Barefoot Kanu Dadu
by Ananya Dasgupta and illustrated by Upamanyu Bhattacharya & Kalp Sanghvi
“Barefoot Kanu Dadu” by Ananya Dasgupta and illustrated by Upamanyu Bhattacharya & Kalp Sanghvi. Published by Pratham. A true story of Jitendranath Roy (Kanu), the star of Mohun Bagan football club, who was part of the legendary team of barefoot footballers that beat the British to win the prestigious IFA Shield in 1911.
Little Chinar loves playing football. She plays for two hours every Saturday evening with her four friends. She wants to win the World Cup when she grows up. She wants a new pair of shoes when she sees her friend sporting one. Her mother decides to tell her the story of Kanu Dadu who was her grand uncle. He was a legendary football player.
Kanu Dadu and his brothers played football barefoot. His parents didn’t have much money. None of his friends had proper shoes. But that didn’t stop them from playing. They began the Wari Football Club at his house in Dhaka which became one of the first clubs there. Kanu Dadu’s mother would keep a bowl of turmeric and lime paste in the kitchen for their toes to relieve the pain. Read the book to know how Kanu Dadu persevered through his early years and went on to be a part of the Mohun Bagan club and beat the British for the first time in the coveted IFA (Indian Football Association) tournament on July 29, 1911. The day is celebrated as Mohun Bagan Day even now in commemoration of the momentous victory.
My almost eight year old enjoyed reading the book with me. He was amused to know Kanu Dadu’s extraordinary journey. He wondered how they played football barefoot and it must have hurt quite a bit. He felt it was impossible! The narrative has a story within a story. That of Kanu Dadu’s in Chinar’s. And the two illustrators have used distinct colour schemes to distinguish the two stories. Kanu Dadu was the author’s grand uncle. Stories like these are much needed as we get to know about unsung heroes and heroines. Thank you Asha Nehemiah for recommending this lovely book!
As is our want, we went down a rabbit hole trying to find more details about Kanu dadu and found this interview of one of his daughters where she reminisces about this very game. They came to know of the details about the game from a diary of Kanu dadu’s which they found in 2008!
Recommended Age
The book is level 4 and apt for children aged 7/8+.
Reasons to Read
The book creates awareness about the not so well known history of Indian football through the story of Jitendranath Roy.
The story conveys the message that while the equipment is no doubt important for any sportsperson it is still secondary. More important are passion, determination and perseverance.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Pratham Books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
P.S - The book can be read online on story weaver here.