CHUNI GOSWAMI remembers with nostalgia J. Kittu, who voluntarily provided an opportunity to play as an inside forward and become a legendary figure. This Bengal football team, which played in the Santosh Trophy in 1955, was crowded with too many inside forwards while having no positive left winger. Those were the days when every football team used to adopt the five-forward system’. At that time, there were plenty of inside forwards in Calcutta, and Ahmed Khan and Sattar, the two highly established inside forwards, were already in the Bengal team. We were sure that Jagannath Kittu, a newcomer to East Bengal from Madras that year, would be the automatic choice for the position of third inside forward in the team.
Since there was no reasonably good left winger, the Bengal team appeared to be imbalanced and lopsided, with too many talented forwards vying for the inside berth. Just at that time, Kittu came up with the novel suggestion that he would be “pleased to serve” his new state by playing as a left winger. Here was the magnanimity of a reputed player, unseen before. It was not at all necessary for him to withdraw himself from his usual position, as he achieved grand success in his very first appearance for East Bengal Club in Calcutta with his immaculate ball control and deft passing. Actually, it was the rare quality of generosity that made him make that decision.
Kittu’s self-exile also allowed me to come into the reckoning as a reserve forward for the Bengal team, and for this, I shall remain grateful to him. Later, as Sattar withdrew himself from the team at the last moment,. I got myself in the first XI with Ahmed Khan and Kittu as my left-in and left-out, respectively. And what could be better for a youngster like me than to have the support and encouragement of two great ball players like Ahmed Khan and Kittu?
Therefore, Kittu was the worthy successor to Ahmed Khan in the East Bengal Club. This plumpy and pleasant boy is from Tanjore. Madras had had brilliant success in his maiden appearance in the 1952 National Championship in Bangalore, when he represented the Madras State team.
He became the darling of the crowd and was rightly given the ‘Man of the Tournament’ award. Short and stockily built, Kittu had fine control over ball and could use both feet with consummate ease. He was an extraordinarily fast player and could, with his uncanny sense of ball play and anticipation, ‘fox’ and catch the defenders often in the wrong foot. The most important characteristic of Kittu’s play was his art of passing, whether long or short, and to have Kittu in the wall passing’, one could surely get the ball in the right position even with closed eyes. Although he himself was not a great shooter, any striker in today’s system would also have loved to receive the ‘set passing’ of Kittu.
Kittu was a fine gentleman and his sense of humor was as pleasing as his dexterity in the game. His nonchalant and relaxed attitude, even before a big match, kept the atmosphere of the dressing room cool. His love for betel (pan) was also well-known. He was frequently seen, at a later stage, to come out in a match chewing ‘pan’. We were amused at the sight and asked Kittu-da, “Why do you take pan before a match?” Prompt came the reply, with a touch of humor: “Why do you take chewing gum?
Your chewing gum and my pan do the same trick.” The sudden and premature death of this versatile player has caused an irreparable loss to Indian football, as he dedicated his entire life to the cause of Indian football. Only recently, he joined the Indian football team for the Merdeka Tournament in the capacity of a member of the ‘technical committee’. I am sure that the present footballers, who are now preparing themselves for the forthcoming Asian Games, would miss him as much as we, the contemporaries, would.
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