MANGALDAI, July 20 - Many public organisations and individuals of Darrang district here recently felicitated the nine-year-old football sensation, Chandan Boro, with gamosa, readymade garments, shoes, bag etc.
Chandan, who belongs to a very poor family of remote Harisinga village in Udalguri district, was felicitated for being selected as the lone footballer from the State to be trained for six years in Germany under a sports scholarship provided by a Tata trust.
On this occasion, a public function was organised at Chapai near here by a local non-government organisation called Yuva Kalyan Kendra, in association with the Chapai Theatre Management Committee at its auditorium.
A good number of people including prominent citizens like Pratap Bordoloi, Chairman, Municipal Board Mangaldai, Dr Bijoy Kr Sharma, HoD, Assamese Department, Mangaldai College, Associate Professor of Mangaldai College Bhabesh Choudhury, Dr Amarendra Narayan Deb, former president, Darrang Zila Sahitya Sabha, senior journalist Bhargab Kr Das, international level veteran athlete Runu Debi, office-bearers of the Mangaldai Sports Association, Harisinga Sports Association, Harisinga AASU, local sports lovers, students attended the function.
All the speakers expressed their delight on the rare achievement of a youth from a rural area, which was an integral part of Darrang, before its bifurcation in 2004 and hoped that one day Chandan will shine in world football. Earlier, journalist Ganesh Dutta described how pathetic the living conditions of Chandan and his family was, residing in a temporary hut along a railway line with his father Nripen Boro and mother Bina Boro, both earning from daily wages.
It was Semual Basumatary, a dedicated young football coach, who in his free coaching camp, first spotted Chandan�s talent and then helped and guided him in getting selected for a football camp by the Sports Authority of India in Kokrajhar on June 16 from among 150 budding football talents of the State.
Many organisations and individuals, including Dr Mrinal Choudhury, Anupam Deka of the SRD Group among others came forward to present financial packages to the boy to meet his preparations for his journey. Also, felicitated at the function were football coach Samuel Basumatary, along with Bhargabmuni Das and Nirmal Ghosh, the two local youths, who made Mangaldai proud by getting selected for the Assam Police Service under the APSC, results of which were recently announced.
