What will it take to awaken the government officials of Telangana? It has been two days since one of Hyderabad’s most illustrious sons, namely former football captain of India Mohammed Habib, passed away but there has been no message of condolence from the state government. Neither has any private organisation or sports body bothered to organise a memorial meeting for the departed soul.
It looks like neither the government nor the common fans care about the passing of one of the great names of Hyderabad and Indian football. When he was at his peak, Habib was considered the best player in India. The football loving public in Kolkata adored him. They dubbed him the “Bade Mian” of the Eden Gardens stadium and flocked to the ground to watch him and his teammates in action.
Now a delegation of officials of the East Bengal club of Kolkata for which Habib used to play, will reach Hyderabad soon to personally meet his family members and convey their sympathies to the bereaved family. Such is the respect they have for the Hyderabadi player.
On the very day Habib passed away, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, immediately tweeted her feeling of sorrow. Her message read: “Saddened to learn of the demise of the legendary Indian footballer Mohammed Habib at Hyderabad today. An iconic player of the Calcutta maidan in the 1960s–1980s and a darling of the football lovers ever since, he was one of the best midfielders the country has ever produced. We conferred on him our highest civilian award Banga Bhibushan in 2018. I convey my sincere condolences to his family, friends and countless admirers.”
So Mamata Banerjee did what should have been done by the Telangana government. Habib was recognised and honoured in Kolkata and Bengal. But in his hometown, his death went unnoticed in official circles. It is clear that the atmosphere and awareness of the government and sports lovers of Bengal are on a different level than those of Telangana.
Another football captain from the twin cities, Victor Amalraj who had a very close relationship with Habib, fondly remembered his days of playing alongside the superb goal scorer. “I played with Habib bhai many times. Both of us represented India and we had a good combination. I was a midfielder and it was my role to distribute passes to Habib bhai, Akbar bhai and Shabbir bhai,” said Amalraj.
“Habib bhai was a very committed player. He was considered to be the first professional footballer of India because he did not do any other job except play for his club. After he retired from the game as a player, he took up coaching as a profession. He coached boys at the Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpur. Today many of India’s leading players owe their progress to the guidance of Habib bhai,” said Amalraj.
Truly Habib was one who belonged to the Golden Generation of Indian football. The neglect that he received from his home city and state are indicative of the apathy that Hyderabad football faces now. At one time the Indian team used to contain a minimum of five to six players from Hyderabad. Now there are none. It is easy to see the reason that lies behind this downfall. There is utter neglect and discouragement from the government. No state award has been given to this deserving player and after his passing away, no one cared to even issue a condolence message.
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