FULL-STACK FOOTBALL FCs

This was a random picture with instruction I received in ICIS Sports WhatsApp group on 27th January 2025. I hadn't known most of in this list. Some I can recall from attendance book. Same day around 9PM, I got a call by Prof. Abhishek Sports Co-ordinator of ICIS. He asked me to co-ordinate ICIS Football team in next day's tournament and he sent a contact of student named Mishal who was said to be the captain of ICIS Football team. That was also a first student contact I ever saved in my phone. No Idea about his appearance. I said Okay without second thought. Not because I intrested in Football nor I know the men I should co-ordinate.  Just travelling, even 'on-duty'! Break from daily routine, no calling attendance, no Shhh, no need to connect the projector.   

I recalled that my father used to say that during his childhood in 1970s he and his siblings hardly sleep if they go bus journey next day! It is human idiosyncrasy to have imagination before any journey. Every journey excites us before its takes place. We will have imagination on it, how we spend the time and whom we enjoy the journey with. Quality of imaginations may vary with the type of journey and co-passengers.

 

On 28th January Morning, I was at Statebank at 08:30AM. Team hadn't yet reached Mangalore. I was following my cadet. In military-clock 9AM is 9AM not 09:30AM. I waited almost an hour.

Around 09:30 I could see the group of men arriving towards me beside the Town Hall footpath. 

I had saved the given contact in the name Mishal. But Ali was speaking to me everytime. It left me in the confusion about Mishal's identity.  I was known a big muscle man as Ali as he was appeared as 'master of ceremony' in the cultural events. But what I had seen a man speaking to me in the phone while walking towards me was Ali. Actually Ali was talking in Mishal's phone. All the 2nd year men are confronting me for very first time. We took a private bus to Valachil. Then auto to the campus.

We went around the campus and compared it with our's.  I would say it was comparatively well located  among our other campuses. It is located in plateau. The way from NH275 to the campus has hairpin bends and panoramic view of river Netravathi.

Even after reaching the venue, it took couple of hours to start the tournment. Some more students joined us in uniform. It was great time to speak with the 1st year players that I had taught in the previous semester. They shared their perspective of me and I was sharing mine. One said that his class girls think I'm shy man because I don't maintain eye contact with them!

 Later, I went with Munas to register our team. Sports Co-ordinator asked me "Where is your faculty incharge?". Munas replied "This is our Sir!". Faculty incharge of other teams astonished and asked me to sit. They couldn't recognize me as faculty. May be, because I was in outshirt!  I taken the lot and it was 7. We were bypassed the 1st round matches. Selecting 11 was challenging for the captain as we had players as much as we could make 2 good teams from our campus. We won the 1st match and entered the semi-finals. In the break, only few had the lunch as most of them were Muslims and were fasting.

I was monitoring our students more than spectating the game. Everyone was expert, everyone was coaching! Refree warned several times to manage these young muscles. It made me to mark imaginary line outside the field to control them! Our boys played very well in every matches.Here I should heartly commend our Goalkeeper Sanjeev Mohan who is well known as 'Kutru' for his contribution in every matches and paved the way to lift the trophy.

ICIS Champion team (Intra University Football Tournament - 2025)

My picture of shared by Mishal in ICIS Sports WhatsApp group after the victory. This photo introduced me among the large student groups especially to the 2nd year students. As I was teaching only to 1st years, I didn't had connection with any 2nd year students. I generalized the title for this article as most of the students were from  Full-Stack batches. I must hearty thank Prof. Abhishek for making me come across these young men and co-ordinating the victory of us. What I look forward with these men is shadow, onion and a knife!  And it really took a month to clarify my confusion between Mishal and Ali!

There is a huge difference between 'meeting' and 'coming across'. Meeting can be predictory and accidental but coming across is the universal sign. People we come across is always special over those we meet. To be continued...