institution (SUMI),Kalimpong. He was just sixteen years of age then. He had no other footballers in the family and it was his self-interest and passion for the game along with the claps and adulation showered by the people which inspired him to play football. His father was a classical singer and a very well known figure.


In the year 1971 a team from West Sikkim hired him to play in a tournament and it was here he got the nick name “Mini”. A local newspaper had carried his story and they had called him Mini. Which remains till date as I found out that very few people know his real name even in his home town. 1974 was a turning point in his career as he received an invitation from the King of Bhutan to play for their National team. So Mini without a second thought packed his bags and left for Bhutan.He also got a job there and started playing for the National Team. Mostly they travelled to India and participated in almost all the major tournaments like the Durand Cup, DCM Trophy and the Bordoli Trophy. During the Gorkha Gold Cup in Darjeeling  in year 1977 he won the Best Player Award. He stayed in Bhutan till 1981 and in his last year there he helped the team with his exceptional performance to win the Shillong Invitational Cup. He had got a wide media coverage then. In 1979 he also played a season with the Kolkata side Bharati Sangha.


After coming back to Kalimpong for a brief while Mini joined the Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting Club in 1982 and gave an impressive performance in the Kolkata League along with the All India Governor’s Gold Cup in Sikkim. Very next year he took his performance even further and was awarded the Best Player’s Trophy in the All India Governor’s Gold Cup.

1983 was a sad year for Mini as he lost his mother but he never kept himself away from Football. He took an offer from Sikkim to be their coach cum player and went on to play  seven Santosh Trophy tournaments. During his stay in Sikkim he met a young and budding footballer back then, Bhaichung Bhutia. He was posted in Namchi during those days and Bhaichung’s School team coach Manas Chakraborthy had requested Mini to coach him during one of the winter breaks as the School team had no practice during this period. He had found Bhaichung to be very skillful and disciplined. Years later after becoming the star of Indian Football, Bhaichung had not forgotten “Mini Daju” as he invited him for his wedding. He also narrated an incident ,all his friends were jostling to take a picture with Bhaichung at the wedding but he felt a bit shy to ask Bhaichung to click a picture with him so he just sat there. But Bhaichung himself came and asked the Photographer to click him with Mini Daju (Elder brother in Nepali).All the other guests and friends looked at him and he felt a sense of pride as the icon of Indian football himself was interested to take a picture with him.


Mini also narrated couple of other interesting and funny incidents. He could not recall the year of this incident but it was at a tournament in Biratnagar (Nepal).Shayam Thapa had put together a team which included Thapa himself along with Pem Dorjee and other star players of those days. They had reached the finals after playing four matches and a day before the final match their striker had fallen sick and Shayam Thapa asked Mini to join the team in his place. So he travelled to Biratnagar from Kalimpong, quite a long journey and headed straight to the ground. He gave a wonderful performance ,even scored a goal and also bagged the man of the match award along with the best player of the tournament by just playing one game. So we can imagine how well he must have played because this is an amazing feat for any level of football. He added later with a smile that Pem Dorjee was the favorite to win these two trophies. Another incident was in Sikkim when he had gone to meet the then Sports Minster PS Golay. He met his personal secretary and filled up the visitors slip with his name. But even after two hours the minister did not call him to his room. So he asked the personal secretary to remind the minister that someone was waiting for him. The minister himself came out of his chamber asking who was Urgen Lama?. He got up to wish him. The minister smiled at him and said you should have wrote “Mini” in the slip and said sorry to him and ushered him to his chamber.

In the year 1989 Mini decided to hang his boots but not before another memorable performance in the All India Governor’s Gold Cup where he won the best goal of the tournament award. It was in a match against Sesa Goa where he scored with a side volley from twenty yards  off a cross from the right. He regrets that they did not have video recordings back then. Even I feel it must have been a wonderful goal, but unfortunately we can never see it.

Now Mini is the President of the Kalimpong Sports Assocation and his lifelong love affair with football continues till date. He is also working as the coach of Dr Graham’s Homes for the past three years. Some years back he along with other like minded individuals set up the Kalimpong Football Academy, which is a non-residential facility and the boys train at Mela ground (A public ground of Kalimpong) two times a day. He seemed happy that this project has started showing results now as many talented footballers are coming up as football in the hills had taken a back seat after the Gorkhaland agitation of the eighties.

Mini’s contribution to football has not been recognized by the Government till date as he has not received any awards or honors. But he has no complains. He is just happy that he played the beautiful game and people still talks about his playing days. Even I found this out as whenever I mentioned the name “Mini” in Kalimpong the people responded with “Oh what a wonderful player he was”  He still plays for the Kalimpong Veterans team and according to my friend he still troubles the defenders who are much younger to him. I think he considers this as the greatest honor, the people’s love and affection towards him. So next time when you go to Kalimpong and a match is on at Mela ground and you see a short stature player running into defenders you can bet nine out of ten times that the person is Mini.