To the world he was a good teacher; to his students, he was a great man who loved to laugh and play.
So, as former international footballer P. Vijay Kumar took his final shot at eternity on Friday, many of the hundred-plus cadets whom he had taught to score a winning goal occupied the gallery.
The mortal remains of the 58-year-old Tata Football Academy (TFA) coach, who had spawned as many as 178 dribblers and strikers during his two-decade stint, were consigned to the flames at Parvati Ghat in Bistupur, Jamshedpur, in the presence of the city's sports fraternity and several former students who had come from various parts of the country.
The sense of irreparable loss, peppered with a few happy reminiscences, prevailed as former TFA cadets Subodh Kumar, Gurprit Singh, Baidyanath Das, Sanjay Balmuchu and Krishna Das reached the steel city in the morning.
"I was devastated to hear about Vijay Sir's death. We have learnt so much from him. I was in regular touch with him and often took tips from him over phone. He will always have a special place in my heart," said East Bengal midfielder Subodh, a 2010-batch TFA cadet.
Gurprit, who graduated in 2004 and is currently employed with the Indian Railways, couldn't agree more. "There was a time when I used only my right leg to strike. Vijay Sir compelled me to use both legs. In fact, he never allowed me to strike with the right leg during practice. That improved my shooting skills," the former East Bengal forward said. Echoing Subodh, he added, "Vijay Sir mere dil mein hamesha rahenge."
Goalie Baidyanath, who turns out for George Telegraph in the Calcutta League, looked crestfallen as he paid his last respects to his mentor. "I still cannot believe Vijay Sir is no more. He was a favourite among the cadets of my 2014 batch and above all, a great human being. I will miss him a lot," the defender said.
Stopper Balmuchu, a 2012 TFA cadet who now works for the Indian Railways, recalled coach Vijay to be a strict disciplinarian who worked hard to iron out flaws of his cadets. "We improved our playing techniques under him. When not in the field, Vijay Sir was a funny man too. He used to crack jokes with us. He was both our mentor and friend," he said.
Forward Krishna, employed with Bengal Police, said their mentor was a man of his words who wanted his boys to become good human beings first. "Vijay Sir always asked us to help the needy. He used to say that being a good person was as important as being a successful person," the 2002 TFA cadet recalled.
Vijay Kumar, who had captained Mohammedan Sporting in international football, died of a cardiac arrest at his Kadma residence on Thursday. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
Kumar had represented India in the SAF games in Calcutta in 1987 and a pre-World Cup qualifier at Abu Dhabi in 1990. He had also represented Bihar and Bengal in national football championships from 1979 to 1989. However, he hogged the limelight after he scored a brace in an exhibition match against Bochum team of West Germany in Jamshedpur in 1986.
