In my last two articles, the introduction of
football in colonial Bengal and the contributions of Shri Nagendraprasad
Sarbhadhikari, the ‘Father of Indian Football’, were discussed. In this article,
I shall discuss about the nationalistic sentiment introduced in football in
colonial Bengal and its impact on the movement against the partition of
Bengal.
Mohun Bagan, the identity of nationalism in the game
of football in colonial Bengal, was established on 15th August 1889
in the political and cultural centre of north Calcutta. The club derived its
name from Kirti Mitra’s Mohun Bagan Villa and the inaugural meeting of the club
was held at the residence of the prominent leader of Congress, Shri Bhupendranath
Basu. The eminent personalities of Bengal became the members of the club, a
list of which is given below:
|
Bhupendranath
Basu
|
|
M.L. Sen
|
|
Jatindranath
Basu
|
|
C.C. Dutta
|
|
J.N. Mitra
|
|
Nalin Chandra
Bose
|
|
Ram Goswami
|
|
Girin Bose
|
|
C.K. Sarkar
|
|
Hemnath Sen
|
|
Upen Ghosh
|
|
Menmohan
Pande
|
|
Dr. M.N. Bose
|
|
Promotha
Chatterjee
|
|
Satish
Chandra Mittra
|
|
Sir
Brojendralal Mitra
|
|
Sir N.N.
Sircar
|
|
Provas Mitter
|
|
Ganendranath
Mitra
|
|
Profulla Bose
|
|
Provas Bose
|
|
Hriday Ghosh
|
|
Sir R.N.
Mookherjee
|
The
wealthy Rajas, including the Maharaja of Coach Behar, Raj Bahadur of
Mahishadal, Maharaja Durga Charan Law, became the patrons of the club. From the
above lists of the patrons and the members, it is obvious that the club
received financial support from the educated and upper class section of the
society, while the fan base was built by the people of the middle class and
lower middle class backgrounds.
Mohun
Bagan started their journey in the IFA Shield in 1911 by beating the St.
Xavier’s College by three goals to nil. In the next match, they defeated the
Rangers Club by two goals to one. In the third match, the club beat the Rifle
Brigade by a solitary goal and qualified for the semi-final. The first
semi-final, against Middlesex Regiment, ended in one-all draw, while the replay
match was won by Mohun Bagan convincingly by scoring three goals. History was
created on 29th July 1911 when Mohun Bagan defeated East York
Regiment in the final of the IFA Shield by two goals to one. Shibdas Bhaduri
and Abilash Ghosh secured permanent places in the history of Indian football by
scoring two goals for Mohun Bagan in the final match of IFA Shield.
The
final match, against East York Regiment, created hype among the Bengali
community. Almost 80,000 people assembled at the Maidan ground to witness the
prowess of an Indian team over a British team in the final of the IFA Shield.
Out of this huge gathering, only a few thousands could see the match properly.
The results of the match were conveyed to the rest by flying kites. The green
kites symbolized the progress of Mohun Bagan, while the black kites symbolized
the progress of the British team. The tickets of the match were sold at a
higher price. A ticket of two rupees was sold at a price of fifteen rupees. It
was, probably, one of the initial instances of black marketing in Indian
sports.
The
historic win of Mohun Bagan in the IFA Shield in 1911 inspired the Bengali
community to stand united against the decision of partition of Bengal taken by
the colonial rulers. The impact of this success was evident from the reports of
the newspapers. The glorious win of Mohun Bagan was highlighted in a report of
The Empire, which wrote, “Even now after 48 hours after the great and glorious
victory of Mohun Bagan over East York’s, the significance of the event has not
been fully realized. It was a fine achievement, the finest indeed in the annals
of football in India.” It continued, “All honours to Mohun Bagan! Those eleven
players are not only a glory to themselves and to their club, but the great
nation that they belong”. The implication of this historic win was rightly
reported in The Englishman, on 31st July 1911, as “What the Congress has failed
to achieve, Mohun Bagan has. In other words they have succeeded in degrading
the English.” The impact of this epochal win was portrayed by Basumati on 5th
August 1911 as “we have seen Bengalis assembled on various occasions of danger,
distress and sorrow such as that of the partition, the Consent Bill and the
death of a great man. But never before did we witness such vast assembly such a
demonstration of joy………. Mohun Bagan has infused a new life into the lifeless
and cheerless Bengalis………… In a country, where union takes place only to
dissolve, where repulsion is more powerful than attraction, you have been able
to knit together so many hearts”. The Amrita Bazar Patrika, on 31st July 1911,
mentioned that this event clearly represented the physical and mental prowess
of the Bengalis.
The
essence of nationalism was reflected in the reports of the newspapers. The
Indian Mirror, on 30th July 1911, reported, “The Japanese victory
over the Russians did not stir the East half as much as did the match between
Mohun Bagan and East York”. On the same day, Nayak wrote, “Indians can hold
their own against Englishmen in every walk of art and science, in every
profession and in the higher grades of the public service. Among sports, in
cricket, Prince Ranjit Singh and the Bombay team have beaten the Englishmen on
their own ground………. It only remains for the Indians to beat Englishmen in that
purely English sport, the football. It thrills every Indian with joy to the
victory of the Mohun Bagan team over English soldiers.”
The
success of Mohun Bagan was viewed as a reply to the racial policy adopted by
the colonial rulers. The sentiment was portrayed in a report of the Times of
India Illustrated Weekly as, “On Thursday and Friday every Bengali carried his
head high and the one theme of conversation in the tramcars, in offices and in
those places where the babus congregate most, was the rout of the King’s
soldiers in boots and shoes by barefooted Bengali lads.”
The
Mussalman, a Muslim journal, wrote, “Although Mohun Bagan was a team composed
of Bengali Hindus, the jubilation in consequence of its success was in fact a
sense of universal joy, which pervaded the feeling of the Hindus, the
Mohammedans and the Christians alike”. The Comrade, another Muslim journal,
wrote, “We hereby join the chorus of praise and jubilation over the victory of
Mohun Bagan”.
The
defeat of mighty British by an Indian team was also celebrated by the
commercial and cultural communities of the city. Special discounts were given
to rejoice the moment. Messrs. S. Roy & Co offered footballs at a cheaper
rate. Messrs. Hald and Chatt offered harmoniums at 10% discount for a period of
two months. The Standard Cycle Company, on 31st July 1911,
distributed the photographs of the Mohun Bagan squad. It may be argued that the
commercial implication in football in India was started with this emphatic win
of Mohun Bagan. The Great National Theater added a by-line with their promotion
‘Balaji Rao’. The by-line was “Mohun Bagan has won the Shield! It is a victory
for Baji Rao”. The Adi Arya Saraswat
Samaj staged a theatre called ‘Vismavijaya’ to honour the club.
The
historic win of Mohun Bagan in 1911 infused a new life into the lifeless and
cheerless Bengalis. The prowess of Mohun Bagan inspired them to stand united
against the decision of partition of Bengal. This win made them believe that
the mighty British could also be defeated. The psychological impact of this win
cannot be ignored. However, it should be remembered that Mohun Bagan was not
the first club to beat a British team. Shobhabazar Club was the first Indian
club to beat a British team in the Trades Cup in 1892. In 1900, National
Association became the first Indian club to win the Trades Cup by defeating
Shibpur Civil Engineering College, which was comprised of only the British
students. Another club from Bengal, Sanatan Sampradaya Football Club, beat the
British team, HLIA Company, in the final of the Oriental Cup on 25th
July 1907. However, the impact of the historic win of Mohun Bagan in the IFA
Shield in 1911 was more significant as it provided an impetus to the movement
against the partition of Bengal.
In
my next article, I shall discuss about the setting up of East Bengal Club and
the introduction of the ‘great rivalry’ between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
References
- Majumdar Boria and Magan J.A. (Edited): Sports
in South Asians Society, Past and Present
- Nath Nirmal: History of Indian Football
- Mitra Soumen: In Search of an Identity, History
of Football in Colonial Calcutta
- Majumdar Boria and Bandyopadhyay Kausik: A
Social History of Indian Football : Striving to Score
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan: The History and Culture
of Indian People, Struggle for Freedom
- Dimeo Paul and Mills James: Soccer in South
Asia Empire, Nation and Diaspora
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan: The History and Culture of the Indian People, Struggle for
Freedom, Volume XI
