Football captured my imagination when I was in Kolkatta.
It was a strange and eerie beginning. I was in my office and was new to Kolkatta. One day in the afternoon as I rang the bell for the Sepoy no one came. I repeatedly rang the bell and no one attended. Suddenly I felt a strange sense of quiet. I rushed out side and was surprised not to see a single person in the long corridors.Then I went to the rooms next to mine. They were empty. I looked out of the window and down towards the road. Not a soul to be seen on the road. I was panicky. I rushed to the great halls and when I found no one there, my panic took a reality beyond understanding and explanation. I looked in to the other offices but they were all empty.I rushed to the other floors and there also the same eerie quiet and not a soul to be seen.
All the stories and films on eerie and unbelievable happenings had appeared to come true in kolkatta on that day.I began to imagine that something had happened and therefore everyone had vanished but why I alone was there?
As all sorts of such thoughts confused my bewildered mind there came a very loud and deafening roar from somewhere down the ten storey building. I rushed there to find all people around a small room. I very excitedly and hoping for the worst asked them as to what had happened and quick came the reply ‘Goal’.
So that had what had happened –a goal, in the league game of football between two traditional rival teams of Kolkatta.
I went to see the match between /east Bengal and Mohun Bagan at the Mohun Bagan grounds and narrowly escaped from the frenzied rioting there after a goal in the car of football hero Shri Chuni Goswami, courtesy one of my officers, who was also a football player of repute.
However I have only touched football rarely and that too when my son, who spent his earliest childhood there played football with me.
Football too is a very fast game like hockey.
I enjoyed watching some international players and teams at the Eden gardens.
But I have not followed the game much as I have loved and followed cricket.