I took admission in the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, in the year 1957. Those days Football was the most popular of all sports and the boys were full of enthusiasm for it. Anybody who played well could join a game to try and develop his skills or show off his expertise. Those excelling could be on the class teams and eventually be a part of the main !SM team. We used to have class-league matches every year. We often beat BIT Sindri, St. Xavier’s, Ranchi, in friendly matches. They would also reciprocate. Participation In Dhanbad district Football League was also an annual feature. There were robust teams from the Railways, Coalfields, and the competition was tough.
I had the privilege of being a member of this elite team all four years I studied there. For the District Football League, entry ticket was 2 Annas (1 rupee was Sixteen Annas), quite a good sum for those days!
After each match, our Coach would treat all members of our team, to tea in a local Tea-shop known as “Ganesh ki Chai!” Though small, its fame had spread far and wide. A small cup of freshly brewed tea costing 2 Annas, served in an earthen ‘Kulhad’, sold like hot-cakes.
I used to observe well-to-do gentlemen with families, line up in their Cadillacs, Fords and Ambassadors for their turn of the Cuppa! Such was the craze!
Ganeshji, the owner of the shop was a Single-man-army! A genial person, neatly dressed in white, always sporting a smile, he busily catered to all his customers.
We players after polishing off plates of samosas and a cup of tea, happily boarded our waiting yellow and blue buses to return to our hostels. The two buses would be filled to capacity with ISM students, great admirers of the game.
As the buses entered the gates of ISM, we cheered, loudly, ‘Hip Hip Hurray,’ our victory shout!
As we passed the rows of quarters of our esteemed professors and teachers, they must have wondered if we had won or lost matches! This was clearly a prank we played, whether we won or lost, to our great merriment !
When I meet my friends of old, we laugh over those playful innocent moments.
One afternoon, I happened to visit Dhanbad railway station. The tea shop being close by, and lacking in customers at this time of day, I sat down and ordered a cup of tea. Sipping the sweet elixir, I picked up a conversation with Ganeshji.
“Ganeshji aaj aap bata hi dijie, aap chai me kya daltein hain” I said.
Here was this esteemed customer, a member of the ISM football team, asking for his secret recipe, he must have thought! Calmly putting his shiny kettle on the platform, he folded his hands and said “ Sahab ,main aapko atom bomb ka formula batah doonga, lekin chai mein kya dalta hoon, nahi bataunga!! Hamey aap maaf Kijiye!”
( I can tell you the recipe of the atom bomb, but I can never reveal this, forgive me.)
It was a tactful and amazing answer, how could he reveal his trade secret? How humble and intelligent he was, I marvelled as I left his tea shop, floored by his sweet reply.
“Ganeshji, aapko salam!”