More than a football club: How East Bengal became a lifeline for Partition refugees

If you were to walk around the bylanes of Calcutta, especially in places with open fields, parks or football coaching grounds, you would be familiar with the red- gold and green – red flags. For Bangali’s these are the symbols of football giants East Bengal (red – gold) and Mohun Bagan (green – red). Long before world football dominated the minds of the people here, local football clubs had already planted a love for the game. Today, Aug 1 marks the foundation day of East Bengal FC. But did you know that the club is way more than just a famous football club. Founded before Indian Independence in 1920, the club’s history traces back to the Partition of Calcutta, when refugees not only found shelter in pockets of land around the city but also in the game.

All about the foundation of East Bengal FC

True East Bengal club fans would be aware that today marks the 107^th foundation day of the Club. Interestingly, it all started with a disagreement at the Jorabagan Club which lead to footballers bifurcate and start their own fraction called East Bengal FC. It is said that on July 28, 1920 Sailesh Bose was dropped from the Cooch Behar match against Mohun Bagan without any explanation. This lead to the Jorabagan Vice Present Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri along with other players like Raja Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Tarit Bhushan Roy and others to leave the Jorabagan Club and form their own club, which is now known as East Bengal Club. It is easily identifiable by its flag colours red and gold which was inspired by a shirt on display at the Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. Department Store on Chowringhee.

Steady Growth till 1947

Since its formation in 1920, the football club grew steadily till the Indian Independence. From taking part in the Hercules Cup, to getting affiliated with the Indian Football Association in 1922, they never looked back. In 1925, just five years after its formation, it played the historic debut match against Mohun Bagan and won it at 1-0. This marked the football polarization in Calcutta. By 1947, it was a well known club, whose players had proved their worth by winning the Calcutta Football League, IFA Shield and much more. And then came Indian Independence and Bengal Partition!

A line of divide rewrote the Club’s history

When the British Administration ended in 1947, another struggle started – the Bengal Partition. Bengal became a halved country with West Bengal becoming a part of India and erstwhile East Bengal going over to Bangladesh beyond the border. This is where the actual history of the East Bengal Football Club was written, not in the field!

The country became grief-stricken. People packed up their belongings and left familiar walls overnight to enter a new country without a shelter on their head. It was during this time that the name East Bengal resonated with the refugees as it reminded them of their homeland and their proud identity of being Bangals. These Bangal refugees who were building their life from scratch in a new land and overcoming the grief of losing loved ones, farmland, social status, homes and more beyond borders, found refuge in the Football Club.  

With a click of the name the Club became a representation of all that they left behind and that emotion brought them together through football. Apart from being a football club, it simultaneously rose as a point of cultural exchange. People who were displaced from places like Dhaka, Barisal, Khulna, Noakhali, Faridpur found their meeting point in the club where they exchanged news of their old life. Thus, it became a support system for the refugees in a new land, igniting hope at a time of despair.

The Bangal – Ghoti rivalry

This also gave rise to the iconic Bangal- ghoti rivalry which is often used in witty and comic terms even today. While the Bangals were from Bangladesh, full of refugee pride and a sense of achieving newer heights after losing everything, the Ghotis belonged to the West Bengal and represented established families in the city. This debate was not only limited to the football field but was also decided through parameters like Chingri, Ilish, traditions, language and dialects and more.

Displaced refugees who became finest players

This also became the entry point of many displaced youths into the clubs who started practicing under it and later became notable names in football. Sudhir Karmakar became one of the finest defenders of the Club and contributed majorly towards the 1970s Bronze medal win and the Asian Games. Another defender was Monoranjan Bhattacharya who served as Captain in the 1980s. Subhas Bhowmick served duals roles in the club – first as a player and then as a coach. He lead the team to their historic 2003 ASEAN club victory. Surajit Sengupta, one on of the finest and undefeatable wingers in the 1970s.  

Hardly any football clubs in the world have not just entertained people but became intertwined this closely to the socio-political fabric of the city’s culture. Thus, it is inevitable that on the Foundation Day of East Bengal, we do not recap its true existence, which goes way beyond sporting success.

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