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A day in the field! Well! Cannot this football match ever!

MAJOR KULBIR SINGH. Dated: 7/22/2017 12:32:11 PM

Major Kulbir Singh
Jammu, July 21
Memories remain etched in mind for ever. A game of ninety minutes can make you feel that you are ninety years old (by the way I am not). This happened in Kashmir years ago back in 1972.
For me it is not a far distance away but still time flows like lightening and blue thunder. It was a match up against SRTC (State Road Transport Corporation) and two schools who had combined team CMS Tyndale Biscoe and Burn Hall. Respected Sir Pushkar Razdaan and Sir Mehoob Shah had the arranged the match. The team of school boys against the mighty SRTc to begin with looked as a joke. Eleven of us five each from Biscoe and Burn Hall but the goal keeper was Pushkar sir though he always played as center back. Our team had eight Muslim friends and three Hindus (Pushkar Sir being one of them).
Kashmiris love games that are entertaining (though bloodshed is disheartening) I was a striker but Puskar Sir played me as Central defender. Needless to mention we were against superiors. They were equipped with skills and footwork on the ball. I did mention to Sohail, ‘ see they are dribbling past us’ lets catch them on the counter. We held on till forty five minutes were over. ‘ Pushkar sir and Mehboob sir congratulated us and said ‘half the battle is one’. Sohail, Abbas and Mushtaq were to change position. Altaf came in as center back and Rumi came from right. In goal was this time it was Mehboob sir.
The whistle was blown and in came a cross from Sohail from the right. I chested it into the net. The moment was the happiest fro all of us. Back again Altaf (the most handsome man I have ever seen with blue eyes) dribbled and with a shimmy passed to me, I let it go for Abbas and it was two nil. Mehboob sir walked to us they will come back. Yes they did but Suresh was at top of his game as the right over lapping defender. SRTC team was being defeated by School boys. This time is was Abbas who took the ball from Irfaan and the tallest of us Salim headed it in.
It was not a game but it was fun. We did win as school boys but why is Kashmiris losing the plot? It is easy to become friends but difficult to maintain friendship. I am sure that very soon the Golden era will come back to Kashmir. But why the hatred? Why be nonsensical in approach? Things will get sorted out but those gone by never return! Who better that Kashmiris knows it! A wrong idea is always wrong. A wrong idea can be used and then exploited (it has been in any case by Pakistan), but it is time to wake up. Kashmiris are not Rip Van Winkles and playing nine pins with dwarfs. Please let us have a football match and live those ninety minutes forever! Please think it over!