KOLKATA: Former Indian footballer and coach Biswajit Bhattacharya was one of the stars of the Maidan in the 1980s, but a bike accident had cut short his footballing career in 1987.
There was disappointment and it was one of the low points in Bhattacharya’s life. One of the most promising strikers, who was liked by national coach Ciric Milovan, he didn’t lose hope and decided to chose a path that would rejuvenate him in the following years.
The 55-year-old spoke to khelupdates on his playing career and shared his emotive side in an exclusive interview. Excerpts.
KU: How did you start your football journey?
Biswajit: I used to play all sports at Southern Sports Association at Rabindra Sarobar in south Calcutta. But Khokan Basumallik, who was my first coach, asked me whether I was interested in football. After he watched me at a training session, he felt that I could become a good player. After he received my brother’s consent, I started attending the trainings. I was in seventh standard. I started as a goalkeeper, but Khokonda had put me in the striker’s role after the team’s forward was absent in one of our club’s matches.
KU: Your fondest memory of Achyut Banerjee.
Biswajit: Achyut sir was simply of ahead of his time. He had a deep knowledge on possession-passing football even during those years. He was a fantastic human being.
KU: How much former India coach Milovan impacted your career?
Biswajit: I would say, quite a lot. Milovan sir’s strength was that he could read a player’s mind. He always said that no one was indispensable in the team and once had dropped couple of senior players. The juniors were apprehensive about him as he had dropped the seniors.
He made me a withdrawn forward as he believed that I would be more effective in that position. As a coach, he was my role model. I had always dreamt to be like him.
KU: How did the motorbike accident happen?
Biswajit: I used to ride a Royal Enfield Bullet. It was in the early morning in 1987. On that day, East Bengal was scheduled to play Rajasthan in the league. I was a little reckless and out of focus. I was completely broken after the accident. I had sleepless nights. Then Khokonda took me to Belur Math where I meditated a lot. It had a calming influence on my body and soul.
KU: Why did you join cricket?
Biswajit: The bike accident had left a deep scar on my mind. My football career was over, but I wanted to forget it. I meditated a lot to overcome the trauma, but friends also advised me to play to regain fitness. I registered myself as a cricketer at Rangers which plays in the Cricket Association of Bengal League. My century partnership with Abhishek Jhunjunwala helped Rangers earn a promotion to the 1st Division in early Nineties.
KU: You had been an amateur rower too!
Biswajit: Yes. One of my friends at the Lake Club had told me to take up rowing as it was a great fitness sport. It was tough and challenging, but I managed to overcome the hurdles and represented India at the South Asian Amateur Rowing Championship in Chennai where I won a silver.
KU: Any goals that you’ve set as a coach?
Biswajit: There’s no target as such. But I would definitely want to work hard on nurturing local players. The Calcutta clubs should also focus on grooming home-grown footballers and create a talent pool. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to survive in the competitive market.
