UG Inc. Introduces
Underground Football Association

Cricket has always been the more recognized and enjoyed sport in Bangladesh, but of late, football too has increased in popularity, and is perhaps a more enthusiastic past time for the teenagers and adolescents of Bangladesh. Though most schools do cater to all the required extracurricular physical activities, it appears that football and basketball are the more preferred sports participated in.

With this realization came the idea of bringing together all these football enthusiasts, under one title, and allowing them to enjoy their passion to the fullest extent. The Underground Football Association (UFA) was formed under the existing banner of Underground Incorporated (UG Inc.) by the two football fanatics, Majedul Huq and Daiyan Alamgir. The UFA exists primarily as an online forum, where football enthusiasts can share their ideas and views about games, teams etc. Apart from organizing football tournaments, the UFA also caters to avid gamers in a section of the forum called “Gamer's Den”, and more recently, has hosted a big screen showing of the UEFA Champion's League final match between Manchester United and Chelsea, and a showing of the Euro 2008 final between Spain and Germany.

However, the UFA's main aim is to channel the huge interest amongst young footballers in the country and provide a platform for them to exercise their talents in the game. And thus the underground football leagues were started off. Many more organizations took up the cause, and over the last couple of years, many football tournaments were held, both for school teams and non-school teams, though ensuring that the players remained within the age limit of 15-23. As the popularity of the game continues to increase in the country, the number of teams signing up for tournaments has steadily risen as well.

On 16th June the Underground Football Association (UFA) organized one of this summer's biggest football tournaments, comprising 52 teams, at the Dhaka Residential Model College (DRMC) grounds. 24 teams out of the total, automatically qualified for the “UFA Champion's League,” while 28 teams played group stage qualifiers. From the qualifiers, the 8 winning teams proceeded to play the Champion's League, while the 8 runners up played a knockout tournament titled “UFA Cup.” The Cup winners were Contravene Era.

Photo by : Sharf Ahmed Saadh

The Champion's League started on 20th June and ended on 26th June. Of the 32 competing teams, the victors were 7 Nation Army, having played a spirited and highly entertaining final versus Zonked United. The 1-1 deadlock during normal game-time drew the two teams into the penalty shootout round, referees having decided against allowing the teams to play extra time. The champions finally ended the match with a clean 4-3 win in shootouts. The top scorer for the League was Asif (DOHS United), while the Best Striker award went to Ariq (7 Nation Army), Best Defender to Ibrahim (PowerPuff Boys) and Best Keeper to Ashraf (7 Nation Army). The Fair Play award winners were Fuller Road F.C. and the Best Player was taken by Mubarok (Zonked United). The tournament was organized with the help of Zeeshan Sadeque and Nowroj Farhan.

Melon from a lemon

While it may be sloppy to eat, and it usually has big black seeds you've gotta spit out, one of our favorite summertime treats is watermelon. But whoever is responsible for this creation evidently likes the big green fruit even more than we do. Yep, it's a watermelon car, complete with a bright red interior. We don't see any seeds inside, but there are actually few black interior trim pieces to complete the theme.

Melon theme continues inside with black seeds and yummy (yucky) red everything

As is often the case with such a creation, we have no idea what the rationale for it was. But, since the vehicle looks to be a Daewoo Lanos under all the fruity garb (which is quite a lemon of a car), we suppose it may actually be an improvement over the standard budget-priced base model.

Laff lines

Bernie was unfortunate enough to be hit by a truck and ended up in the hospital. His best friend Morris came to visit him.
Bernie struggles to tell Morris, "My wife Sadie visits me three times a day. She's so good to me. Every day, she reads to me at the bedside."
"What does she read?" asks Morris.
"My life insurance policy."

I went to a medical clinic for an electrocardiogram. While the technician was lining up her machine, I told her I have dextrocardia.
"What's that?" she asked.
"It means my heart is on the right side of my chest rather than on the left," I answered. "You should set up your machine to accommodate that."
As she attached the wires, she asked casually, "Tell me, have you had that for long?"
On a spring break trip to Italy, my friends and I were standing just inside St. Peter's Basilica, the second largest church in the world. The tour guide explained, "This church is so large that no man on earth could hit a baseball from one end to the other, not Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, or even Mark McGuire."
My group stared in silence at the beautiful marble sculptures, intricate paintings, and glorious mosaics
all around the enormous building. Then one girl interrupted the silence with an astonished question: "You mean, they actually let them hit baseballs in here?"

The Blessings Of Corruption

Oh, corruption! you are so sweet,
your whole appearance is slender and sleek, only fools would consider your future bleak.
You've roused your head in a country,
where ill practice run aplenty,
and money and riches are found abounty.
You've blessed us with your power,
to destroy and to devour, the shackles preventing us from stooping even lower.
The social values that were once respected, are the ones that are most infected, by your magnificent aura.
You've corrupted the students of today,
and kept their interest of learning at bay,
so that they give up studies
in order to make hay.
The businessmen worship you at the feet, because you have been able to meet, their unimaginable hunger and greed.
So why are you still playing dumb?
Can't you see that the truth is plumb?
Go out there and make a name, on the corrupt world which will give you fame.
By Neeloy Jyotee

Myth Box

Return of the Sea

“Ami byomkesh dhori bondhonhara dhara gongotrir” Bidrohi, Kazi Nazrul Islam

There was king is Ayoddha. His name was Sogor. He had two wives. One of them gave birth to 60000 sons [she gave birth to a lau (English word, bottle-gourd. Go figure) which had 60000 seeds. The seeds were kept in ghee at the Gods' command and formed into 60000 sons. No wise cracks, please], the other only one. The king decided to do a jogyo [religious ritual] which involved a horse that was allowed to travel as he chose for a year. The 60000 sons were the guards. And they lost the horse as it went down to patal [underground, not exactly hell]. The dug their way down there and saw the horse grazing beside a great and terrible looking man. He was Kopil, a great muni. They paid no attention to him and made to grab the horse. He didn't take kindly to disrespect and turned them all into ashes.

Search parties went out and eventually, the nephew of the 60000 brothers, Ongshuman, came upon his uncles' ashes. He was very respectful to Kopil who gave him the horse back and said that Ongshuman's grandson will be able to free them by bringing Ganges to Earth. You must understand, the sea no longer existed and Ganges was in heaven originally.

He was a great man, very pious. He meditated for a thousand years [people lived longer back then], sitting in the middle of a circle of fire with his hands raised. Eventually, Brahma came to him with other Gods and Goddesses and asked him what he wanted. He asked for his wish and Brahma indicated a Goddess and said, 'that's Ganges, daughter of Himalaya. But she can't jump from heaven directly because Earth can't take that much pressure. You need to ask Shiva for help.'

So again Bhagiroth meditated, this time standing on tip toe and calling Shiva for a year. Finally Shiva came and lowered His head. And Ganges came down from the heavens and fell on His great tangle of hair and flowed out into the world. Bhagiroth led her to his ancestors' ashes and as she washed over them, they rose anew.

That is why Ganges is also called Bhagirothi.

By Kazim Ibne Sadique

Appeal for help

Imagine having your life flash by before your eyes, only to realise that it has barely begun. Imagine watching your loved one suffer in front of your eyes, and not being able to do anything to help.

That is pretty much the situation with Zarif and his family. Syed Zarif Waheed, a nine-year old boy, has been diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemiam a rare and deadly disease. He has been admitted into the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India, for treatment, but ultimately, the one thing that can save him is a bone-marrow transplant operation, using the marrow donated by his three-year-old sister. Unfortunately, the surgery costs some BDT 50 lacs, an amount his family cannot afford.

Zarif needs your help now. You could be responsible for saving the life of a very young child.

Contributions can be sent to the following bank account:
National Bank Ltd, Karwan Bazaar Branch, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Account Name: Syed Latif Hossain
Account # 34019265
SWIFT Code: NBLBBDD048
Phone: 9144781, 01712145218