The Lake of Gold

The sun paints gold on the horizon, on the faces of kids, youths, and adults in a November afternoon. All souls rejoice at the dribbling and passing of youths at a field of Sonadighi, meaning “the lake of gold”, in Rajshahi. This lake, and the beloved land, had never let the world know about the gold she held in her womb until just a few months ago. Now she is known to be the home to some of the best young talents whom the country's top football authority has promised to nurture.

Jogen Lakra is one of them. Willowy, dark and tall, Jogen – like a few others in his football team – belong to Orao, an indigenous community living in the region. Jogen never made it to his district town Rajshahi, let alone the country's capital Dhaka, until recently. The first time he visited Dhaka was a few days before the final of Clear Men Under-17 Football Tournament, an event participated by as many as 272 schools from around the country. When the tournament final was aired live on the television, Jogen's father joined the crowd at the school where all the eyes were glued on the screen. The golden moment for Sonadighi High School arrived when Jogen placed the perfect free-kick that his fellow Biplob Tirki headed in to secure the decisive goal for the team, to win the tournament. Thus began the journey of little maestros.

Born and brought up in a remote village of Rajshahi, Jogen supports his family by helping his father in his job as a farmer, hired by landowners. That earns him the school fees and makes for their living. A small house made of burnt clay, with a shed of tin overhead, is all they own. Worshippers of Lord Krishna, they have tulsi trees in unshaded yards between houses. Visiting them in the village, you would be received with an aura of love.

When Jogen was just a child, he wasn't blessed enough to play with an actual football. Rather, he had to squeeze straw into a polythene bag and make a football-like structure that he could kick about. He was not alone to defy such financial hardships with passion refusing to die out. His fellow teammate, Probit Kumar, has also been picked up by Bangladesh Football Federation to be nurtured into a football star. Jogen and Probit had their guardian angels, in the form of local clubs and organisations, who dedicated themselves in creating an ecosystem for sports talents. They have a simple promise to keep: to rid the kids of drugs and addiction.

I feel blessed to have explored the world of Jogen and Probit thanks to a friend living in Rajshahi. The promising stars have imbued the entire village with football mania. The afternoon I visited “the lake of gold”, it offered me the sight of an exuberant circle of spectators gathering at a playground hosting a football match between two schools. When I had a chat with the organisers they proudly said they would keep the youth spirit alive with sports and creativity, and away from the scourge of drug and frustration.

Sonadighi, as the name implies, also trains swimmers as it dreams of sending them to national and international competitions. When all the voices criticise the lack of sports in the country, Sonadighi takes pride in transforming sports into a culture – a task that others say cannot be done.

“Our region has given birth to some of the best sportsmen in the country. Following in their footsteps, we are trying to create a culture that would save kids from the adversities. If this culture prevails, even the border areas next to us, which are rife with drugs, will also be relieved of this scourge. Today you see Jogen and Probit as the promising stars. I am quite sure that many other talents like them are honing their sports aptitude and they will rise in the days to come. We know the country needs to adopt more holistic approaches to boosting up sports and creativity, but that cannot be a reason for us to stop acting. Rather, we need to create an ecosystem for sports that in the long run motivates the policymakers to take sports more seriously,” said Akbar Ali, a teacher and sports organiser.

When Sonadighi nurtures the uncut gems of football, the resonance of the FIFA World Cup is yet to wear off. After France became champions, former US president Barack Obama showered praise on the French football team for its diversity and inclusion.

“Diversity delivers practical benefits since it ensures that a society can draw upon the energy and skills of all people. And if you doubt that, just ask the French football team that just won the World Cup because not all these folks look like Gauls to me. They are French; they are French,” Obama said.

Sonadighi High School makes me feel the same way. They have a team – most of whom belong to ethnic minorities earning a living by working on a piece of agricultural land that they don't even own. Still, they are one of the best in the country. If Bangladesh takes note of this diversity, passion, and energy of the boys from the lake of gold, she will find more untapped resources of such youths with better stories to tell, for better days to usher in.

The writer is a naval architect from BUET and contributor of The Daily Star.