Struggle for Swaraj
As the Nationalist Movement grew in the late 19th century, football emerged as an effective tool for Indians to express their resistance.
Many might not know it, but Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most influential persons in India's struggle for freedom actually set up three football clubs in South Africa in the early 1900s. The matchdays became a medium for expressing non-violent resistance against apartheid.
When he returned to India in 1914, he was an active participant in the progress of the sport. He arranged the tour of the first football team from South Africa to India in 1921-1922.
In 1905, the Presidency of Bengal was divided on religious grounds. The anti-partition movement turned into a movement for Swaraj under the leadership of assertive nationalists like Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The animosity of Indians towards the British regime was at its peak.
It was in these circumstances that Mohun Bagan won the IFA Shield (in 1911), and became the first Indian team to do so. The win was a statement against the British Empire : a show of what eleven bare-footed Indians were capable of, and what they could do if united.
Unlike many elite sports restricted to the British and upper-class Indians, football was, thanks to the efforts of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari, widely accessible.
In Bengal, local clubs and railway teams flourished. Stadiums were filled with Indian spectators who, in supporting their teams, voiced their resistance and unity, especially in tournaments like Durand Cup and the Rovers Cup.The matches turned into public gatherings where Indians could express collective pride and assert an identity distinct from colonial influence.
The beautiful sport of football became more than a game— it was a symbol of pride, a unifying force in the broader movement for Freedom.
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Published on : 4th May, 2024
Last Updated on : 25th October, 2024.
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Guide to Indian Football.
Não Ficção"India's Football Awakens as 'Sleeping Giant' . O traveler, let us together delve into the past, present, and future of Indian football. Success seems a far-fetched goal, and yet it is one worth striving for.
