Ekalavya

Telugu: Ghandikota Brahmaji Rao

“Guruji! Prana​mams!”

Sibo touched his Guru’s feet in reverence.

Sibo is now Sivakumar Majumdar. The person to whom Sibo paid his respects as Guru was Sailendra Majumdar.

*

Sailendra was a football coach. He was presently located in Kolkata. Burnpur Steel Plant had offered him employment only to give coaching to its staff and their children. He was on the job for the last fifteen years.

As the coach to ‘Burnpur Blues’ he was staying in Kolkata for the last one week. His team passed the league stage, and it was playing quarter finals the next day. If they win, they will reach the semi-final stage.

(West) Bengal is famous for football. Even the village boys practice football with all seriousness. When the Football World Cup matches were broadcast live for the first time in India, you don’t believe, some lakhs of TV’s were sold in (West) Bengal alone. They were so crazy about the game.

Sibo spent his childhood in Burnpur. Mira was his mother. She worked as domestic help in reputed households. One can’t blame him for his lack of education. Had they joined him in a good school he might have studied well. But the parents could not afford it. Consequently, Sibo accompanied his mother to the households she worked in, worked with her, baby-sit the engineer’s children, tried to imitate the accent of the convent-educated children, and played football alone in the background. They did not allow him to play with them. Acting as the assistant to the coach, in marking the area of play, in bringing the ball ​going out of the playing arena and all miscellaneous work without wages or acknowledgement, he learnt many techniques on his own. It was like taking five years of training under Sailendra indirectly.

Sibo left Burnpur for Kolkata at the age of twelve. His father got a regular job there. From then on, his life took an unexpected turn. People there recognized the football talent of the young guy and slowly he became famous and captured news headlines locally. He had become Sivakumar Majumdar now. From an abusive he, he changed to a respectable he.

Sibo was humble by nature. He never entered the playing ground, to this day, without paying respects to his Guru in his mind. He participated in many tournaments and was unbeatable as Centre-forward.

*

He came to know that his Guru had accompanied ‘Burnpur Blues’ and wanted to meet him personally and pay his respects.

But Sailendra did not recognize him for quite some time.

Then he reminded: “Guruji! Do you remember a little boy who entered the football ground sharply by five in the evening, bringing you Chai, running round the ground, and you teaching the boys how to kick, how to stop, how to dribble and how to pass? And the boy standing in the back and listening to you along with others? I​t is me, Sibo, son of Mira? Did you forget?”

“My goodness! It’s you? There was such a change in you. How come you are here?” asked Sailendra.

He presented the bouquet he brought to him.

Looking into the face of his Guru he asked, “Guruji! You are looking worried?”

“Sibo! You are right. But what can I do? As you know, our Burnpur team is playing the quarterfinals tomorrow. We have come up to this stage. If we win tomorrow, are sure to win the finals.”

“Guruji! Our Burnpur team will win. Why should you doubt?”

“Yes. I was also confident till half an hour back. But I came to know that the North-Bengal team had brought a new player. They say he was an exceptionally talented player. He was an enigma. No matter how many ways I try to infuse confidence in them, our team is not confident.”

Sibo looked into his eyes. Sailendra looked lost and forlorn.

“Sibo! Tell me one clever idea to win over Majumdar. Our team entered the tournament on the strength of my coaching techniques. But for this Majumdar, they are sure to win.”

Sibo was lost in thoughts.

“Even if they lose now, they will win next time. But my reputation is at stake.”

Sailendra was really in tears.

“Guruji! I feel bad to see you suffer like this.”

“What else can you do?”

“Whatever little I could.”

“Then tell me how to win this game.”

“Then, listen. You have Bhim Nandan Sinha in your team. He is a six-footer. A King-Kong -like player. He was notorious for kicking the ball less and players in the opposite team more. You instruct him to mark Majumdar!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! That’s the only way. Rest assured. Majumdar is also your student.”

‘He was also your student!’ The coach was doubly surprised.

“Then, Sibo! Will you remind him that he was my student? Tell him doing justice to his Guru!”

Sibo did not say another word. He touched his feet once more in reverence and left the club.

*

Sibo did not get to sleep that night for long.

From a nameless player he had come to a stage where people could identify him with his skills. In another six months he would be leaving for a foreign assignment. He was just coming out of the throes of poverty. The game not only gave him an identity but also helped him in other ways.

What should he do?

The face of his coach appeared before his eyes. He was teaching the tricks​ only to officers’ children. He did not give him any special training.

Yet, he had accepted him as his Guru!

So, no matter what happens, pleasing his Guru seemed his immediate duty.

The quarterfinal match between Burnpur Blues and North Bengal team was held the following day. For the first forty minutes of the match, Majumdar was at his best. He was the lone person who escaped Bhim Nandan Sinha’s violent kicks. The first half was about to finish in five minutes.

North Bengal had already scored three goals. Sivakumar alone scored three. Sailendra was flabbergasted. He could not believe his eyes. Did Sibo deceive him?

There was a big commotion in the ground. Bhim Nandan Sinha rose high into the air and was about to kick Sibo on the hip joint. This time Sibo did not ​try to avoid him. Spectators ran onto the ground. Police had arrived. Majumdar was taken to hospital and Sinha was ​immediately suspended.

In the second half Burnpur scored four goals and won the match.

*

Sivakumar Majumdar could no longer play football now. He lost one leg. He walks with an artificial leg now.

But his fans secured him a football coach job and saw to it that he was comfortable in his life.

Once a group of students came to him after winning a tournament and paid respects by touching his feet.

They said: “Guruji! You are Acharya Drona for us. We are your Ekalavya’s.”

Sibo grew serious.

“You may be my Ekalavya students. But I will not be Acharya Drona. I always wish my students excel me. Destroying them has never been my motto.”

*

(First Published in Andhra Jyothi Diwali Special issue, 1988)