People forgetting Gostha Paul, the Great Wall of China: Son
An integral part of Bengal`s
football folklore, Gostha Paul`s lifesize statue opposite
Eden Gardens here is the only memory left of him in this
soccer-crazy city, feels his son Nirangshu.
|Last Updated: Aug 20, 2009, 09:54 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Kolkata: An integral part of Bengal`s
football folklore, Gostha Paul`s lifesize statue opposite
Eden Gardens here is the only memory left of him in this
soccer-crazy city, feels his son Nirangshu.
"No one remembers him actually and his legacy is
forgotten," the 67-year-old said on his 114th birthday.
On the suggestion of the football stalwart`s club Mohun
Bagan, a street - Gostha Paul Sarani from Eden Gardens
to Outram Ghat - was named in 1984 in memory of the 1924
Indian captain but the prefix is hardly used, he told PTI.
"Ironically Mohun Bagan does not have the renamed
street on their letterhead though the club tent is located on
the same street", he rued.
"Slowly, people are forgetting my father`s legacy. It
used to be such a big occasion on this day but my father`s
memory is getting faded with the passage of every year. It
really feels sad," he lamented.
"Five-six years ago, there used to be a school
tournament in memory of my father`s birth anniversary but
slowly everybody is forgetting and day by day the ocassion is
turning into a brief gesture to my father`s contribution to
the sport," he said.
"If he had been a cricketer, then a number of stadia
would have been named after him, there would have been many
tournaments in his name. But today, not even an exhibition
match is played in memory of my legendary father. It hurts."
A function, however, was held near Paul`s statue this
morning which was attended by the state`s Sports minister
Kanti Ganguly and veteran soccer stars like Sailen Manna and
Chuni Goswami.
Bagan General Secretary Anjan Mitra, now in New Delhi,
however, argued they had not forgotten Paul.
"You go and visit our club, we have the day in our
mind...On the letter head, we would see what can be done,"
Mitra said.
Himself a first division footballer for about 10 years,
Nirangshu recently met Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee at her
residence and requested that a metro station be named after
his father.
"Tollygunge metro station is being named after cine
star Uttam Kumar....I requested a station should be christened
after my father as well. She said they were looking into it."
Incidentally, the Bagan website has showered praise on
Paul, describing him as the "Great Wall of China" who stood
like a rock in defence.
Paul started playing for Kumartuli, a city club, at
the tender age of 11 and at 16 he joined Bagan, says the site.
"Since then the legend never donned colours other than
the prestigious green and maroon. By the age of 25 he became
an icon.
Paul once visited Shantiniketan and found one of his
fans Rabindranath Tagore who told him, "Yes you truly are the
Chinese wall!"
Bureau Report
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