In my last three articles, I described the gradual growth
of football in colonial Calcutta since 1858, when the first recorded
football match was played in Calcutta. It may be said that the game of football
was emerged
as an elite sport which was often the exclusive preserve of the ruling class. A racial
policy was adopted by the British rulers to discriminate Indians in football. An identity of nationalism was introduced against this racial policy,
which took a prominent shape with the epochal success of Mohun Bagan in the IFA
Shield in 1911. This sentiment of nationalism was replaced by a
‘sub-regional’ identity with the setting up
of East Bengal club, which divided the
Bengali community into two sections- Ghoti
and Bangaal.
In this article, the introduction of a
‘religious sentiment’ in the game of football in colonial Bengal is discussed.
A religious identity was created in football in colonial Calcutta with
the setting up of Mohammedan Sporting Club in 1891. The club
was instrumental in providing an identity to the
Muslim community and was supported by all sections of people of this religion.
The upper class of the Muslim community extended their support to the club to
demonstrate the unity of the community, which was essential to fulfill their political desire. The lower section of the community supported
the club as it emerged as a medium to establish their religious supremacy over
the others.
In 19th Century, the Muslim community of Bengal was divided
into two groups- Ashraf and Atraf. The upper section of the community was known as Ashraf. This
section was recognized for their
‘historical importance’ and was considered as the ‘leader’ of the community. They were largely dependent on the patronage of the British rulers. Ashrafs
were divided into three sub-groups- upper Ashraf, middle Ashraf and lower
Ashraf. The upper Ashrafs represented the urban elite who were linked to the
rulers of Oudh, Mysore, Murshidabad. Urdu was the
language of the upper Ashraf. The Urdu- Bengali speaking middle Ashrafs were
the descendants of elite Muslim administrators and military. They earned their livelihoods from landed properties. The Bengali speaking
Ashrafs comprised of the small landholders and Ulemas of rural Bengal. Local converts to Islam were an important part of Atraf.
These two groups of Muslim community, Ashraf and Atraf, were entirely
different in terms of their social, cultural, political and economical status.
Ashrafs were relatively small in number, but were the leading force of the Muslim community, while Atrafs were large in number, but
were not the driving force of the community.
In 20th Century, the emergence of the middle class section in
the Muslim community played a significant role in reducing the gap between the
Ashraf and Atraf. This middle class section of this community comprised
small landlords, government servants and professionals from various fields. The
Muslims of rural Bengal, who were benefitted economically due to the introduction of jute as a ‘cash crop’ and due
to various policies introduced by the Government
to secure their landed properties, were the major components of this emerging
middle class. The setting up of the Dacca University helped them to gain in
literacy. This progressive middle class of the Muslim community of Bengal
started challenging the Hindu Bengalis for professional prosperity.
The Hindu- Muslim division was introduced in the game of football in colonial Bengal with the setting up
of Mohammedan Sporting Club, which provided an
identity to the Muslim community of Bengal. However, a
separate identity had already been created for them
with the setting up of the Jubilee Club in 1887. In 1889,
another Muslim club, the Crescent Club, was established.
The
name of this club was changed to
Hamidia Club at a later stage. Finally, the
Mohammedan Sporting Club was established in 1891.
In the initial phase, Mohammedan Sporting Club shared the support of
Muslim community with two other clubs- the Oriental Club and the Muslim Club.
The Club came under the spotlight during the period of 1924- 1929 after a
change in its Executive Committee. The rise was furthered in 1934, when the Club qualified to participate in the First Division of the
Calcutta Football League. The Club remained the Champion of the League for the
next five years till 1938. It was considered as the ‘Golden Age’ of Mohammedan
Sporting.
The Club received patronage not only from the elite Muslim Aashrafs,
but also from the British Governors. The Muslim politicians, such as Khwaja
Nazimuddin, extended their active support to the Club. The Club enjoyed support
from all sections of the Muslim community.
The game of football was
introduced in colonial Calcutta as a recreational
activity of the colonial rulers. The game was gradually taken up by the elite class of
Bengal due to the lure of demonstration effect. It became an instrument of
nationalism with the triumph of Mohun Bagan in
the IFA Shield in 1911. The setting up of East Bengal club created a sub-regional sentiment in the game, while the setting up of Mohammedan Sporting introduced a religious sentiment. The
factors that played an important role for the growth of football in colonial
Calcutta were the socio- political, socio- cultural, socio- economical and religious situations. However, during this period, no
comprehensive initiative was taken to introduce a structure for
improving the quality of the game or the quality of the players.
References
1.
Majumdar
Boria and Magan J.A. (Edited): Sports in South Asians Society, Past and
Present
2. Nath Nirmal: History of Indian Football
3. Mitra Soumen: In Search of an Identity,
History of Football in Colonial Calcutta
4. Majumdar Boria and Bandyopadhyay Kausik: A
Social History of Indian Football:
Striving to Score
5. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan: The History and
Culture of Indian People, Struggle for
Freedom
6. Dimeo Paul and Mills James: Soccer in
South Asia Empire, Nation and Diaspora
7. Banerjee Ankan: The Success of Mohun
Bagan in IFA Shield in 1911 And Its Impact In The
Context of Partition of Bengal
