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.

Artificial Turf on Paljor Stadium

The process of laying the artificial turf has started at Paljor Stadium, Gangtok after the completion of all initial work like leveling the field. It was decided to lay artificial turf at the Stadium as the authorities found out that the natural grass was hard to maintain in Gangtok where it rains heavily during the monsoon season.

The work at Paljor Stadium is being jointly carried out by the United States based firm Field Turf Tarkett and Great Sports Infra, Hyderabad. The officials from these two companies are camped in Gangtok and is overseeing the operation. After the turf has been laid out it will be filled with rubber and silica which will be further compressed.

At Present the turf is two and half inches long but after its filled with compressed rubber and silica just two third portion will be exposed. Thus giving the players that perfect grip while they are out on the field. The process is expected to be complete in the next two weeks if all works move as per schedule.

This project began in January at a total cost of Rs 3.77 crores. The turf is of the same quality as the one laid at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. It is said that the turf can be used for eight to ten years with zero maintenance.

Photograph Courtesy- Basu Upreti

Seven Clubs from North-East in 2nd Division I-League

I-League second division first round matches will kick-off from the 31^ST of March with twenty one teams divided into three groups. Group A will play their matches at Madurai (Tamil Nadu) Group B matches will take place at Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) and Group C teams will fight it out in Guwahati (Assam).Two teams Shillong Lajong and Sporting Clube de Goa,last season’s relegated sides will join the six qualifiers in the final round to be held in Shillong.

There are seven teams from the North-East this season which points to the fact that club football is picking in this part of the country. Couple of years ago North-East produced only players but now that trend has changed and many good clubs are coming up. Shillong Lajong proved last season that with the right approach, North-Eastern clubs can go a long way. After a wonderful show in the Federation Cup they were unfortunately relegated from the I-League but their journey from a small club based in Shillong to the pinnacle of Indian football has been a source of inspiration for all the other clubs based in the North-Eastern states.

The North-Eastern Clubs which are taking part in this season’s second division  I-League are,Royal Wahingdoh SC,Langsning FC and Ar-Hima FC from Meghalaya, United Sikkim FC and Denzong Boyz FC will represent Sikkim other two teams are Guwahati Town Club and North Imphal Sports Association (NISA) from Assam and Manipur respectively.

So now it has to be seen which of the above clubs will go all the way and qualify for the I-League. The campaign will be tough as other clubs are also no pushovers and only a limited number of clubs will get the promotion, But no matter what all these clubs have given a new direction to the football in North-East and have also given hope to the other clubs to emulate them. The day is not far when there will be a number of clubs from this region competing in the I-League.

Photograph Courtesy- www.outdoors.webshots.com

Meeting Bhaichung Bhutia the Club Owner

Captain of the National Football team, Bhaichung Bhutia or should we say the owner of  United Sikkim Football Club, his recently acquired status  was in his home town Gangtok last week. The purpose of his visit was to locate a suitable land to set up the United Sikkim Football Academy.

Bhaichung along with the United Sikkim FC Senior Manager, Arjoon Rai saw some plots on the outskirts of the capital city Gangtok and they will zero in on the land of their choice in a few weeks time.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bhaichung at Arjoon Rai’s residence on Thursday evening. Arjoon Rai called me up to his place and I was off in flash as its always exciting to meet Bhaichung or Agya as I call him. After I greeted Agya we started talking about the chances of United Sikkim FC qualifying for the I-League division one in its very first season. It might be recalled here United Sikkim FC is slated to play their first round qualifiers at Guwahati. When I pointed out to Bhaichung that there is a high possibility of United Sikkim FC qualifying, He said the campaign will be very tough and they are not taking any teams for granted.

Bhaichung also told me that keeping in with the professional set up of the Club, he is looking for an office premises in and around Gangtok and he has already got a few options. He is also planning to shift his base from Kolkata to Gangtok where United Sikkim FC will be located to give full attention to his beloved club .A town planner was also present with him during that meeting and they were discussing places to set up the Academy compound along with the Club office.

After a day I again met Bhaichung at a hotel in Gangtok when I arrived he was having a meeting with the town planner and few other business men from Sikkim. Further discussion was going on for the land which will be used to set up the Academy. After the meeting I greeted Bhaichung and wished him all the best for the upcoming second division I-League matches and then he was off  to catch a chopper for Bagdogra en-route to Kolkata.

If all the plans fall in place United Sikkim Football Club will definitely become one of the best clubs in the country  in the next few years and with no other than Bhaichung himself leading the way this does not seem impossible. For me it was a pleasant experience to meet Bhaichung the Club owner and I can’t wait for that day when United Sikkim FC will start playing their home matches at the Paljor Stadium in Gangtok.

Sahara Club, Pokhara- Leading the way

In the year 1998 a club named Sahara was born in Pokhara, a tourist city in Western Nepal. This beautiful city is perched on the banks of the famous Phewa Taal (a natural lake) and is surrounded by the majestic  Annapurna Mountain Range. A must visit destination for all the tourists to the Himalayan Country of Nepal.

Sahara Club was formed as a social organization but football is also an integral part of the Club’s Set up. It regularly participates in the different Knock-out tournaments of Nepal along with the one hosted by the Club themselves, Aaha Gold Cup. A very successful Knock-out tournament. The ninth edition was held this year in January.

The Club is very well managed with the active participation of all its members and are sound financially as they regularly receive donations from Nepalis living in United Kingdom along with foreigners and the sponsors. It might be mentioned here that the Club also has a branch in the United Kingdom which is called Sahara Club UK. They have assisted many Nepali footballers to get trails in the different Clubs of UK. Example can be given of Anil Gurung who is currently playing for Indian outfit Shillong Lajong FC. In 2009 Sahara Club UK members had helped Gurung to get trails with Chelsea Reserve team along with few other lower division Clubs.

One unique feature of the Sahara Club, Pokhara is the Football Academy for street Children and orphans. These children are selected from the different districts of Nepal and imparted football training with free education and shelter. Now the Academy has more than fifty boys in different age groups. The funding for this Academy comes from the profit collected from the Aaha Gold Cup which is hosted Annually by the Sahara Club. A new Academy building is also being constructed which should be ready in a few months time.

As mentioned earlier Sahara Club is also dedicated towards the society. It holds regular blood donation camps, cleanliness drives in the city of Pokhara and also gives financial assistance to the poor and needy. We can say it’s more than just a football Club.

Clubs like Sahara are an example how football can be used as a social tool. Bringing about positive changes in the society as well as promoting the beautiful game. The Club has really set a bench mark for others to emulate in just over a decade of its formation. The successful hosting of Aaha Gold Cup every year points to the fact how serious the people concerned with the club are. It might not be an overstatement to say that Sahara Club, Pokhara is one of the best managed club in Nepal today.

The club’s aim is to keep serving the city of Pokhara and in that process promote the game of football.  Anil Gurung who started his career with Sahara Club is now a star of Nepali football. This has given the boys at Sahara Club and Academy a new hope and most of them would follow his footsteps and go on to play for Nepal, which will a wonderful news for the people involved with the Sahara Club.

Photograph Courtesy- Sudharshan Ranjit (Sahara Club,Pokhara)