Latey Bhakundo

That sandy Polo ground had a charm of its own. Probably even during that time its official name was Paljor Stadium but very few people used it back then. Polo ground was what people liked calling it. The ground had those wooden galleries and that kuna ko dhara. Which quenched the thirst of many footballers. Plastic mineral water bottles was not much in fashion then "Ghopto paryo haath thapyo pani ghut ghut paryo" . We used to play all day long wit h dunga ko post, feeling as if we were Chinday Ronaldo or Micheal Owen. Sometimes even managing a commentary like "Ronaldo with the ball....." and falling down. After the game listening to the senior dajus speak and pull each others legs was always fun. Football was everything to us then we needed nothing else. Later the digging started and Polo Ground was slowly forgotten and Paljor Stadium became that ultra modern facility. It was a welcome change.Gangtok had finally got a state of the art football arena. But I am

I just watched the Highlights of India vs Bangladesh match and felt a bit disappointed.I had almost given up writing about Indian Football but here as a fan have penned down some lines. I also remembered my dad telling me "Keep writing even if nobody reads it" and also with these lines from Evita with slight editing Chamling started clicking his old laptop "Don't cry for me Indian Footbal The truth is I never left you All through my wild days My mad existence I kept my promise Don't keep your distance" I thought it would have been a cake walk for India in the present form but the match ended in a 1-1 draw. They say sometimes its hard to play at home with all the expectations, may be that came true for India on Tuesday playing in front of a vociferous home crowd at the Iconic Salt Lake Stadium. By watching the Highlights I will not like to comment on the technical aspects and also I have always believed in leaving that to the experts of the game. But