I had heard about PK Banerjee long before I went out of the state and played in Kolkata. You just have to come and ask the older generation in Kozhikode about him. I remember how Rahman ikka (Abdul Rahman who played with Banerjee in the team that reached the semifinal of the 1956 Olympics) used to talk endlessly about him. Later, when I moved to JCT, I heard even more stories about him from Inder Singh. And then, when we had Syed Nayeemuddin as coach, he used to invoke Banerjee’s name to try and inspire us.
I had the fortune of playing under him for club and country. He was involved at both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal when I was there. At Mohun Bagan, he was my coach and I remember listening on in rapt attention when he spoke about the game. I used to be in awe that such a great player was imparting his wisdom to me. He used to talk about his experiences as a footballer and all of us used to sit like kids listening to stories!
I don’t think there’s any other footballer in India who has done what he has, had such amazing careers, first as a player and then as a coach. I consider myself extremely fortunate that I was able to work under him. The last time I saw him was during the opening ceremony of the U17 World Cup, when the government was honouring all former India captains.
He was not keeping well at that time and was confined to a wheelchair. When his name was called out to get on to the stage and receive an award from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was me and Bhaichung Bhutia, who accompanied him on the stage.
Recently, I had called his home and talked to his daughter about how he was keeping. She told me his health was deteriorating. Today, when I got the news that he had passed away, I was very sad. May he rest in peace. It’s when I tell all these stories about him and other players like Abdul Rahman, Inder Singh and Makhan Singh that I realise what great players that generation had. The fact that they were such geniuses is why all of us have so many stories to tell about them.