My greatest East Bengalmemory is also my first. Cramped into the Mohun Bagan ground among some 35,000people, I had witnessed East Bengal demolish Bagan 5-0 in the 1975 IFA Shieldfinal. The win proved to be East Bengal’s fourth consecutive Shield triumph andtheir 14th overall. Surajit Sengupta had opened the scoring, with man of thematch Shyam Thapa bagging a brace. By the time Subhankar Sanyal had netted tomake it five, it was impossible to watch the action. For everyone in the standswas on their feet, leaping in ecstasy!
'Between 1983 and 1991, Ibarely missed an East Bengal match'
Just two years later, thepicture could not be more different. After five consecutive Shield titles, mybeloved East Bengal lost the 1977 final 0-1 to Mohun Bagan. We had played agreat match, but could not convert our chances. The agony was etched on everyface that wore red and yellow.
I was only 10 when Istarted following East Bengal, but the peak of my fandom came during my time asa student at the Medical College. Between 1983 and 1991, I barely missed anEast Bengal match, even if it meant bunking college to be at the stadium. Back inthe day, our seats would be fixed, and even if someone turned up late, theycould find their way to their customary position and cheer the team on.
I was fortunate to watchthe golden era of East Bengal unravel, a stark contrast to the more humble situationof today. While I was bitterly disappointed with our ISL performance lastseason (where East Bengal finished bottom of the table), I’m at least relievedthat we have our ISL place intact.
Majid Bishkar was thegreatest in an East Bengal shirt
The team changes sofrequently these days that it’s a bit challenging to keep track of whichplayers are coming and going. My favourites, however, were all from the bygoneera. Majid Bishkar was, for me, the greatest I watched in an East Bengal shirt.I was also a big admirer of Surajit Sengupta, Sudhir Karmakar, Subhash Bhowmickand Chima Okorie. A part of me wishes that Subrata Bhattacharya had representedmy great club. Of course, he did become our manager, but to have him play forEast Bengal, especially alongside Monoranjan Bhattacharya, would have beenspecial.
Once the wheel of fortuneturns, we will rise again
In 1994, I moved to theUK, where I stayed until 2011. Back then, without the internet and socialmedia, it was difficult to follow East Bengal games while sitting 5000 milesaway. So I had to rely on Anandabazar reportage and calls with friends backhome to get all the updates. During my stay in England, I also developed aliking for Manchester United, partly because my time there coincided withUnited’s decades of dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson. But East Bengal was andwill always remain number one. No other club has given me so much happiness.Even today, the mere mention of East Bengal fills me with pure pleasure.
I know that times arerough for East Bengal right now, but such is football. And such is life. Oncethe wheel of fortune turns, we will rise again. The struggle, after all, ispart of being a fan for life. Today we may be gritting our teeth, but tomorrowwe’ll celebrate once more, for East Bengal and turnarounds are seldom far away.
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