29th July 1911 — India’s First Victory Against Imperialism Through Sport
The British Imperialist flags were waving high over a country so rich, so deep in culture that its influence over world heritage is still unfathomable. Meanwhile a band of eleven brave men were preparing in Bengal for a fight India had never won, a fight which was unimaginable for most Indians back then. The British Government asserted their dominance over Indians by displaying their perceived superiority in various realms, sports being a major one.
The East Yorkshire regiment was a display of the British glory and might for they had been winning the IFA shield for the past several years. It comprised of well built professional soldiers, and was considered an invincible manifestation of imperial superiority as they were said to possess unmatched strength, agility and intellect of the game. This darkness prevailed over the game for a long time where Indian teams were initially discouraged to participate and their success in any form was suppressed by violent means leading to no Indian football team defeating a British one before 29th July 1911.
So came the fateful day in July 1911 when a band of brave men assembled in attempt to achieve what seemed impossible to most of the audience except the ones who had witnessed these warriors on the ground. When they played it seemed as if a wave of green and maroon had covered the entire field, a squad so skilled and determined for the first time in Indian history, a squad not playing for individual glory, but seeking happiness in the success of their own teammates and upholding the pride of an entire nation struggling for almost two centuries to retaliate against its’s cruel imperial rulers. The Indians who had stayed submissive for so many years had finally found a means of self — expression and empowerment. They cheered with all their might like a beast that had been shackled for years but now is free to roar in the face of their oppressors. The green and maroon rebellion was not fought on the battlefield with blood shedding weapons and violence but on the ground by eleven heroes who dared to step barefoot against the hard British leather boot cladded feet with the ball at their feet and the goals in their eyesight.
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club as they proudly called themselves, a name so simple yet so heart-warming became a common household name when a newly born club in 1889, stormed to the IFA shield final reducing several mighty Britishers to the dust who were so far undefeated by any of the domestic teams. The Britishers were determined that this was a miracle but now their best players in the finals would humiliate Mohun Bagan, a team that stood no chance against their formidable opponents. Little did they know they were about to witness a historic struggle of grit and valour that would inspire generations to come, a triumph that exceeded the realm of sports and resonated in the form of the Indian Struggle for Independence. Hiralal Mukherjee, Bhuti Sukul, Rev. Sudhir Chatterjee, Monmohun Mukherjee, Rajen Sengupta, Nil Madhav Bhattacharya, Kanu Roy, Habul Sarkar, Abhilash Ghosh, Bijoydas Bhaduri captained by Shibdas Bhaduri formed a team whose conquest and determination is still worshipped and they are referred to as the “Immortal Eleven”, a team whose name will be etched in golden words in the history of Indian Football. They challenged the notion of British supremacy as their fierce determination, agility and teamwork fought gloriously against the domination of the Imperialist and looked them in the eye to rival their superiority. The legendary striker Abhilash Ghosh scored the winning strike for Mohun Bagan and asserted the identity of Indians as a proud and united front who could achieve the unachievable and decimate the Imperial oppressors no matter how hard they try to deceive and suppress them.
The club became a symbol of heritage and aspiration and was deemed to be the national club of India. It fostered unity and a sense of pride that inspired all Indians to uphold themselves as a united front against the British Raj thus being a catalyst to our glorious nation’s freedom struggle which we achieved 36 years after our first victory on the football field which serves as a constant reminder that no challenge is insurmountable when we believe in our abilities and dream together. It also served as an inspiration for poets, writers and artists who depicted the themes of resilience, revolution and national pride and drew upon their triumph to immortalise their feat and turning it into a motif in Bengali Literature and Folklore. It also had cultural impacts such as the several rituals and traditions still evident in Bengal including the celebration of Mohun Bagan Day on 29th July every year. It transcended the boundary of sports and became an integral part of Indian history signifying our indomitable spirit as a nation.
This triumph also showcased the potential of Indians in all fields of human endeavour including sports. It also shows that lack of availability of resources has never been a constraint to our growth as a nation and it also depicts that whenever pressurised under brutal rulers, India as a country has shown bright as a diamond and the common people who were considered innocent and submissive have roared like a lion who is about to pounce on it’s prey, it’s mane gleaming like the glorious rays of the sun shining eternally bright with grit and valour. Unity has been an integral part of our culture as we tend to leave no one behind and it acts as a unifying factor breaking shackles of caste, religion, wealth, etc. It is testimony to the fact that no matter how great a challenge we face even eleven young warriors can inspire millions, a small wave can grow and turn into a humongous and fierce calamity for the oppressive reign shattering their arrogance. A victory which initiated a revolution that channeled through the veins of uncountable Indians and gushed out together in a form of unbearable patriotism that cleared our motherland of Imperial domination and initiated an era of struggle with an immense endeavour beyond selfish individualistic needs, a battle for a cause, a battle for independence.
