Avijit Sarkar’s parents catch the match

In a cramped room in Bandel’s Hemanta Basu Colony, two pairs of eyes remained glued to a portable black-and-white television set waiting for a lanky youth in India’s starting eleven on Friday evening. The moment came at 7.54pm, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi shook hands with Avijit Sarkar, the couple’s son.

A few metres from their home at the local Bani Chakra field, the Durga Puja pandal sported a giant white screen where the match was beamed live for the neighborhood.

“For us it is a dream come true,” said Aloka, Abhijit’s mother. “I couldn’t be in New Delhi to bless my child because of my illness, but I did speak to him once. He has achieved more in his few years than we did in our lifetime. The words of encouragement of all who had come home since the morning would make any mother proud,” she said. Abhijit’s father Haren, a van-rickshaw puller, said, “It was surreal watching my son shaking hands with the Prime Minister. It is perhaps the biggest takeaway of my life. He played with all his zeal. Today luck wasn’t with them. Tomorrow it will be another day, ano-ther match.”

For Abhijit’s best friend Biswajit Bhowmik, it was a day to remember. Coach Asoke Basu said: “This is a different stage, a different game altogether and against the very best in the world. I just want Abhijit to keep his cool and stick to the basics. He is a very good ball player and he can do wonders. He just needs to wait for the opportunity,” he said.


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