SAMIR THAPA: A life dedicated to football

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SAMIR THAPA

A life dedicated to football

By LB Thapa

Samir Thapa’s journey to football is full of vicissitudes. Born into a poor family, his parents could not afford a pair of shoes and a jersey. Fighting against poverty, he continued playing football. The only thing that kept his hope alive throughout the years was his self-confidence. He knew well that he was born to play football and had to succeed at any cost. 

Here is the story of Samir, the boy who has dedicated his life to playing football for the country. It is his dream to play for Nepal and make Nepal known to the world. 

My name is Samir Thapa, and I was born in 2009 in Udaipur, Nepal. At present, I am studying in grade 11 in Kathmandu. Ever since I came to my conscience, I began liking football more than anything in my life did. Football is more than my passion. Speaking of football, it is running all through my veins. Today I am going to tell you what football is for me and about my dedication and commitment to football. 

In the early days in my village, the young boys of my age would make a football out of rags and used plastic bags. After wrapping many rag pieces and used plastic bags, the football would be ready. We would regularly repair the ball to continue the game. 

I am the eldest son in the family, and there are two younger brothers and one sister in the family. Being the eldest son in the family, I have more responsibility on my shoulders. I belong to a very poor family, but I intensely desire to make my village and country known to the world. 

When I was playing football with my friends on the open field in the village, I would regularly see big brothers playing football in the stadium. It became my daily routine to go and watch them play football. One day, I went much closer to the goalpost and began watching the game with immense interest. Then suddenly, a speedy ball hit my right arm and broke it immediately. 

I was taken home, but my father, instead of treating my broken hand, scolded me and completely ignored my broken hand. My mother was very worried about my broken hand. She wanted to take me to a nearby hospital, but she had no money at all. When my senior brothers learned about my situation, they took me to the hospital and bore the expenses of my treatment. 

It took nearly 3 months for my hand to function in a normal way. However, my father’s attitude toward me did not improve at all. My father had warned me not to play football anymore. I couldn't obey my father’s warning. Football is my life, and I can't live without it. I continued watching football, and I was regularly beaten up by my father. I made no complaint but bore the beatings silently. 

When I realized I could not improve my game by playing with made-up balls, I requested that my senior brothers allow me to play with them. But they did not pay any attention to my request. One of the big brothers told me that my father held them responsible for breaking my hand. That’s why my father warned them not to allow me to play football with them. Later, my senior brothers even stopped me from watching the game at the stadium. I was very sad. I felt as if I had been thrown from a high cliff. 

I regularly requested it with my senior brothers and asked them to allow me to watch them play. Finally, they agreed. After a few days, I began requesting them once again to allow me to play with them. In the end, my regular requests and persistence melted my senior brothers’ hearts, and they agreed to include me in their team. They allowed me to play football with them, but they set a condition. The condition was that I should get a pair of shoes and a jersey. 

On the one hand, my happiness knew no bounds because I was allowed to play football with the senior brothers. On the other hand, a gloom descended upon me. Because buying a pair of shoes and a jersey was completely out of the question for me. Collecting some money to buy a pair of shoes and a jersey turned out to be an impossible task for me. I contacted every possible source to get some money, but I miserably failed. When there was no possible way left to get money to buy a pair of shoes and a jersey, I managed enough courage and asked my father to buy one pair of shoes and a jersey for me so that I could play football. 

No sooner had I requested it with my father, than he tied me against a pillar and started beating me mercilessly. I was beaten up so badly that I remained in bed for a week. Once I began feeling better, I started thinking of every possible way to make money so that I could buy a pair of shoes and a jersey. At that time, an idea flashed through my mind. I started carrying goods from nearby bazaars to villages. I became a porter and started making some money. I was careful not to spend any money and this way I began saving money. It took two years to save seven hundred rupees. 

I counted my money, and I was satisfied. It was seven hundred in total. I went to a sports shop to buy a pair of shoes and a jersey. But I sank into the pit of melancholy when I came to know that the money I had was not enough to buy a pair of shoes and a jersey. I decided to buy shoes because, without them, I would not be allowed to play. I was confident enough to make them agree to allow me to play with them without a jersey. 

I explained my situation to my senior brothers. They understood my problem, and therefore I was allowed to play as an extra for the team. I was very happy to become part of the team. In the beginning, I was asked to fetch the outgoing ball, and this way I spent months, but I was never allowed to play with the team as a team member. However, I did not stop making efforts to be selected for the team. I continued my effort. 

In the meantime, an opportunity knocked on my door. There was an inter-school football championship, and I was included on the school team. For the first time, I put on my new pair of shoes and played for my school. I was much appreciated for my game. In the end, my school became the champion, and I was declared the best player in the tournament. I felt myself over the moon. I had no words to express my happiness. 

It was a nice coincidence that when I was playing matches, Tej Kumar Khapangi, a resident of my village, was watching my game, and he was very impressed with my playing skills. He surprised me by offering me a jersey that I desperately needed. This was the first time in my life that someone appreciated my game and gave me something. I was very happy. 

Then one day I was called by Tej Kumar Khapangi. He was impressed with my game and wanted to send me to Kathmandu to play football. But he told me that my family should support me with lodging, boarding, and school fees. His offer was good, but my family couldn't provide any financial support for me in Kathmandu. I explained my entire family situation to Tej Kumar Khapangi. 

Finally, Mr. Khapangi decided to meet my father and tried to convince him. He requested that he send me to Kathmandu and support me financially. But my father’s response was extremely violent. He did not only refuse but also quarreled with Mr. Khapangi. I felt helpless. 

I realized that I was not going to get any help, and I saw my dream of going to Kathmandu and playing football shattered into pieces. I fell into depression. When my condition turned bad to worse, my parents took heed. My father was convinced that if I was not allowed to play football, then I would turn mad. Finally, my father gave in, and he met Mr. Khapangi and made all the necessary arrangements to send me to Kathmandu. 

I was amazed at seeing a huge transformation in my father. He did not object and allowed me to play. Not only this, he mortgaged our land and borrowed money on interest, and he was doing all he could to send me to Kathmandu. We had almost no income in the village; that’s why my father decided to go to the Gulf country. 

It is yet another coincidence that my father and I left the house on the same day for Kathmandu. The next day, my father had his flight. My mother advised me to live in a friendly way with my friends in Kathmandu. I promised my mother that I would meet her expectations. 

After reaching Kathmandu, Mr. Khapangi searched for a school where I could study and play football without any interruption. Finally, they found one, and its name was Peace Point Boarding School. 

A new phase of struggle began in Kathmandu. I was studying hard, and besides that, I put my heart and soul together to play football. However, living in Kathmandu was not that easy. My father was not earning well in the Gulf nation. My mother was working as a laborer, and her income was not enough to provide any financial help to me in Kathmandu. I was not able to pay the school fees on time, and I received a warning for not paying school fees on time. 

I, once again, plunged into a state of melancholy as I saw a possible dismissal from the school. I was not able to pay school fees on time. In the meantime, the school management noticed my dedication to football and my ability as a growing soccer player. The school provided me with a scholarship, and I was allowed to study with a scholarship. Had my football trainer and my teachers at the school not assisted me, it would not have been possible for me to get the scholarship. 

Peace Point Boarding School in Kathmandu is known for its dedication and commitment to football. So far, the school has produced many star soccer players for the country. The school has special tie-ups with Machhindra Football Club, a renowned football club in Nepal. Whenever Machhindra Football Club played a match, we would always go to the stadium to support Machhindra Footbal Club. 

In the meantime, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) was on the way to organizing a U-16 tournament in the country. The main purpose of this tournament was to find emerging soccer players. For selection purposes, a team of ANFA members visited our school and observed our games. By the grace of God and my extreme dedication to football, I was selected to play for the U-16 Mahendra Club team. 

The U-16 soccer tournament took place in Kathmandu, and finally, our team won the U-16 championship. Each time, I am playing better than before, and I am moving ahead in life despite many hurdles, especially financial ones. My poor financial condition has restricted me from doing many things, that I wanted to do in my life. Poverty has hit me hard, and still, I am looking for some good Samaritans who can help me so that I can continue studying and football together.

LB Thapa is the publisher and editor of The Hemingway Post,  a literary magazine. 

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