Chandra Kumar Rai, A Modest Coach

Chandra Kumar Rai a former British Army soldier is currently the coach of Share Football Club Kalimpong. He holds a coaching certificate from the prestigious Football Association of England. A man who is bent at serving the game of football in his home town, over the years he has turned down many offers from the Clubs across the country to be their coach. He has coached a generation of footballers from Kalimpong and his name is taken with respect in the hills. A very humble and down to earth person Chandra Kumar Rai does not like to talk too much about himself. Some people are surprised by his modest ways. 

Doing is much more important to him than talking. It always takes a bit of convincing, for him to share his football story and after quite an effort finally, he sat back and started "Well if you insist, all I can remember about my childhood days was my attraction towards football. I grew up in Penang, Malaysia and in our school, we had to choose our area of interest from different sports on offer. I choose football and we were made to practice twice a week and I used to be the first one to reach the ground on those days. During those initial years, I played as a goalkeeper and later  became an outfield player." Chandra Kumar was born on 19th March 1952 to Late Mr. Maniram and Ms. Gangamaya Rai. Now he is based in Kalimpong with his wife Ms. Neeta Rai. They have one daughter Ms. Salina Rai and a grandson, Nikunj Pradhan.

Now slowly Chintamani Uncle as he is affectionately known in Kalimpong was getting comfortable to share his story and he elaborated further "I remember when I was a young boy of around 12 years my father used to take me to watch matches at Penang this I suppose affected me as I was in regular touch with football which I already loved playing but after I came to Kalimpong my interest developed even more, as I got a chance watch Raney Basnett, Abhay Gurung, Ravilal, Nim Tshering and many other wonderful players of that era in action at Mela Ground." 

He started playing competitive football after he joined the British Army and remembered those days with a smile on his face. "Playing days were memorable for me, first I was selected to play for the Battalion team, and later on, I reached till the combined services level where the best players from Army, Navy, and Air Force are taken." The humble coach further added that he played in Nepal for the Kosi Anchal (District) team than for the Kalimpong Subdivision in the Governor's Cup. He had also got an offer to play in the Brigade of Gorkhas' Gold Cup in Darjeeling but unfortunately, he could not participate as his leave from the Army was over and he had to report back for duty. 

He remembered, life in the Army was very tough. He had to do a lot of Border Duty in different countries around the world. "First I was posted in Malaysia then I moved to Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Brunei, Fiji Islands, and the United States. I was also involved in the famous Falkland Wars between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Army life is tough but it does give you that sense of satisfaction and pride." Said Chandra Kumar.

However, it is interesting to note that he became a coach by chance and had not planned anything in those lines and was happy playing football."I was told by my superiors to enroll in the Army Football Association coaching course which was called Football Pre Preliminary Course. I agreed to do so and passed the course. Then earned the right to appear for the prestigious Football Association (FA) coaching course." Said Chandra Kumar in a humble tone. Any other person might have bragged about it. 

A coaching certificate from the FA (England) is huge and for a person from our parts in that era, it can be called an achievement that comes once in a lifetime. This had to be elaborated further. "When we did this course it used to be a two-week affair. The schedule was very hectic as It used to start at 8.30 am and continue till 5 or sometimes 7 pm. First, a subject used to be given and video used to be shown, and whatever we picked up had to be implemented in the ground. Our performance used to be assessed every day. Only two of us passed the test from our batch of thirty. Thus we were awarded the FA's Preliminary Coaching certificate. I don't want to get into the details but what I can say is that FA's coaching course is probably the best in the world." Chandra Kumar quickly concluded. It might be mentioned here the certificate is signed by England legend Sir Bobby Robson!

Chandra Kumar is known in Kalimpong mostly for his coaching and has been active since he retired from the British Army. Coming to the Mela Ground every morning and teaching the young boys finer points of football and helping them even by holding their feet to show how to pass or shoot the ball has become his routine. "Well, I started as a coach in Brunei where I took charge of the Brigade Team. Then in Kalimpong coached Clubs like Himalshree, Himalayan Sporting, Apex Football Club, Kalimpong Boys, and Kalimpong combined team. I also visited Mohun Bagan Academy at Jalpaiguri as a guest coach. All these assignments have been very satisfying. I can't judge myself but I am happy that I could share my knowledge of Football with the boys here and contribute my bit to make them better players." Informed the man who can be called Kalimpong's very own coach.

Chandra Kumar, however, gets excited whenever he talks about local footballers and shared his thoughts this way. "What I feel about our boys is, though they are skillful and have individual talent what they lack is proper coaching from a young age. Secondly, there is a lack of good grounds where our boys can go and train regularly. Just look at Mela Ground in the morning so many teams are seen training there in the same field. When I talked with some of the players who had gone to play outside Darjeeling they told me that it's difficult to adjust but I feel if they want to play professional football they should learn to adjust quickly in a completely new environment. Fitness is another problem in our players which does allow them to play tough and aggressive football. Having said all these I am positive about my belief that many talented players will continue to come out from the hills in the future."

Chintamani Uncle has spent many years at Share Football Club now and has done it for free sometimes even contributing money when the club faced financial challenges that speak volumes about his personality. All at Share FC agree that the service Uncle has given can't be measured. Uncle has also enjoyed his association with the club it seemed by what he said. "It's been a pleasure so far to be here, all the members of Share Football Club are active and I am getting all the support from them. I have got that freedom of just concentrating on my coaching here as all the other things are taken care of."

All the coaches have dreams about doing something big and Chandra Kumar is no different. "I have a long-cherished dream of taking a team from this region to the highest level of Indian Football and I hope to achieve that dream with Share Football Club if everything works out. I must add here that I had almost given up coaching but the vision of Share Football Club inspired me once again." This shows his belief in the possibility of football.

In the end, the coach also talked about his favorite Indian footballers though somewhat guarded in his response he did give out some names. "Though it's tough to single out one player, I will have to say Bhaichung Bhutia who single-handedly gave a new direction and hope to Indian Football and has inspired so many Footballers. On the technical aspect, what was most impressive about Bhutia according to me was his burst- that sudden change of acceleration which made him such a dangerous striker. I must take other names too like that of Sunil Chettri and Climax Lawrence." Concluded Chintamani uncle still apprehensive if something needs to be written about him. He gave his final nod when he was informed that this story is not about praising him but to document his journey in football which the upcoming generation can read and some might even get inspired. Talk about humility, it's filled to the brim in him.

Selfless coaches like Chandra Kumar Rai are hard to find in today's world but they are still there and people like them keep the flame of football burning where it matters the most, at the grassroots, in the villages, and in towns like Kalimpong. Chintamani uncle has served the game of football in this beautiful hill town with distinction and all the players all these years who have trained under him will agree. He has coached hundreds of footballers and still going strong. Kalimpong is indeed fortunate to have a person like him as one of its citizens. He might coach for many more years but it might not be too early to tell him. "Thank You for your service to football Sir" in that military style with a salute.

(My gratitude and thanks to Mr. Ryan Karthak Lepcha and Mr Gyaltshen Dorjee Moktan for their support)