Rohit Sharma makes history, becomes 1st ever captain in the world to ..
He began as a striker, but upon joining Mohun Bagan, he was repositioned as a defender. His skills, along with those of his teammates, earned them the epithet “the Great Wall of China.” His impressive performance led to his appointment as captain of the Indian Football Team in 1948, the same year he led Mohun Bagan. It is hoped that the people of the North East will keep alive the memory of this legendary sportsman to serve as an inspiration for future generations. The French had been given a run for their money – and that, too, by the barefooted Indians! At a press conference, shortly after, the Indians were asked why they played barefooted.
- Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper.
- A legend in his own right, Talimeren Ao is someone who had the strength of character to pursue his interests whole-heartedly and not compromise on his dreams.
- In 1933, T Ao was sent to the Jorhat Mission School where he was first exposed to proper football, his skills noticed by both students and teachers.
- Rohit Sharma makes history, becomes 1st ever captain in the world to…
- It is not easy to handle a spin quartet where each bowler is distinct and has a different role.
- Ao, who had studied medicine in Kolkata, worked for the state health services for many years.
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About OK! North East
Born in 1918 in Changki, an Ao village in the then Naga Hills district of Assam, and now in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district, his tribe, the Aos, are one of the 16 tribes of Nagaland. Dr Ao’s father was Subongwati Ningdangri, the first Reverend in the Naga Hills. A footballer and a doctor, he wore both hats with ease. Mohun Bagan Captain and Captain of the India Team, he was the flag-bearer of the Indian Olympic contingent at the 1948 London Games.
He joined B.Sc (Physics) in Cotton College and completed a year of the course. He was awarded the Scholarship in 1942, and got admitted in the Carmichael Medical College, (now R.G. Kar Medical College), Calcutta. Ao was also playing for the reputed Maharana Club of Guwahati. His skill with the ball was much appreciated and sought after. He improved his athletic performance and won the Individual Championship Trophy of Cotton College for three continuous years.
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Today, he lies resting under a plain slab of concrete and a wooden cross, surrounded by an explosion of foliage – teak, ashoka, neem and fruit trees, groves of bamboo – and a small patch of water. Near him lies Talikokchang’s son Subongmeren, who died at 17, grandfather and grandson under the regal canopy of a dizzyingly-high sam kothal (native jackfruit) tree. Somewhere inside Talimeren, it is possible, there could have been a man caught between the freedom of physical action provided by sport, and the inner life, discipline and intensity required of a surgeon.
“We had to ask him a lot of questions before he opened up a bit like that.” In their youth, the boys tried to fathom the inscrutable patriarch and would only later understand the weight of his trophies, medals and reputation. They sought to find the link between the strapping young man of the photographs, and their large, stoic and almost withdrawn father. The next year, declining an offer to become a Captain (Medical Corps) in the Indian Army, he joined the Medical College at Dibrugarh as Registrar (ENT). In 1953, while Nagaland was still a part of Assam, the Government posted him as Medical Superintendent to the Kohima Hospital, where he treated, operated on and cured patients.
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Talimeren Ao, an Indian football legend who turned down Arsenal for his father’s wish.
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Ao said, “Well, you see, we play football in India, whereas you play BOOTBALL! ” There was a roar of approval from the British crowd who loved a ready wit! The next day, that comment was splashed in the newspapers of London. At Jorhat Christian High School, he gained exposure to the finer points of football and was introduced to track and field events and volley-ball. In 1937, his last year in Jorhat he won the Best Sportsman Trophy in the Inter-High School Tournament.
It was found that he had a fractured jaw and had to be hospitalized for a whole month, feeding only on soup and liquid foods. Ao matriculated in the First Division with distinction. Ao joined Cotton College, Guwahati for his Intermediate Science. Soon, he this guy was in the College Football Team and represented the College in all the matches that year. Having a good height, a winning smile, a charming personality and being gregarious by nature, he was unanimously elected the General Secretary (Athletics & Sports) of the College.