Indian Football: A Great Love Story Of Communal Harmony

Mehtab and his wife 

I am  going to write about communal harmony. Football is a religion unto itself, and knows no race, caste, country, language, or religious divide, the love of the game bonding people from disparate backgrounds into a united whole. But first things first.

 If you go to Hussain’s Dhakuria flat, the first thing you may see is a girl worshipping deities with an offering of flowers. She is Hussain’s wife. A Hindu girl by the name of Moumita Purakayastha, now Moumita Hussain. Images of the Hindu goddes Lakshmi live side by side in the Hussain household with symbols of Mecca and Medina; sounds of prayer permeate their home, Hussain’s prayers, five times daily without fail, and his wife’s worship.

Mehtab married Moumita four years ago. He was living in Baruipur back then, and she lived in Durgapur, a couple of stops down the train line. They met, when Moumita was coming to a coaching center. It was love at first sight.

Hussain is not erudite in the strictest sense of the word, but I found this village boy’s wisdom surprisingly illuminating. “Religion is not a factor,” he had said to me once. “My biggest influence is my coach Abhi Duttaroy. He is a Hindu man. Two of my childhood idols Basudev Mandal and Amit Das were also Hindu men. Our religion did not matter in football.”

Mehtab regularly goes to the Dakshineshwar Kali temple, because his wife loves visiting the mandir there. Their separate religions have brought them closer, he feels. He adds, “You know , there are two kinds of men in the world. Not Hindus, and Muslims. But good men and bad men.”

East Bengal midfielder tells me proudly, “Our marriage has changed me as a player and as a man.” He adds, “It is better not to hurt anybody. I don’t eat beef in my house, because it may hurt Moumita’s sentiments. We both celebrate Eid and puja at home. We have retained our individual religious beliefs, and practise our individual faith, but we both love each other, and respect our individual beliefs.”

Bob Houghton ignored him again and again. Houghton’s aloofness did not destroy Mehtab’s confidence. Couple of year back, Mehtab’s biggest dream was to come back to the Indian team. He came back as a strong candidate during Armando Colaco’s regime. East Bengal Coach Steven James Morgan helped him hone his skills, and worked with this British coach hard to be where he is today.

Ahmed Khan and Syed Naimuddin, two other icons of Indian football, are also married to women from a different religious background. Ahmad met his wife Anjali Dey in Calcutta Medical College, when he showed up there with a medical emergency.

Anjali was working as a nurse there. As luck would have it, the first time she went to see Ahmed play, there was a big fight on the grounds, between East Bengal star Ahmed and Mohun Bagan star Anil Dey. This altercation could well have driven a wedge between the couple with its religious undertones, but they married all the same. They have lived happily ever after since. Currently the Khans live in Bangalore, and their son Majid Khan was also a football player, albeit not a very successful one.

Naimuddin met his lady luck Banani in the Calcutta Maidan grounds. She had come all the way from Beadon street to watch the games, as she was an avid football fan.

Banani is now Atiya Begum. Naim says, “My wife was a big influence on me. We met in 1968, married after two years.” His memories lead us to another legendary footballer Late Krishanu Dey’s reminiscences. “Krishanu knew, how much I owe my wife for my success. We are really happy.” Incidentally, their son Fazaluddin is a well known tennis player and was the last Davis Cupper of Calcutta.

[unknown author]