I Am Tapan Das

Hello!

I am Tapan Das. Have come back from history; was responsible for forming the hockey team for India in 1948 that won the Summer Olympics. People have a mixed opinion of me; I toss between being good, bad and ugly in the minds of people in my times. But now it is not about me, it is about the team I formed, the strategies I adopted to see India as the undisputed champion of hockey. I had to suffer a big blow following the partition of India because, of the team formed, brilliant players had to leave for Pakistan and Australia. But this also belongs to the past. From the pages of history, I have reappeared; but this time with a different mission. So here is how I go.

-         What? Mr Tapan Das! This is not possible. You see we are very happy that you have come to form a football team for the FIFA 2022, but you are asking for the impossible. Why!

-      This is my first condition. If you do not concur, I will go away. I will form three teams, one for India, one for Pakistan, one for Bangladesh; three teams.

-         But this will involve lot of political interventions.

-         I can wait. Although I understand the difficulties, but I will only concentrate on Sports, on Football; for me the political challenges is not my concern; I am sorry if I am hurting your sentiments, but this is my condition. You asked why, for this I will quote a famous line from a song written by Arthur Altman, it was made very famous during my times by Frank Sanatra, it’s ‘All or nothing at all…’ I still have close to four years; we are in July 2018 now, that should be okay.

(The whole room full of people who matter looked at him in utter surprise, but didn’t ask him to clarify further).

 After a lot of talking, meetings, discussions the leaders of three robust countries, who were also eager to see their countries play, sort of agreed. But none of them was ready to believe what was going on.

-         Will you give the same type of coaching to all the teams?

-         100%, it’s because…

-         Okay we get you. And you say you can help us win?

-         No.

-         Then??

-         You see the three countries have hardly been in the football world, despite being great lovers of this sport; we love the game as much as the Europeans, Africans and the Latinos. Winning is not important. Of the thirty-two countries that participated this year in 2018, only two countries won, sorry three, but all the rest have participated; participation is important, I will help the countries to be in the football map. We deserve to be there in the map at least for heaven’s sake! We must be there before 2030..that's when FIFA will be celebrating its centenary...it seems we have accepted that we can never participate in world cup football; my sincere effort will be to change this frozen mindset.

-         Okay, we get it. But what happens if none of the three teams qualifies?

- I will tell you when the time comes. If you ask me now, I will go away.

- Meaning? Do you understand it involves crores of money?

- I know. We have many industrialists, intellectuals, football freaks who will willingly contribute. Why don't you found a company called INDIA FIFA and have it listed?

  What!!! INDIA FIFA...you are talking about three countries, aren't you?

Oho sorry. Then you can found three companies, like PAKISTAN FIFA, INDIA FIFA and BANGLADESH FIFA and have them listed in your respective countries?

What rubbish! And then have them liquidated after four years?

Four years? It's a lifelong journey, after 2022, we have 2026 and so on. Of course, I don't understand the complications; I know nothing of anything, that's why I am depending on people who have visibility and understanding of how the business world functions. I was just suggesting of how funds can come in the noblest of ways.

So if it is public money, then we don't have to be answerable. Is that what you're trying to say?

- So it means we don't have to be answerable.

- Did I say that? Okay. Let me leave then. Bye.

- Stay. Do you have any other conditions?

-          Patience. I will reveal everything to you.

-         Okay carry on. We are listening.

It is very simple, but it will need your patronage and support. I will first form a team which will decide on the selection. Selection cannot be influenced by anyone; I need your concurrence on this. Our target will be to complete the selection procedure of three teams from three countries by the end of January 2019. Our target age would be from 15 to 18 so that they become just right by 2022. Then the training will start. We would like the boys to practise in the weather that’s close to Qatar; know that the training team will have many divisions, as follows:

Training the legs – we need to hire the best coaches of the world

Football (3 in number)

Long jump (Ideally 6)

High jump (6)

Running (3)

Relay race (3)

Training the body

Gymnastics (9)

Yoga (9)

Acrobatics (9)

Light to medium weight lifting (9)

Mountaineering

Swimming

Kungfu (3)

Taikwando (3)

Karate (3)

Training the mind

Meditation (9)

Sign language (9)

Cooking (9)

Playing with an invisible ball at night (3)

Joint events (like CSR activities)

Body language (9)

Ethics and compliance (9)

Sportsmanship (9)

TV sessions and theory of football (9)

Painting (the type of painting will centre around football, field, various type of shots depending on positions of players, the traditional landscapes and calligraphy of common mission ) (9)

Writing of dreams (concerning football) (9)

Self talk (1)

Prayer (3 or 4)

-         Is that all?

-         No.

-         Carry on.

-         The teams will be prepared to play by 2020. From then we will invite various countries to play friendly matches; our players will also visit countries like Argentina, Nigeria, France to have on-the-field experience. However, our focus will be to invite teams here. So from July 2020, there will be practical sessions with other teams.

     Okay. Are you done?

-         Yes

-         The room laughed; where is your budget? What are all these numbers? Painting!!! Self talk?? Cooking!!! Sign language?? What’s going on Mr Das! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! And what will be your fees?

-         (Ignoring the laughter) The numbers are arbitrary as of now; they represent the number of trainers for each criterion. Only for self talk I have put myself as a trainer, will do that in batches. I will clarify the reason one by one. Before that I will talk about my fees. My fees are your support, your preparedness of spending whatever I ask for, your belief in me. I need your support. I do not need any money, if I take money, my power will go.

-         (The room was suspiciously silent. Some of them started checking him out. Some were still controlling their smirks and their grins) What will you train the players on self talk?

-         Some specific prayer tables, the most important is ‘ I play to play’; ‘I play my best’…like this there will be some more.

-         What? You need to correct it…make them practise ‘we will win’

-         No. Winning is not important. I told you.

-         Then no one will respect you.

-         I don't want respect. I am here to give respect, not to beg for respect. This is the major difference between my earlier version and my current one. I will take out the fake stress from the players; they will play on the field like magicians. We will guide the football coaches to train the players mainly on passing, heading, flipping, and kicking the ball from all positions of the field apart from the specialties they will bring to the table.

-         Well then are we good to go? You will mail us the reason for imparting the various trainings that you have decided, we will see and then approve.

-         No.

-         What?

-         If you want to approve, then I will go away.

-        What is this ‘I will go away’! Are you threatening us? You seem to be like the Pied Piper!

-         I may sound like him, but you are certainly not like the Mayor(s) of Hamilton. You are good people, well-meaning leaders, but there are certain things you cannot see. I will help you see that. You cannot approve. I will only inform you the reason, you cannot approve, I want the boys to be trained in all the subjects without fail, for two and a half years. We are good to go only if I get your consent on this.

-         (Times) Okay Mr Das. From when do you want to start?

-         Yesterday.

-         Aha…you are smart, but we want results. Please mail us the details.

-         Sure.

The most engaging process of training to bring the three beautiful countries in the map of world football begins from tomorrow. Tonight Tapan would have to write the reasons for the various training he strongly recommends for the boys. He is aware that leaders may not agree with the ones they'd think as not connected, irrelevant as they'd like to call. He has never been able to see India as three different countries, but he respects the separation, he has to, but how could he get the consensus from the leaders so easily. He has to make it right, he has to try his best; even if he fails, won’t there be other Tapans who would carry this forward? Trying is far better than accepting defeat. Now is the night, now is the time, everything will depend on how he sells his ideas. Stars are blinking more in his eyes than in the sky. After supper, his wife has just gone to the kitchen to fill the flask with black coffee. 'All, or nothing at all' by Sanatra is slowly filling the air. Tapan starts writing.

After this, the real thing will start, 24/7 schooling. Tapan is looking forward to it. No, it is not important for 'you' to know about the letter that Tapan will write, substantiating the reason for having all the training modules in place; Tapan is here to plant the seed of possibilities in your hearts, that's all my friends...see you there in Qatar, where our flags will dance in the tune of our national anthems.