In my previous few articles, I wrote on 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
emerged in Calcutta as an elite sport which was often an exclusive preserve of
the ruling class. However, a racial policy was adopted by the British rulers at
a later stage to discriminate Indians from them in the game of football. A
nationalistic approach 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 nationalistic sentiment was replaced by a ‘sub-regional’ sentiment
with the setting up of East Bengal, which divided the Bengali community in two
sections- Ghoti and Bangaal.
In this article, we look into another driving force
of football in colonial Calcutta which created a ‘religious’ sentiment in this
game.
A religious identity was introduced in football in
colonial Calcutta with the setting up of Mohammedan Sporting Club in 1891. The
club provided an identity to the Muslim community of colonial Calcutta 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 within
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 Muslims of Bengal
was divided into two groups- Ashraf and Atraf. The upper section of the community
was known as the Ashraf. The Ashrafs were recognized for their ‘historical
importance’ and was considered as the ‘leader’ of the community. This section
was 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 and were based in Calcutta. 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 on landed properties. The Bengali speaking Ashrafs comprised of the
small landholders and Ulemas of rural Bengal. This lower section of the Muslim
community mainly consisted of local converts to Islam.
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
dominating force of the Muslim community, while Atrafs were large in number,
but were not the driving force.
In 20th Century, the emergence of the
middle class section within the Muslim community played a significant role in
reducing the gap between the Ashraf and Atraf. Small landlords, government
servants and professionals from various fields were the important parts of the
middle class section of Muslim community. The Muslims of rural Bengal, who were
benefitted economically due to the
introduction of jute as a ‘cash crop’ and due to various policies
adopted by the Government to secure their landed properties, were the major component
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 challenged the Hindu Bengalis for professional prosperity. Appeals
were made to the Muslim community, irrespective of Ashraf and Atraf, to
distinguish them from Bengali Hindus who were portrayed as the exploiter of the
Muslim community. Thus, the Muslims of colonial Bengal became united against
the Bengali Hindus and the basis of the unity was religion. This conflict,
based on religion, took a political shape with the formation of the Muslim
League which played an instrumental role in uniting Ashraf and Atraf.
The conflict between Hindu and Muslim communities
was introduced in football in colonial Calcutta with the setting up of
Mohammedan Sporting Club which provided an identity to the Muslim community of
Bengal in the game of football. However, a separate identity for the Muslim
community in football in colonial Calcutta was created in 1887 with the
formation of the Jubilee Club. In 1889, another Muslim club, the Crescent Club,
was set up, the name of which was changed to Hamidia Club at a later stage.
Finally, the Mohammedan Sporting Club, the Muslim identity in football in
colonial Bengal, 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 to fulfill
their political objectives. The Club enjoyed support from all sections of the
Muslim community.
The game of football was started in colonial
Calcutta as a past time leisurely activity of the colonial rulers which 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 epochal
success of Mohun Bagan in the IFA Shield in 1911. The inception of East Bengal
created a sub-regional sentiment in the game while the setting up of Mohammedan
Sporting evoked a religious sentiment. Therefore, the social- political, socio-
cultural, socio- economical and religious factors played a pivotal role for the
growth of football in colonial Calcutta. However, during this period, no comprehensive
initiative was introduced to improve the quality of the game or the quality of
the players. Hence, the success of the football clubs of Calcutta, in the
pre-independence period, was limited to a few competitions that took place in
Bengal or in other parts of the country, but it never reached beyond the
boundaries of India.
