KOCHI: At 30, Nirmal Chettri still has a lot of football left in him, having established himself as an accomplished footballer in the country. He has already represented India, played for some of the biggest Indian clubs and was even involved in a friendly against the Bayern Munich U-23 side where he drew praise from legendary Gerd Müller. However, with India struggling under the second wave of Covid-19, Nirmal feels all that becomes secondary and what matters now is primarily helping people in need.
Recently, the defender organised a blood donation drive in his hometown Sikkim through his local football club FC Melli as blood banks across the country have been appealing the citizens to donate blood before getting vaccinated. Nirmal, who runs the club, rallied their members alongside other volunteers as they collected 58 units for the blood bank at the Namchi District Hospital in South Sikkim after they were informed about a shortage of blood at the local blood bank.
“Being a sportsperson and an athlete comes with a validity period. It is only for a time being and gets over one day. What matters more in life is how you can contribute to society and what kind of a human being you are. I felt I could do something and a lot of people came out in support which was encouraging,” he said. In fact, this is not the first time that Nirmal has been involved in Covid-relief work. Last year, he had organized a sanitization drive in Melli amidst the first outbreak where over 500 homes were covered.
Meanwhile, the former East Bengal and Mohun Bagan player also praised the initiative work undertaken by other footballers and clubs who are using their social media handles to circulate Covid related information. The likes of Sunil Chhetri, CK Vineeth and Darren Caldeira have been very active on Twitter while a lot of ISL clubs have also been doing the same. “I feel proud of the Indian football community because these little gestures can make a big difference. Sportspersons have a certain voice in the society and these are moments when they can put it to good effect.
I’m so happy that the likes of Sunil bhai and others are doing this and coming forward,” he said. Meanwhile, FC Melli is also not able to carry out training or other football related activities, but Nirmal feels that football training is not the only aspect he wants those at the club to focus on.