Category: Down Memory Lane

31st July : 1st Olympic campaign of Indian Football Team

oon after the independence, India got a chance to field their football side in an international match and that too in the prestigious summer Olympic Games, 1948 held in London. The squad had 4 representatives from Mohun Bagan – Talimeran Aao (better known as T. Aao as the captain), Sailen Manna and Mahabeer Prasad as the key players, and Balaidas Chatterjee as the coach.

Today, July 31 is definitely a red-letter day in Indian sports. On 31st July 1948, the first eleven men in our independent India’s footballing history led by T. Aao walked into the middle of Cricklefields Stadium to take on France, eight of them wearing thick socks cut off at the ankles and bare feet strapped up to protect them and to provide grip, while other three preferred to put on boots. India really put up a splendid show lauded by all 17,000 spectators present at the arena for their skills, as well as, sportsmanship and went down fighting to the mighty French side by 2-1. Trailing by one goal at the lemon break, India scored the equaliser in the 70th minute through Sarangpani Raman, who also later joined Mohun Bagan. With just one minute to go before the final whistle, France scored the winner to edge past India to earn the quarter-final berth. The history could have been penned very differently if the brilliant French custodian Guy Rouxel didn’t manage to save two spot-kicks from Manna and Prasad respectively in two halves. 

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29th July, Mohun Bagan Day : Barefooted Revolution

In 1911, Mohun Bagan, an all-Indian team from Kolkata, captured the hearts of the nation when they won the IFA Shield. The IFA Shield was a football tournament created for English troops stationed in India and Mohun Bagan’s victory became proof that the English colonialists were no more human than they. In a strange interplay between football and politics, the IFA Shield became a battleground for the hearts of the Indian people.

Bagan’s victory was about freedom; it was about liberation and most importantly it was about pride. It was payback to colonial rulers who had, in the eyes of Indian nationalists, mistreated, abused and ignored the pleas of the Indian people.

Since the early 18th century, Indians had been rebelling against English influence in their homeland and by 1911 tensions were beginning to erupt. Nationalist movements had sprung up around the colony, with scathing tomes being written about the evils of English imperialism which imposed European standards to a land with greatly different values.

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The fastest derby goal – 24th July, 1976

Let’s take a lazy stroll to exactly 49 years back. Yes, 24.07.1976 saw the fastest ever goal in the all-special derby match between two the arch rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. It was a crucial CFL match played at Eden Gardens on a monsoon afternoon. Akbar, aka ‘chhote miya’, was the star scoring the winner of the tie within just 14 to 15 seconds of the start. It’s still a record in due credit of Mohun Bagan. And for the fans, it’s pure nostalgia. Here’s a chance to reminisce the moment with the audio clip of the commentary of the match and the stills of the hero (Akbar) and his feat.