`Aliens’ set sight on footballing glory

SELECTIVE development in the North-East leaves them as `outsiders’ in the Indian Republic. Newspapers feature insurgent violence or `stories of human interest’. But for the people, these things hardly matter.

Kunjarani Devi, Ng Dingko Singh, Bhaichung Bhutia et al have made the country proud. Success sometimes bring an air of arrogance but with the people of the North-East, it’s not.

Indian football these days has been besiged by players from the North-East. They are from impoverished backgrounds and won’t ask for money because they don’t know how to. Their innocence forces them to work tirelessly without manipulating situations. And therein lies the problem.

THE Air-India colony in Santa Cruz greets visitors with the sign `Outsiders are not allowed and cricket playing is strictly prohibited’. The day is Tuesday and defending champions of the Western India Football Association Super League ’99 are slugging it out.

Coach Bimal Ghosh waves his hand to someone for a chair. He gives the impression of going along the lines of the fabled nursery of Holland’s Ajax Amsterdam. “Look at Naresh Maity a new boy from Manipur he will create waves in the future.

“You want a story on Khalid Jamil ?” Ghosh asks. “He is the star.”Air-India has a clutch of Manipuris in its ranks. Khambiton Singh has been with them for some time and he paved way for Bungo Singh, Tomba Singh, Ratan Singh, Romi Singh to name a few.

Bungo and Tomba are so innocent that you feel like shaking them to reality. Hailing from neighbouring villages of the Wyunkhai Palace compound in Manipur and after two years in the commercial capital, they remain aliens.

“I don’t go out much. Language is a problem and I don’t feel at home here,” says Bungo, wiping sweat from his forehead and pulling off his AC Milan jersey. For sheer romanticism, one immediately thinks of what Robby Krieger penned for The Doors: People are strange when you are a stranger.

However, Bungo is no stranger with the ball. When he takes those rasping pile-drivers, he poses problems galore for his rivals. But given his talent, he gets pittance. Rs 12,000 per month for all the hard work he plays as a defensive mid-fielder (last year when Air-India was relegated from the National Football League, he was getting Rs 7000). He was declared the best footballer in the Subroto Cup four years back. But Santosh Trophy success and Air-India’s flight to the NFL have given the message to `soccer scouts’. “I got offers but didn’t know what to do,” he says.

The 19-year-old muscular Bungo seems smarter than his lean friend. Tomba is so shy that doesn’t know how he came into this game. “Just like that. I was playing for United Sports Association (Manipur) and then came here.” He has two brothers and three sisters and recently one of his brothers became a father. “What do you call an uncle in Manipuri ?” He looked helplessly at Romi Singh. Then, with an infectious smile, said: “Kaka”.

Have they been to their homes recently. “Flew home for five days. There is no direct flight from Mumbai,” said Tomba. Air travel, for the two, is an incentive.

Bungo and Tomba have been with Air-India for two years. They made their marks during the Santosh Trophy this year though Tomba was not in the first eleven. Bungo is in the India under-19 camp and left for Goa on Wednesday. “Rustom Akhramov (India junior coach) is a tough task master,” he said.

Coming out of the colony, one recollected an incident that took place five years in the East Bengal tent in Calcutta. The club’s masseur was teasing a native of Tinky Tam, Sikkim by refusing to give a letter from his home. The innocence of the lad came to the fore when he simply broke down at not being able to read the latest from his village. The innocent boy has grown into a superstar today who responds to the name of Bhaichung Bhutia.

Maybe, some day Bungo and Tomba too would attain the star-status of Bhutia. Ironically, for the Air-India duo, Manipuri power lifter Kunjarani is an idol not the Sikkimese striker.