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The Salim Durrani
and Number – 10 Of Indian Football Is No More
An APOLOGY of the HIGHEST
Orde r::
Sometimes some mistake, knowingly and glaringly happens.
These are NOT the silly mistakes as we would like to call them, but these are
purposeful mistakes and for that NO BODY should be excused or spared. One such
happened when on August 15th 2023 , I heard the news that the “
BADE MIAN ” of Calcutta
football, Mohammed Habib is no more.
No Less Than Vikram Lander
That Landed On The Moon - ::
Initially I did not
feel to write anything to pay him a glowing tribute to this PRINCE
– MAJESTIC of Kolkatta and
Indian Football, but on August 23rd 2023 when I was watching the
Chandrayaan and Vikram lander landing on the moon- I FELT THAT MOHAMMED HABIB WAS NO LESS THAN THE VIKRAM LANDER OF
INDIAN FOOTBALL. That was the moment I decided to write a separate article
on him, and today on AUGUST 25th
2023, I pen down some memorable words for this HUMANGOUS - MAJESTIC Indian footballer.The ten
days late when he expired ( August 15th 2023 ) that I took to
write this article , as if it has been a decade of wait for me to write about
him.
Writing on him even so late now it seems that it has WASHED away my sin.
SOME UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT
MOHAMMED HABIB - ::
Every article that one writes about a GREAT player is
involved with all his deeds on the play field but here I would write some of
the unknown facts about Mohammed Habib which actually are not known to many. I
write here one-by-one -:
In a family of Muslim, where the peanuts and the poverty
holds supreme , as a child once he had gone with his father to watch a
football game played between the two
Hyderabadi teams, CITY OLD COLLEGE BOYS’ and E.M.E Centre Secunderabad. The game attracted
him as a five years of age , as a toddler.
Soon a sweater then, which was his only FORTE to save him
from the crushing DEATH like cold at Hyderabad during those days , he converted it into a ball at his home, and
started dribbling the same. That gave a terrific hearings to him from his
mother and his grand-mother. But this boy of aged five then, damn
gave it a hoot. His OBSTINISM right at that age
was to be seen and believed.That habit
remained till the last day of his life , be at the field while playing this
game, be otherwise , as a human being. HE WOULD NEVER GIVE IT UP AT ALL.
B ) . He NEVER gave any ears to anybody while
playing the game - ::
He never was anything to anybody in terms of anything while
he played this game . His only mission while playing this game for his team
was DARE YOU TAKE THE OPPONENTS LIGHTLY , YOU
WOULD GET IT FROM ME.
The classical example was when his younger brother Mohammed
Akbar switched his allegiance to East Bengal in 1972. The eldest of the brother
of that family Mohammed Azam was at Calcutta to se the youngest of them making
his debut for the GLAMOUROUS club of Bengal , the East – Bengal football club.
Pic - :: The 1980 Fed Cup Finals Against Mohun Bagan . He Helped East Bengal To Remain Unbeaten In That Season
While the players were entering the field to take on their
opponent, Azam passed on a word to Habib saying that TAKE CARE OF AKBAR. With
forty thousand people watching the game, he would be a bit shaky.Habib just
gave a hearing to his words.
However when the entire East Bengal team took their position
on the field, Habib called upon his brother who was playing as a Central
striker to say him – FOR THESE SEVENTY MINUTES FORGET THAT I’M YOUR BROTHER . IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE THE PRESSURE OF PLAYING HIGH VOLTAGE MATCH IN FRONT OF THE
CALCUTTA CROWD, GO BACK TO HYDERABAD RATHER THAN WASTING YOUR TIME.
It was very simple and straight – FORGET ABOUT GETTING ANY
CONCESSION FROM ME ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
C ). He Was A “ FOXY” Mind With A HAWK EYE Vision-::
It was the finals of
the D.C.M trophy against the ASIAN famed club team from North Korea DOK
– RO – GANG. There were as many as SIX World Cuppers in that team
which had lost to Portugal against Eusobio led team by 3-5 after leading by 3-0
till the seventy third minutes of that game.
The entire shaken East Bengal team with P.K.Banerjee as the
Chief Coach was all LOST to form a formation to play that game and the
finals. It was he, Mohammed Habib who came with an answer saying that WE
WILL PLAY WITH FIVE MID-FIELDERS and ONE forward
upfront to neutralize all their speed and their ball holding capacity that
starts from their mid field . P.K.Banerjee adopted the tactics and the North
Koreans found no CLUE at all to penetrate the very STRONG East Bengal
defense marshalled by Sudhir Kormokar.
He could watch the Koreans , about their mystery that
they were producing on the field and a
strategy to counter them. EAST
BENGAL FINALLY WON THAT TROPHY AS THE KOREANS WERE NOT READY TO PLAY THE EXTRA
TIME AFTER TWO DIFFERENT SESSIONS OF THE MATCH PLAYED FOR TWO DAYS COULD
PRODUCE ANY RESULT.
D ) . He REALLY Cared
About The Titles And For The Club-::
That final D.C.M trophy was never to be be forgotten in the
annals of the Indian soccer history, for East Bengal winning that Trophy, but
for his LASHING TONGUE that he had . He would not spare anybody
and the one’s who listened it would listen to it with head bowed low..
A darting and a penetrating run by Surojit Sengupta saw him
essaying a pass to Habib who collected the ball, and within one touch send it
to Subash Bhowmik who chipped in a diagonal pass to Mohammed
Akbar. With a half turn body feint, Akbar shielded the ball from the
Korean defender, and with a small outstep dribble put him back while on his run
to find the goalkeeper standing in front of him with an open goal.
Akbar in a JIFF lost his composure , and
to get that fast goal, pushed it in an manner that the ball rolled
past the bar breezing it to miss the goal by a whisper.
From that point of the game to and till the team reached
Calcutta then, by train, AKBAR HAD TO
SWALLOW THE “ BITTER – PILLS ” OF Habib which were truly INHUMAN to
swallow. When Captain Samaresh Choudhury ( Pintuda ) intervened the Captain too
got to taste some of the pills.
“ Pintu roared Habib, in these kind of the matches that you
play against those World Cuppers, you hardly get ONE chance.If you cannot
convert DO NOT PLAY FOOTBALL AT ALL .Adding further he again
roared at Pintuda, DID YOU NOTICE FOR HOW MANY A
MINUTES DID PKda DIE BEFORE THAT FINALS.
WHAT IF THE KOREANS HAD TAKEN THE EXTRA TIME AND WE HAD LOST.
Pintu you play for SYMPATHY, I
PLAY FOR TITLES, NOTHING LESS, NOTHING MORE. That was his reply and
that was his attitude.
E ) . He Was NEVER To Crave For MEDIA – HYPE
It happened during the Durand Cup football finals when
East-Bengal were to play against a very strong Mohun Bagan side. India had just
returned after winning the BRONZE , their LAST
international medal from the 6th Asian Games that were held at
Thailand.
Habib was by then the TALK OF EVERY HOME that
related himself to Indian football. Here it was that his team East Bengal was
to take on Mohun Bagan in the finals with Mr V.V.Giri as the Chief
Guest for the finals.
Habib was completely immersed with his thoughts for the
finals while he was entering the field. All of a sudden a media photographer
came in his way and REQUESTED him for a photo. His TEMPER was to be seen and
believed.
“ TERA BAAP KA MAAL HOON KYA KI FINALS KAY PEHLAY PHOTO LENA HAI.
IDHAR MOHUN BAGAN SIR PAR NAACH RAHA HAI ” ( Do you think that I’m yours
Father’s property that I have to please you by clicking for the pics. Idiot
that you are- MOHUN BAGAN IS DEVILISHING US ).
I DO NOT COME TO MODEL MYSELF ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD HE SAID.
I come here to win and that is what I play the game for. Go to Dilip Kumar or Uttam Kumar if you want to shoot in for the HEROES and the SUPERSTARS .I'm a footballer he roared loudly.
WELL- IN THAT FINALS, HABIB SCORED TWO AS EAST BENGAL BEAT MOHUN
BAGAN BY 2-0.
After the final whistle was blown, the CHIEF OF THE AIR FORCE, Mr Arjan Singh rushed to him to embrace him. The CHIEF just requested Habib , to pose for a photograph with him embracing Habib. Arjan Singh had become a GREAT Habib friend, and FAN, after watching him in the Asian Games 1970 at Bangkok.
Habib was struck . He never believed in posing for these kind of photos. But that same photographer who received so much of LASHING from habib just before the match , came rushing to Mr Arjan singh, saying that SIR , I HAVE CLICKED THAT MOMENT OF YOU EMBRACING HABIB , AND I WILL PUBLISH IT ON MY NEWSPAPER , THE " NAVBHARAT TIMES " TOMMORROW.
Arjan Singh got that photo from thar photographer and the photographer received a PRIZE of Rs 50-00 from the Chief then. later that photographer made it clear that he too was a footballer who played for Ramjas College of New Delhi, then and had taken to running his Father's photo studio after his studies were over, and that HE WAS A GREAT HABIB FAN
F ). I Would Shake Hands With Him After The Game Is Over And Not
Before - ::
September 24th
1977 WOULD BE A GOLDEN SCRIPTED DAY
in the annals of Indian football. The WORLD FAMOUS COSMOS, U.S.A Football team
was at Calcutta to play an exhibition match against them which had PELE.
Continuous rain had completely left any chance for that
visiting team to take on the field as a RESULT the entire team players of Mohun
Bagan were DEAD.Their chance to FEEL Pele , to
shake hands with him, to be photographed with him were it seems , all their priorities . They felt that if they did not do that and miss this opportunities, everything for them would be LOST
and GONE.
Mr Dhiren Dey , then after so many pursuance and after like KNEELING on is knees
for the game to be played at last was successful to see to it the Chief Coach of Cosmos agreed
to continue with the game.This game was played at Edens Gardens.
It became very challenging then for the Chief Coach of Mohun
Bagan about how to formulise and strategise against that WORLD CLASS TEAM that
had Pele,
Backenbuer , Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto ( The Winning Brazilain Captain of 1970
World Cup ) and a few World Cuppers from Italy and Argentina playing for them.
The problem was HOW TO CONTAIN PELE. Habib
got up to say to the Coach- SAAB, I GUESS PELE IS A NOMAL HUMAN BEING
LIKE US. Over the years we have played many normal human beings who
were DIAMONDS of football and we gave them the answer. Today too we would play
them likewise and we would give them an answer- PROVIDED WE HAVE THE
CONFIDENCE IN US.
When the teams entered into the play field every Mohun Bagan
players encircled themselves around Pele to have a click with him and to shake
their hands with him. The only exception was MOHAMMED HABIB.
When Subash Bhowmik
asked him the reason to have been different, he replied- SUBASH, I WILL , BUT ONLY
AFTER THE MATCH. ALL I’M THINKING IS HOW WILL I DRAW PELE TO APPROACH ME FOR
THE HANDSHAKE.
Well, a goal by
Chinaglia courtesy a penalty put them ahead by 1-0. A solo run by Shyam Thapa
made it 1-1. From here it was Mohammed habib who took over and he RULED
the entire pitch. His ONE-TWO-ONE with Shyam Thapa saw him darting to the
Cosmos goal and making it 2-1 for Mohun Bagan. It was the XEROX COPY ( CARBON COPY OF THAT ERA ) of the goal scored by Carlos
Alberto, SAME as he scored in that World Cup Finals against Italy, and alike that by 100% of a STRAIGHT VERTICAL PASS from Pele, to Alberto
to restore the parity for Cosmos to save their skin .
The match eneded in a 2-2 draw. All the MOUTH started
saying that THE EMPORER OF FOOTBALL, PELE COULD NOT DEFEAT INDIA.
Well after the match a GRAND party, a DINNER was held at
Hotel Grand at Calcutta. Here it was Pele who was searching for Habib. No
sooner that the entire Mohun Bagan team entered the banquet, Pele moved forward
to SHAKE
– HAND with him and after a few reciprocations, he asked Habib – ARE
YOU INTERESTED TO PLAY AT EUROPE. I CAN GET YOU A TICKET TO REAL MADRID.
For I have seen so many playing and I have played against so many. But today my concept about football has changed for ever. Playing against you I realised that are are so DIFFERENT and so UNIQUE. However YOU from INDIA will go with me to HEAVEN, as a memoir, when I breathe my last. That is how I would remember you.
A HUMBLE and a MODEST football player, that he was,
he replied- I PLAY AS A PROFESSIONAL
HERE AND I’M WELL PAID .THANK FOR YOUR HEAVENLY
WORDS.
G ) . He Was The
Country’s FIRST Professional
Footballer -::
He NEVER took a JOB with anybody till he
played football. He RECEIVED as many
as 47 offers from 1966 to 1985 when he last played for Tata Football Sports
Club along with his brother Akbar – but he never reciprocated to any job
offers.
He thus was the FIRST
INDIAN PROFESSIONAL footballers. Once a famed sports script when he
last played football for Tata S.C wrote about him that FOR REJECTING 47 JOB OFFERS
, Habib won 47 titles for his clubs that he played.
After retiring from his playing career which spanned from
1965 when he first played for City Old Boys’ College team from 1965 to 1985 –after playing
for TWENTY
ONE seasons , he took his FIRST job, that too as a COACH
for TATA
FOOTBALL ACADEMY. Even
after leaving the game, he continued serving football.
Some Glaring Records About Mohammed Habib-::
1). He joined the East Bengal football club as a
professional footballer in 1966 .He scored a total of 113 goals for East Bengal
which is the FOURTH ever highest goal scorer for them.
Pic - :: The Cubical Number TEN of East Bengal Club , of the MODERN ERA, where he sat for the last time on August 1st 2020 during the CENTENARY CELEBRATION of the famed club.
2). When he last visited East Bengal Football club, he went
to the players dressing room to find WHERE WAS LOCKER NUMBER TEN. Instead
he found the CUBICAL NUMBER TEN. For the last time he SAT
on the NUMBER TEN cubicle and REQUESTED a photographer to
click his picture with him sitting on that cubicle.
3 ). I GOT The Blessing Of ALLAH From The TENT – MOSQUE Of East Bengal -::
August 1st 2020.It was the HUNDRED YEAR CELEBRATION
of East Bengal. A reporter asked him
about WHAT WAS EAST BENGAL FOOTBALL
CLUB TO HIM.
His reply was - IF
I GOT ANY BLESSINGS FROM ALLAH- IT WAS THE EAST BENGAL TENT MOSQUE WHICH WAS
LORD ALLAH TO ME AND HE BLESSED ME WITH WHATEVER I ACHIEVED IN MY LIFE AS WELL
AS IN FOOTBALL.
He later to a queery from a repoter on that day, replied that WHEN I BREATHE MY LAST, UNLIKE THE OTHERS WHO SAY THAT THEY WOULD GO EMPTY HAND, I WOULD CARRY THE PICTIRE OF Mr JYOTISH CHANDRA GUHA, AND THE EAST BENGAL CLUB IN MY HEART TO THE HEAVEN.
BUT FOR Mr JYOTISH CHANDRA GUHA, AND THIS CLUB EAST BENGAL , I WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN WHAT I COULD BE IN MY LIFE .
He was 71 years of age by then. He NEVER
knew that he would be able to again visit this ALLAH – MOSQUE of personally his , East Bengal , Calcutta club , which
was to him as he had replied . His failing health and his loss of bodily
strength made him to think so that he would never in the future be able to visit this club once again in his life..
'71, it was when India last stood as the VICTOR in a football tourney.That was the PESTA - SUKAN football tourney, held at Manila , Philippines, and India shared that Finals, sharing the honour with Vietnam. Mohammded Habib was the PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT then.
Thus in football, he started his professional career with
that club to end over there as a footballer, who was then not playing football, but was living his life as a professional , who would NEVER talk about football anymore , during that age .
However it may be added here that his last season at Calcutta football was in 1983 when he last donned the Mohun Bagan jersey and from there his sojourn of Calcutta and it's football that had to do with him was over.
Pic - :: The scene of the LAST game that Habib played for Mohun Bagan and at Calcutta in 1983 .That derby had ended in a 0-0 draw.Here Manoranjan Bhattacharjee the ROCK OF GIBRALTAR of Indian Football tackling the progress of Habib in that match.
His last game was against East bengal in the I.F.A League match and it had ended in a 0-0 draw.
His Football Achievements And His International Statistics-::
1 ). He played against Thailand in 1967 in the Merdeka .
That was his first game as an international for India.
2). He played 35 international games for India.
3). He scored 11 goals for India in those 35 international
matches.
4). He won the BRONZE MEDAL in the 1970
Asian Games for India
5). He helped India to finish with a BRONZE in the 1970
ASIAN CUP FOOTBALL
6 ) . He scored goals in THREE DURAND CUP finals out of the
seven he played for his teams in his entire career .That is a record for any footballer playing the Durand Cup Finals.
7). He scored 113 goals for East Bengal , playing for them
in 1966, 1968 , 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1982
8 ). He scored FIVE goals of a 6-1 win over Services in the
Nowgong Santosh trophy Finals against Services .That is the HIGHEST number of
goals scored by any footballer in the finals of Santosh trophy
9 ). He received Arjuna Award for Football in 1981
10 ). He was awarded the EAST – BENGAL – GOURAV award by the East Bengal club authority.
In every manner he was the SALIM DURRANI , the PRINCE of Indian Football and the PROUD OWNER of JERSEY NUMBER 10. a jersey that EMPEROR PELE wore from the first day to the last days of his footballing career and so did Mohammed Habib.
More facts and information about Mohammed Habib-::
There are certain glaring points about WHY WAS MOHAMMED HABIB so important in the annals of Indian sports.
Why is that HE IS REGARDED SO HIGH BY THE
FRATERNITY OF INDIAN FOOTBALL.
One might say that his football qualities were such, and
this and that. NO – and NEVER would be the answer.
The answer lies in the fact and if one reads these they would be ASTONISHED-::
A ) . He was the FIRST PROFESSIONAL Footballer
of India.
B ). HE DID NOT WAKE HIMSELF
UP AFTER NINE IN THE NIGHT AND HE DID NOT SLEEP AT ALL AFTER FIVE IN THE
MORNING
C ). He NEVER sipped even a DROP
of WINE
in any form for the entire course in his life.
D ) . He NEVER saw a SINGLE
movie of any form in his life
E ) . All his life, he ALWAYS preferred the HAKIMI
– TREATMENT to cure all his injuries. HE NEVER PREFERRED
anything out of it.
F ) . He always PREFERRED to eat FRESH
food and never did he take anything which were stale and INJURIOUS to his
body.
H ). He always preferred to remain aloof and alone. That was
because he believed that remaining in the company of many SHORTENS and DEREGULISES
the life which is so FATAL to life.
I ) . He NEVER believed in giving any interviews etc to any
press and media
He totally was a FOOTBALLER, completely
professional in his attitude and his mannerism on the field and off the field
was totally different.
" SALAAM - BADE - MIAN " for every act of your football and it's skill , which was as good as ETERNAL and which always made a HEAVEN here on the earth.
R.I.P Bade- Mian
That is it
Regards and Thanks
Pics
Shyamal Bhattacharjee
Mr Shyamal Bhattacharjee, the author was born at West Chirimiri Colliery at District Surguja, Chattisgarh on July 6th 1959 He received his early education at Carmel Convent School Bishrampur and later at Christ Church Boys' Higher Secondary School at Jabalpur. He later joined Hislop College at Nagpur and completed his graduation in Science and he also added a degree in B A thereafter. He joined the HITAVADA, a leading dailies of Central India at Nagpur as a Sub-Editor ( Sports ) but gave up to complete his MBA in 1984 He thereafter added a Diploma In Export Management. He has authored FIVE books namely Notable Quotes and Noble Thought published by Pustak Mahal in 2001 Indian Cricket : Faces That Changed It published by Manas Publications in 2009 and Essential Of Office Management published by NBCA, Kolkatta in 2012, GOLDEN QUOTES on Inspiration, Sorrow, Peace and Life, published by B.F.C Publications, Lucknow, and QUOTES:: Evolution and Origin of Management Electives by Clever Fox Publishing, Chennai and From Dhyan To Dhan :: Indian Hockey - Sudden Death Or Extra Time published by Clever Fox Publishing House . He has a experience of about 35 years in Marketing .
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