BENGALURU: After reaching the Garden City in the early '90s as a teenager, Sajith Kumar V conquered several peaks with
MEG
, first as a striker and then as a coach which saw him guide Services to their National title in 2012, a first after a gap of 51 years.
"I was a village boy when I landed here in 1992, having only an experience of attending the U-16 state camp in Kerala. But over the next few months my career began to blossom due to the structured training in MEG," recalled Sajith, 45, who is set to retire as subedar at the end of this month after completing 28 years of service.
Sajith grew with the MEG side in the 90s and his skills helped him make the
Karnataka U-21 squad. Soon, the Kolkatan and Goan clubs too showed interest in him but he didn't take up offers from Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar FC.
"Another offer was from HAL coach Krishnaji Rao," Sajith told TOI.
Once his playing days were over, Sajith joined NIS in Patiala and earned his diploma. He was handed over the reins of the MEG team in 2004.
"The training at NIS by GD Malhotra made me who I am today," he said. "I tried the 3-5-2 formation at MEG and it clicked as the team won the Super Division league title for the first time in three decades in 2007.”
Sajith scaled new heights as Services coach.
"The 2012 win was the biggest of my career. We were all felicitated by the defence minister at the South Block with the Army and Air chief in attendance. The next year we defended the title beating hosts Kerala in front of a packed stadium in Kochi," he said.
In between, Sajith was sent by the Army to coach the Royal Bhutan Army team.
"That was a real challenge as the players didn't know English or Hindi. Communication and imparting training was mostly through signs. In the end, the team finished fourth in the Bhutan National League," he said.
Away from MEG, Sajith is keen to groom youngsters.
"I'm confident that I can make a difference at the grassroots level with all my experience over the last three decades," Sajith said.
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