'We want to show Kashmir's real face'

SRINAGAR: Amid infiltrations, terror attacks and talk of surgical strikes, a Kashmiri Muslim and his Pandit friend have joined hands to promote football in the Valley. Meet Shamim Meraj and Sandeep Chattoo , co-owners of I-League newbie Real Kashmir FC.The duo formed the club in 2016 after seeing the plight of the youth during the 2014 floods. Most playgrounds were submerged and youngsters were left at a loose end. But to make the club work, they needed to cross invisible red lines, particularly those drawn by religion and politics. Football emerged as common ground. "We wanted to channelise the energy of Kashmiri youths in a positive way. That's why the idea of forming a club," Meraj, an alumnus of St Stephen's College, Delhi, recalls."Shamim and I have done it together, as a Hindu and a Muslim," chips in Chattoo. "We want to make a difference; we want to bring a football revolution in Kashmir. We want to make the Paradise on Earth a paradise for football."Shamim is editor of his family-owned local newspaper Kashmir Monitor; Sandeep is a local hotelier. In just two years, the club has made history by making it to the top division of I-League, India's domestic football tournament.The club also has over 3,000 youngsters from various areas of Kashmir enrolled in its grassroots academy."There is craze for the game and also talent. That's the real face of Kashmir and we have shown that real face to the world by winning the second division league and qualifying for the I-League," Chattoo adds."We want youth to take up football instead of pelting stones."The club's name is not on the lines of Spanish football giant Real Madrid, Chattoo explains. "We want to show the Kashmir's real face with boys and kids playing football just like any other part of the country. Hence the name Real Kashmir."Talking about the team and staff's diverse composition, Meraj says, "I am a Kashmiri Muslim, Sandeep a Kashmiri Pandit. We have Africans, Scotsmen, Hindus and Muslims; players are from different linguistic backgrounds. All of them playing for a team based out of Kashmir is a great example of how football can transcend barriers."Infrastructural and financial issues persist. There is no designated football stadium. The team practises at the TRC Turf Ground in Srinagar , which doesn't even have toilets. With just weeks to go for the 2018-19 season of the I-League, the club is yet to get a sponsor."We still don't have sponsors. It's difficult to run a professional football team like this," rues Meraj. But both Chattoo and Meraj say they are living their dream. "Now, we just need wings to fly," signs off Chattoo.