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Trikaripur panchayat, bordering the Kannur district, in Kasargod is home to some of the finest footballers of Kerala.This passionate Army man P Jain is one of them.
As a youngster growing up in Trikariupur it was natural for Services’ spearhead to get hooked to the game.
Blessed with good physique, a lethal left foot and ability to score goals, Jain made an instant impression. He scored a lot of goals and got selected to the junior Indian camp earlier.
His career took off after he joined the Army.A big match player, Jain has impressed with his ability to score crucial goals against strong teams. In the highly competitive Kolkata Football League, Jain showed his worth by scoring goals against big teams like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal .
TODAY ARMY RED IS GOING TO START THEIR DURAND CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHENNAIYIN FC IN IMPHAL.
JUST BEFORE THAT PRATYUSHA MUKHERJEE TALKED TO P JAIN .
*Excerpts:*
Q : Jain , you are a Keralite ..joined the Indian Football …now a part of Indian Army…say something about your journey.
Yes I am from Kerala. Football is my passion since my childhood and joined the Army through the sports fortress.
Q: In recent days, we see that many aspiring footballers are coming from far flung areas of the country. They have lots of potential but unfortunately there are huge lacking of Infrustuture. Don’t you think that the Sports Ministry should give more attention in developing infrastructure for over all improvement of football in the country?
Infrastructure is improving but I believe there is still a lot to improve.
Q : Who inspired you to play football? Tell me something about your childhood memories.
I believe my village is a football factory and there are many famous footballers like Indian International M Suresh ,Muhammad Rafi and many others like them .My best childhood memories are playing with them and growing up.
Last year Army Red played attacking football through out Durand.We noticed so much enthusiasm and zeal amongst your team mates specially Liton Shil, Bikash Thapa and others. Coach Anustup Sarkar did a great job.
As a Captain how do you assess his contribution ?
Yes we played attacking football in last Durand. We have a lot of talented players in our team and I am happy that everyone is giving their 100% to the team.
Q: Now tell me about your team’s prospect in the days ahead ?
The teams in our group are very strong.We want to focus on each and every match.It is believed that they will qualify from the group and advance towards the next stage.
Q : Do you get adequate help from the Army Service Sports Control Board and what about their infrastructure?
We are getting full support from the ASCB and we are very happy with that . The infrastructure is also good .
Q.If you get a chance to join Indian National Team Camp in near future will you go?
Of course, I will go.
Q : A prestigious tournament like Durand encourages young players to a great extent. Do you agree?
Yes.
Q : What are your future plans?
After the Durand Cup comes the departmental competitions to watch out for.
Q : Any passion do you have except football?
It is The Indian Army.
Once Kolkata jaint East Bengal gave him a good offer to play for them and offered him a long term contract but for the time being Jain proudly said “I am happy with my job in the Army”.However he has potential to represent India if he is groomed properly.
INTERVIEWED BY PRATYUSHA MUKHERJEE.
(Journalist based in Kolkata. In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media award for Journalism. )
