Hurrah For Our Home In The Mountains

OBITUARY.
Mr. Chandan Singh Rawat

Olympian and veteran football player Mr. Chandan Singh Rawat died on Friday. Mr. Rawat who would turn 83 on 27th July was ailing from heart problems for the past one year and was bed ridden since February after he fell down and cracked his hipbone. He was admitted to a Siliguri nursing home on Thursday when his condition grew serious.

The octagenerian sportsman born and brought up in Dehradun played in the Indian football team at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. He settled down in Darjeeling in 1957.

“It is a great loss for the nation. Though he was invited to play for many foreign countries he just wanted to play for his own country. We are proud he was our father, ” his daughter Mrs Manju Rawat said.


Aditional Note by Mr. Robert Wilson (President: NP ME AA)

“Mr Chandan Singh was a part of the North Point staff for many years in the early sixties and he was responsible for handling the Rector’s office at times when he was not on the field doing what he like the best.

He was instrumental in bringing out the best in the St. Josephs’ Team which included the likes of PC Wong, Paljor Tsarong, Hishey Basi,Deb Mukerjei, Ravi Thapa, Father Arroyo and many may more all under the stewardship of Father Burns. A great force to reckon with the NP team was instrumental in setting high standards of football led by Mr. Chandan Singh.

As a football player he will always be remembered by is great playmaking skills in the midfield but above all his ability to beat any opponent be it many years younger than him, in the air and his heading prowess is something which can never be forgotten.

After securing his NIS from Patiala, he then took up several coaching opportunities, but then his love for Darjeeling eventually lured him back to hills where he devoted his time and energy to coach and develop Darjeeling Dynamos, a team which won many laurels, however suffered from the ignominy of never being able to beat the North Point team, a team which was always close to the heart of the late Mr. Chandan Singh Rawat.

I will also remember his exploits in venturing to officiate in the final of the Herlihy Cup between Singamari Lions and Darjeeling Police, when all other officials were petrified to do so and his bold and brazen decisions earned him great respect, especially from his linesman one of whom happened to be me!”

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.
We pray that they may have the strength to bear this loss and and we pray to the Almighty that his soul may rest in eternal peace.