Abdul
Gani
Guwahati:
If life were a Bollywood film, Hem Das would have been a Shah Rukh Khan with
the halo of a Chak De! But a grand dream of Das – the soccer version of the hit
Bollywood film revolving around hockey — is dying a slow death due to paucity
of funds and the government’s refusal to help.
In a mission to spread soccer skills among village
youngsters, Hem Das has single-handedly trained around 40 young girls at Rani,
a sleepy township about 40 kms from Guwahati.
It all started in 2010 when Das, a soccer
player-turned coach, set out on a mission to fullfil one of his life-long
ambitions — find uncut gems in the rural belts and polish them into sparkling
soccer players.
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| The girls at the centre. Pic by Abdul Gani |
“I always feel that in physical sports like football,
the village youths are more suitable. And they have the fire in them to excel.
The only thing they lack is proper training,” he told Seven Sisters Post. But
to his surprise, there were hardly any boys interested in taking up soccer.
Instead, he found a rag-tag bunch of girls who were not only keen to know the
game, but were also very quicklearners.
Most significantly, many of these girls had never
even seen a football match. Starting from scratch, the former Assam and Santosh
Trophy player groomed the 40-odd girls, taking them through the paces and
building a team capable of beating the best in the state.
The girls even took part in several exhibition
matches in Guwahati and Barpeta. Das, who is in his late 50s, provided the
girls with all the equipment, from boots to balls, all at his own expenses. “It
cost me around Rs 80,000 per year to run the camp. This is just for the love of
the game. And over the last two years we have developed an attachment like a
family. But it has become tough for me to continue this,” a very dejected Das
said.
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| Hem Das giving tips. Pic by Abdul Gani |
All these girls who study at Rani High School come
from nearby villages like Moirapur, Jayantipur, Maskuchi, Natun Rani, Rani,
Natun Batabari, Koroibari, Pitbari, Bahupara, Goimari, Rangapara, and Lalmati
every day to attend the camp at the playground of the school.
“Their passion and dedication towards the sport have
provided me the energy to continue it. Their parents, who have to toil hard to
make both ends meet, have also been extremely supportive,” the coach said.
But Das said no sports organiser or government body
has shown any interest at his initiative. “The girls were almost ready to take
part in the last inter-district competition, but it did not happen due to some
problems. Hopefully, this year they can make it. I’m also thinking of sending
them to represent other districts,” he added.
However, he is not sure if he can continue the camp
any more. “I don’t know how far I can go with these girls. They have picked up
the game well and showed promise. But the main obstacle I’m facing at present
is funds which I need to maintain the camp,” Das said. The young football
players, on the other hand, were effusive in their praise for “Das sir”, who
has turned into a beacon of light in their humdrum life. “We are grateful to
Das sir for his efforts to fulfil our dreams.
We could have never done it if he was not here to
help us out. We are hopeful that by playing soccer, we would be able to take
the name of our village to the national soccer scene. Though initially my mother
refused to this, now she too have understood the importance,” said Purnima
Rabha, a player of the camp who lost her father several years ago.
Young players like Purnima can now bend it like
Beckham but Das is not too sure if he will achieve the goal he had set out to
reach. (Seven Sisters Post)
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