How Football Contributed to India’s Independence Against British Raj

In a strange interplay between football and politics, Field has become his native American front line. This his 74th Republic Day, let us delve deeper into the struggle and dedication it took to fight for independence and show Britain that it can fight back!
Luminary’s original podcast about Barefoot Boys, narrated by Konkona Sen, is FREE and EXCLUSIVE this Republic Day weekend!
How it started…
It all started in 1877, when his 9-year-old boy from Bengal became known as his football father in India. Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari is the first person to touch football with his feet.
Young Nagendra Prasad went to school the next day and told his friends how he felt when he kicked the ball for the first time. This marked the beginning of Nagendra Prasand’s football journey, which would later ignite India’s fight for freedom from colonizers.
Nagendra Prasad and football go hand in hand. He had drive, passion and good leadership for the sport.
He showed the Indians that football was a medium in which the Indians could compete against the British and show their skills on the ground. The OG who raised her…Let’s not forget Siren Bose, Indian football’s OG coach
Siren Bose, a former soldier who led the Mohun Bagan Club in the early 20th century,
It was no doubt Siren Bose’s unconventional training methods for the team that set the team on the road to victory. I understand that there is not much difference between them. Salien Bose used his military experience to find a solution to the problem. He had a plan to show the British that the Indians could fight too.
And then came the Baduri boys… By 1905, Mohun Bagan had become a household name in British circles as well. And so was Bagan when everything was viewed through the lens of nationalism.
Bagan has become a Made in India team, producing India’s first football superstars Sibdas. Somnath Sengupta, a journalist and historian, said: From the 1890s to the 1900s, five of his six Baduri brothers played for the club. Three of them became captain of the club, two of which he was a member of the IFA Shield winning team.
The Baduri brothers slowly became the center of attention, as they possessed extraordinary dribbling, an amazing level of comprehension they shared, and a seemingly telepathic ability to switch positions to fend off enemy defenders. That’s what we call a sibling goal.
But that’s not all. Ride Dietz and feel the pride!
In honor of India’s 74th Republic Day, Barefoot Boys will be streaming for free on Luminary from January 26-29, 2022. Recommended for long holidays! Download Luminary.