This is the story of a young and determined boy, fueled with passion but stricken by poverty. Rajibul Haldar begins his journey from someone unknown to becoming the rising star of Bengal football.
At a very young age, Rajibul kicked off his first football made from paper pulp on the dusty roads of Kandarpapur, a remote village of South 24 Parganas.
His family has faced destitution and tragedy. His father, Jahangir Halder, faced a severe back injury, which put him out of work for a long time. Rajibul’ s mother, Ehida Bibi, runs a small meat shop. He had two elder siblings; his elder brother faced an accident and lost his life a couple of months ago. However, another brother supports his family by working as a driver in a private company.
Rajibul, a passionate 20-year-old boy, has had an immense love for football since childhood. He played barefoot as he did not have the money to buy even a pair of school shoes. But his love for the game was so intense that he, with his school friends, made a ball out of paper pulp and played in the school premises.
Rajibul used to get 10 rupees every day for his lunch, but he saved the same amount every day and returned home with an empty stomach.
He became quite emotional while remembering those days. “While playing barefoot at the local ground with my elder brothers, I saw that the minimum price of a pair of boots was around Rs 250. So, I saved 10 rupees every day for 20 days to make 200 rupees. Then I asked my mother for Rs 50 to buy a pair of football boots. My mother was struggling a lot to earn a small amount of money from the meat shop, which was not sufficient for the family to survive. Still, she managed to give me the fifty rupees, and I was able to buy the boots,” Rajibul said.
At the age of 12, Rajibul’s local friend took him to Sreerampore, the coaching camp of Swaraj Barua. Rajibul admits that his love for the game would have died if his friend had not taken him to Swaraj Sir’s camp.
Swaraj Sir was like my father, he says. “Not only did he teach me the basics of the game, but he also gave me time and care that one can only expect from their parents. He never made me feel that I belonged to a poor family. He gave me the kit, food which is appropriate for a footballer’s diet, and he used to give me new clothes on Eid al-Fitr and other festive occasions. Still today, I call sir before our matches in the BSL,” revealed the footballer.
Admission to Swaraj Barua’s camp was one turning point in Rajibul’s career. However, the journey was not easy. Rajibul got the chance of being admitted to East Bengal’s under-13 camp through a selection trial and impressed the coach, renowned defender Tarun Dey, too. Then he was promoted to under-15.
But the arrival of Covid-19 pandemic forced Rajibul to stop playing football!
He divulged, “Those days were a nightmare! Due to the lockdown, family earnings completely collapsed. I started working as a helper for a residential electrician! I was able to make a little earnings for my family during that phase.”
However, after the dreadful phase of the pandemic, Rajibul could survive playing in the RFDL for Mohammedan Sporting, in the CFL first division for City AC and for Mohammedan AC.
Before joining North Bengal United FC, Rajibul was one of the key defenders in Coal India, which advanced him to the CFL Premier Division last season.
The defender did not hesitate to admit that the second turning point in his football journey has been Bengal Super League. “BSL is giving us money, exposure across the country and ultimately, if I had not had the guidance of Biswajit sir and Musa sir, if I had not been selected in the BSL and roped in by North Bengal United FC. Both the coaches were renowned footballers in their time. But as a coach, their style of guidance is helping a lot to improve my game as well as my psychological strength. Musa Sir was a defender. So, his guidance is giving me a lot to acknowledge and become more mature as a footballer in future,” Rajibul stated.
Rajibul’s key aim is to play for a big team and earn enough money. “I want my mother to lead a comfortable life now. She is my inspiration. Before every match, I think of her dedication, struggle for the family and then enter the ground. I must have to play for a big professional team and earn good money so that my mother can live a quality life forever,” Rajibul concluded.
