Skip to main content

Football and Friendship

Two Friends united by their love for Argentina, Manchester United and East Bengal

This is a story of friendship and football. Or football and friendship. Or perhaps it's not a story at all. On the occasion of two months of Argentina's historic triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, I ask you to accompany me for a trip down the memory lane, to an entirely different era. 

The year is 1998. Argentina are preparing to run riot at the World Cup in France. We have Roberto 'El Raton' Ayala in defense. Ariel Ortega is the new Diego Maradona. Juan Sebastian Veron is pulling the strings in midfield. What could go wrong? Well, everything, it turns out. 

The dream crashes against the Dutch in the quarterfinals. Ortega receives his marching order after head butting Edwin van der Saar. Dennis Bergkamp toys with Ayala and scores a typical worldie in the 90th minute. 

Following the defeat, thousands of miles away, two Ninth Standard boys sit dejected at the Caesar School Assembly Hall. Two La Albiceleste supporters, with the colors sucked out of their world. What did me and Sauvik Dasgupta talk about that mundane morning years ago? The words are lost in the tides of time, although the tears hung around for quite a while. I can neither confirm nor deny that an over enthusiastic Brazil fan did make the day even more miserable for us. 

It was the start of an initial bitter journey, with little cause for rejoice. 

We sped through school, varied degrees of attentiveness in class. Playing pranks, getting admonished, forging unbreakable bonds. Friendships were made and broken on the school grounds on sultry afternoons. Our days were eventful and busy. Studies. Sports. Cultural Program. The Undertaker’s Choke Slam. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner. Badminton, Football, Basketball, Pen fights. Kick ups and Round kicks. Lucky Ali’s songs, especially Anjane Rahon Mein. 

But at the back of our hearts remained an ageless agony, a yearning. A dream. We craved to see Argentina win the World Cup, grief fortifying our bond by the day. There were perhaps muffled cheers when Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi helped lift the Olympic Gold in 2008. For years we believed that would be our only moment of glory with the Argentina national team. 

Life went on. We did too. From desk drumming in class room to an amateur singer-guitarist pair. From Mohiner Ghoraguli to Fossils. Tomay Dilam to Ekla Ghar Amar Desh to Summer of ’69. Yet the wait continued. We celebrated the Copa America win, revelled in the Finalissima triumph. But it was still the Holy Grail of football that we craved. 

Little did we know that there was a golden end to the painful trip. Perhaps even an ode to a friendship steeped in Football. When you want something so bad in life, well, yeah... 

Two months ago, on this day, the wait ended. Gonzalo Montiel’s strike cured the heartbreak of '98. Maybe it put a smile across Roberto Ayala's face. Perhaps it made Ariel Ortega take a deep breath and finally relax. 

It also helped two friends rest their demons. Today I close my eyes and head back to that day almost 25 years ago. I walk through the green school gate, past Krishna Da's shop, the lush green ground to my left. I step across the old library and reach the end of the Auditorium. There I find two friends immersed in pain and I tell them it's okay to be sad. I tell them that their story does take a glorious turn. That their friendship will last longer than the pains. 

Because what is life without friends who help you cross the treacherous bends? 

So here I am, taking this moment to give a shout-out to this “Asshole” and all my other friends who have stuck around, making life worthwhile. Here’s to life and friendship, and of course, football.

N. B. - This picture was taken the last time we met, years ago at Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati for a brief chat. It has been republished without permission, without remorse, without apology, as friendship should be.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Let me know how you felt about this post

Popular posts from this blog

How am I doing, actually?

For past 10 months, a lot of people have been asking me how I have been. And I’ve always maintained that I’m fine. But I guess it’s time I brush aside those fake one-liners and honestly ask myself, “ How am I doing, actually?” I thought I would give up blogging after Baba passed away. Yet here I am, remembering Him, and trying to make a comeback of sorts. I remember how He always encouraged me to write, saying that it was important to have different aspects of one’s life, and not just work till you drop. How do you cope with life after losing that pillar of your world? How do you get a grip on yourself and try to fix your messed up life? How do you take that step ahead, knowing that now there’s no one to fall back to if you make a mistake? Simple, You don’t. There’s no written protocol, no Standard Operating Procedure. Like they say, life simply doesn’t come with an instruction manual. I remember I used to have a decent life, not a care in life, no worries. I had my pare...
6 comments
Read more

2441139

“Hello, 2441139, Can you hear me, Bela Bose?” Anjan Dutta sang this song a decade back. And yet, to some people like me, it still rings a bell deep inside. Although the original song is quite pacy, Mr. Dutta performed an acoustic version sometime back, with his son, Neel, which really melts the heart. This song has a special memory of my childhood. As a child, we always look at things at a different perspective. We seldom realise the intensity of the moment. “2441139” was a fun song for me and my cousins in Coochbehar. We play the song until the last part, where Anjan Dutt repeated sings “Hello, 2441139; Hello, 2441139....” We would dial 2-4-4-1-1 (back those days, telephone number used to be of 5 digits). An old lady would pick up the phone and we would bring the receiver close to the speaker of the stereo and Anjan Dutt would do the rest. “Hello 2441139, Hello 2441139...” Then it was growing up and stages of infatuations, understanding love and finally, falling in love. Unless ...
8 comments
Read more

A Letter to Dog-Heaven

How do you communicate with the departed? What if there’s no last meeting, what if You are 2 days late? In a first of its kind in my blog, I’m writing a letter to Dog-Heaven, where my beloved angel is probably spreading her love and her laughter… Dear Scamper, It’s been two months now, but I think of You every day. You are always in my mind. I’m sorry I couldn’t write to You earlier. I am sad. I am still gutted but I understand why You left my side. You have been fighting illness for the past 2 years and more, to the point where finally You had to give in. I am still hollow today, hurt beyond imagination at this loss. But don’t worry too hard, dear, I’ll make it through. I remember the first time I saw You, I remember it so clearly that I feel younger right this moment. I go back roughly 12 and a half years , that enchanting morning when the quirky 14 year old version of me rushed into the living room and saw You sitting solemnly in a little box. You little face was puzzled...
4 comments
Read more

3 Idiots to 100 crore Idiots!

Next time someone calls me an Idiot, I’ll be glad! This exactly was my reaction after watching “3 Idiots”. The movie brings in different kinds of realisation into you. What I realised are: • We all need good friends to survive and stay alive. Friendship is more than having fun and hanging out, it’s standing up for one another. This movie makes me realise how lucky I am to have people who are always there for me, but more than that, it makes me sit back and wonder, am I that good a friend? That question, unfortunately is for someone else to answer! • Amir Khan is the best, simply the best performer there is! Be it is Bhuvan from Lagaan, ASP Rathod from Sarfarosh, Akash from Dil Chahta Hain, Nikumbh Sir from Taare Zameen Par or Rancho from 3 Idiots, He has done it all. Playing a college student when he’s 44, that’s a “Chamatkar” (couldn’t refer to the * word from 3 Idiots, this is a family blog!). I was a Amir Khan fan for as long as I remember and in 3 Idiots, he made me so glad and won...
2 comments
Read more

Marriage Anniversaries, Time and Tide

  Match made in heaven, but perfected on Earth. Those who say Time and Tide wait for none are probably bachelors. Because married people will know that Mr. Time and Mr. Tide have to wait for their Mrs. Mr. Time will have to wait while the missus chooses a dress. Mr. Tide will have to sit solemnly with his wife and wait while she shops for new clothes. The bachelors of the world are unlikely to be abreast of such wisdom. It is only the married masses who have been enlightened with this resourceful information. I'm sure my married pals will agree. In private, of course. Interestingly, on this day, ten years ago, I registered my name among the enlightened bunch, the patient waiters. Sumita was officially promoted to the position of my better half. We were locked in wedlock, all set to face the world hand in hand. I used to imagine that sharing a house with me would be fun, but have, over time, realized that such a statement might not be entirely true. I do have a penchant fo...
5 comments
Read more

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *