AFVOA Newletters of Year 2006

Page 56 of 77 healthy competition and both the college supporters only cried hoarse to cheer the respective teams. But the loudest cries were reserved for the finalist St. Joseph's, which was facing the famed Naini Wanderers in the All India Trades Cup Football Championships. The latter team was composed only of adults, some of whom used to represent UP! Here was the entire College, cheering the team from one side of the "Flats", and there on the other side was the whole of Naini Tal supporting their favourite Naini Wanderers. You guessed it; the 1954 Trades Championship trophy was taken by St Joseph's !! ( David felling Goliath!) The best player of St. Joseph’s was Moses Kelly, who excelled in every other game he took to: hockey , cricket, volleyball, basketball and individual events in athletics and swimming. He was the brother of film-star Nadira who passed away recently and he most probably moved on to Israel long ago. No wonder then that the small country holds its own among its neighbours, if it has even a few Moses Kellys among its people! Fast forward to Tezpur, 1960: An Infantry Workshop Company which had just five officers (OC:Major, 2IC: Captain and three Lieutenants including the Ordnance officer.) We lieutenants were invariably with the men, as that was what was expected, at work, at play, and during most of the off hours. Games were the great refreshers in that Field area. We youngsters managed to put together a good football team and won the Div Troops Championships. We then had to face 2/8 GR, representing 11 Brigade, in the Div Championships. 2/8 GR had in its ranks some who played for the Gorkha Brigade in Durand & other tourneys. How we wished that we also could have had the services of Trilok Singh, George Abraham and the like who used to represent the redoubtable EME Centre in those days. Our star player was Sepoy waiter Dorairaj, a wiry and lithe Tamilian from Bangalore, who was as good in his profession as he was at football, so much so that he was loaned to the Div 'A' Mess to serve the big-wigs there. However we did get him for practice every morning & evening. His love of the game was so much that he would hitch a ride from the Div Mess a few miles away. Soon the match with 2/8 GR was on. The talk was on how the workshop would be the "Bali ka Bakras" and how the Gorkhas will be celebrating their early Dussehra!! But the workshop company held them goal-less till half time and that in itself raised the morale of our men what with the burly Thapas and Gurungs not being able to score till then. In the early minutes of the second half, Dorairaj weaved his way through the Gorkha defence and scored that excellent 30 yard goal from a steep angled inside right position- the first goal of the game! We were elated, but knew that all hell will break loose soon enough! and so it did- Many a foe has learnt to his dismay that " Hell hath no fury than a Gorkha scorned". Soon, they were all over our half of the ground and score they did; four goals in a row in the remaining 20 minutes!! Here was an instance where David could not humble Goliath, although he shook him to action!! The only consolation was that, that evening in the ‘A’ Mess, our CEME informed the GOC, Gen Amrik Singh, himself from the fellow Regiment of Fifth Gorkhas, of Dorairaj's feat of scoring the all important first goal. The GOC in turn congratulated the loyal wine waiter, who was back at work after the strenuous game! In those days getting a shabash from none other than the GOC was a great honour and next morning we were happy to see L/Nk Dorairaj beaming from ear to ear as he also sported his first stripe!!( “ Unpaid Acting” of course – that wisely concocted term used only in the Armed Forces to keep anyone happy without offering anything!!) Today, as one looks back, one can only lament :- • that few schools have playgrounds for the children to play team games; • that the competitive spirit is more for academics because of the job aspirations; • that the Army is too heavily involved in counter insurgency and thus units have no time for games; • that most of the sporty Anglo-Indians, Armenians and Jews have migrated to Australia, UK , Israel and Canada!;