Mari remembered

A commemorative meeting of the late Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari, the legendary footballer, was held yesterday at the Bangladesh Olympic Association auditorium with the urge to conserve his memoirs.
To keep his memory alive, the government will be asked to name a stadium in the hill-tracts after him, said secretary of Hill Tracts Affair Nabo Bikram Kishor Tripura.
Mari's wife Indu Lekha Mari, Prothom Alo editor Matiur Raham, Swadhin Bangla Football Team captain Zakaria Pintoo, vice-captain Protap Shankar Hazra, his teammate Monjur Hossain Mintu, veteran journalist Kamruzzaman, and Bashar Ahmed spoke on the occasion.
“We are about to forget Mari because he was born in Bangladesh. If he were born in Argentina or Hungary, he would have been treated like [Diego] Maradona or [Ferenc] Puskas,” said Kamruzzaman adding that Mari was a not only a footballer but also an entertainer on the pitch.
“He had no assets and wealth but had a big heart which I can't express in words,” said Indu Lekha Mari regretting that they could not get the response from National Sports Council (NSC) during his treatment.
Mari breathed his last on May 9 due to multiple diseases at the age of 74.
He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease since 2008 and a bout of skin cirrhosis worsened his condition before he was admitted to the Holy Family Hospital on April 6.
Mari, who was not well-known to the new generation, was a superstar of his time and was a fantastic left-footed forward which helped him secure a place in the then Pakistan national football team in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo.