Pradip Kumar Banerjee — PK or Pradipda to everyone — passed away on Friday after prolonged illness. He was 83.
“PK Banerjee was suffering from sepsis and multi-organ failure due to pneumonia, with a background of Parkinson’s disease, dementia and heart problems. He was on ventilator support in the intensive care unit for more than two weeks. For the last few days was in very critical condition,” said a media release from the hospital where he breathed his last at 2.08pm.
A footballer who rose to the top without ever playing for the Calcutta Big Three — he donned the Eastern Railway jersey all his life — and coach par excellence, PK’s understanding of the game was second to none. Whether weaving magic with the other two (Chuni Goswami and Tulsidas Balaram) of the Holy Trinity or a “vocal tonic” before a clash between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, or his much-discussed rivalry with fellow coach Amal Dutta, PK was a part of every football lover’s life.
“If Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterjee were dominating the silver screen, Chuni and I were making waves on the field. I would say they were on a par with us,” PK had said during the Fifa World Cup days when he used to don the columnist’s hat for The Telegraph. He had a sharp analytical mind and his columns for this paper were much read and discussed.
PK made a sensational debut for India in the 1955 Dhaka Quadrangular football tournament where he scored five goals. It was three years after he made his Santosh Trophy debut for Bihar at the age of 15 years and eight months.
“Very few were so strong with both their feet. Goalkeepers used to be scared of his shots,” Chuni had said during an informal chat with this correspondent.
PK was part of the India Olympics squad which made it to semi-finals (the first team from Asia to make the last four) in 1956 (Melbourne) and then captained India in the 1960 Rome Olympics. He found his name on the scoresheet in the 1-1 draw against France.
PK was the first footballer to receive the Arjuna Award in the very first year that it was conceived, 1961.
In the 1962 Asian Games, PK, Chuni and Balaram literally toyed with the rivals as India won the gold having a stroll in the park. PK, playing right wing, came to the fore in Jakarta scoring four goals, including one in the final against South Korea. The entire stadium was rooting for the Koreans, but the trinity were simply unstoppable.
PK called it quits as a player in 1967 and did his coaching licence under Dettmar Cramer.
PK’s first major break as coach was in 1972 when he masterminded East Bengal’s dream season. He turned an unknown Gautam Sarkar into a household name as a marauding East Bengal won the local league, IFA Shield, Durand Cup and Rovers Cup.
“Whatever I am today it’s because of him,” an emotional Shyam Thapa said on Friday afternoon. “That Asian Games bronze medal you see on my cabinet, it’s because of him. That goal for East Bengal where I dribbled past four defenders and scored against Mohun Bagan in 1975 was because of him. That bicycle kick for Mohun Bagan in 1978 was because of him,” Thapa, who returned to the city after a month on Friday itself, said.
In 1976, PK went to Mohun Bagan and had a brilliant run. Bagan went on to win the treble in 1977 and three years later, a beleaguered East Bengal, rattled by a massive exodus, roped in PK as coach. PK the strategist got three Iranians — Majid Beshkar, Jamshid Nassiri and Mahmoud Khabaji — and the rest is history. “He was a great coach,” Majid had told this newspaper when he visited the city last September.
PK’s man-management skills were brilliant and that helped him deal with player egos. From Subhas Bhowmick, Gautam Sarkar to Samaresh Choudhury and Pradip Choudhury, PK knew how to handle stars. Like Bhowmick, who after an indifferent 1972 with Bagan, switched allegiance to the red and gold brigade. The result? Under PK, he scored a whopping 24 goals in the league.
In 1997, a young Bhaichung Bhutia ran amok against Amal ‘Diamond’ Dutta’s Mohun Bagan in the Federation Cup semi-final. East Bengal routed the pre-match favourites 4-1 and who was the coach? None other than PK.
PK is survived by daughters Paula and Purna. He was cremated on Friday evening.
With his death football has lost a colossus, and a raconteur who loved life.
PK Banerjee greets Chima Okorie as (centre) late Dipak (Paltu) Das, former East Bengal top official, looks on at the club tent Telegraph picture
The legend in numbers
THE PLAYER
Born on June 23, 1936
- Playing career started in 1952 for Jamshedpur Sports Association. The same year, at the age of 15 years and 8 months, he represented Bihar in the Santosh Trophy. In 1955, he joined Eastern Railway under the coaching of the legendary Tejesh (Bagha) Shome
- In 1955, with Banerjee scoring 11 goals, Eastern Railway won the CFL title — the first team other than the Maidan Big Three to do so since 1934
- He scored a total of 111 goals for Eastern Railway in the CFL in 14 years
- He made his India debut in 1955 in the Dhaka Quadrangular football tournament where he scored 5 goals. He represented India in major international tournaments for 12 years from 1955 to 1966
- He was a member of the Indian side that finished fourth in the 1956 Olympics. He captained India in 1960 Rome Olympics
- Banerjee was a member of the Indian teams which participated in the 1958, 1962 and 1966 Asian Games. India won gold in 1962 Jakarta Asian Games. Banerjee scored 4 goals, including one in the final vs South Korea
- His total tally of 6 goals is still the highest by an Indian in Asian Games
- He was also in the 1964 Asia Cup runners-up team
- Banerjee played for India in 1959, 1964 and 1965 Merdeka Cup football tournaments
- He won the Santosh Trophy with Bengal in 1955 and for Railways in 1961, 1964,1966
- His last match for India was the one vs Malaysia in 1966 Asian Games. His last match in club football vs Kidderpore in 1968
THE COACH
FOR INDIA
- Bronze in 1970 Asian Games
- Semi-finalists in 1981 and 1986 Merdeka Cups
- Gold in 1985 SAFF Games
- Joint winner in 1971 Pesta Sukan for CLUBS
- Maximum number of trophies as club coach — 53 (28 for East Bengal; 25 for Mohun Bagan)
- Only coach to win triple crown for both East Bengal (in 1972) and Mohun Bagan (in 1977)
- Won maximum number of Derby matches as coach
Hariprasad Chattopadhyay