Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari

Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari (Bengali: চিং হ্লা মং চৌধুরী মারী; 29 September 1938 – 10 May 2012), simply known as Mari Chowdhury, was a Bangladeshi football player who played as a left-winger. He is considered to be the best East Pakistani footballer of all time, and one of the few to play for the Pakistan national team.[2] Although most of his goals are unregistered, Mari is the unrecognised all-time top scorer in both Dhaka League and Bangladeshi top-tier football history with 234 goals.[3][4][5]

Mari Chowdhury
Mari after reitirement
Personal information
Full name Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari
Date of birth (1938-09-29)29 September 1938[1]
Place of birth Chandraghona, Rangamati, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Bangladesh)
Date of death 9 May 2012(2012-05-09) (aged 73)
Place of death Chandraghona, Rangamati, Bangladesh
Position(s) Left-Winger/Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1951 Firingi Bazar SC
1952 Chittagong Medical School
1956–1958 Azad Sporting Club
1958 Mohammedan SC
1959–1960 Dhaka Wanderers Club
1961–1962 Azad Sporting Club
1963–1967 EPIDC
International career
1956–1958 Pakistan
Managerial career
1982–1984 BRTC Football Club
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

Mari was born in Chandraghona, Rangamati on 29 September 1938. He lost his father at a young age, and was raised by his mother. Mari's mother Occho Moyee and father Pastor Thysau Chowdhury, where from the Bomang Royal Family, but was expelled from the royal family for accepting Christianity. Mari was the youngest in a family of 3 brothers and 1 sister.[6]

Mari's school life began at the Baptist Mission Boys School in Barishal. In 1951, Mari played for Firingi Bazar in the Chittagong League while still in tenth grade. Mari did his HSC from Jagannath University in 1956 and finished his studies from the same University in 1959.[1]

Career

Player

Mari represented Barisal District and East Pakistan Railway at the Ronald Shield in 1951 and 1952 respectively. He spent five consecutive seasons playing in the Chittagong League, before moving to Azad Sporting Club in the Dhaka League in 1956. The same year, Mari and Nabi Chowdhury, were the only two Bengali footballers to find a place in the Pakistan national team for two friendlies against Singapore and Ceylon. In the 1957 National Football Championship, the East Pakistan White team led by Mari finished runners-up, losing 2–1 in the final. Mari was named the best player of the tournament.[7]

You have not seen Mari brother (Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari) play. I saw, I played with him. He was an indescribable thing. If the body is bent even a little, two or three of the opponent's players would fall to the ground after being dodged! He was magical.

— Enayetur Rahman Khan, former Bangladesh national team striker, to Daily Janakantha in November 2021.[8]

In 1958, the famous East Pakistani attacking trio of Kabir Ahmed, Ashraf Chowdhury and Mari caught the eye of India while representing Mohammedan SC at the IFA Shield. The same attacking line represented Pakistan at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan.[9] During the tournament, Mari suffered a leg injury at the. As a result, he walked away from the national team, however, he continued to play in the domestic league for another decade. Played in Azad Sporting Club, Dhaka Wanderers and EPIDC the latter being his final club in 1967. Aside from domestic football, Mari again played in the National Football Championship in 1959, with East Pakistan. He played for Dhaka Jagannath College in 1957–58 and won the Sir AF Rahman Shield and Governors Cup for them.[10]

Coach

After the Independence of Bangladesh, he served as the head coach for Team BJMC (formerly EPIDC), Bangladesh Government Press and Bangladesh Trading Corporation. In 1982, he guided BRTC FC to promotion to the Dhaka League by winning the Dhaka Second Division League. He remained as the head coach of the club until 1984, and had a fairly successful stint as coach in top-tier.[6]

Honours

Player

Azad Sporting Club

Dhaka Wanderers Club

EPIDC

East Pakistan White

East Pakistan

Manager

BRTC Football Club

Awards and accolades

Personal life and legacy

Mari, was also involved in other sports, in 1954, he won gold in high jump and silver in 100m sprint at the National Olympics for Pakistan. Mari was a regular member of the East Pakistan Volleyball team and also captained the side.[6]

During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, he served as captain of Sector 1 in Agartala and later as Quartermaster under Major Ziaur Rahman, for nine months.[1]

He was married to late Indulekha Murruy(renowned sports journalist-Kira Jagat) with three sons(Elder-Hla Sumon Chowdhury, Middle-Hla Mong Bobby Murruy, Youngest-Hlaching Mong Issac Murruy).

Mari received the National Sports Awards, in 1981.[3] In 2001, Mari was given a special award as the Best Footballer from the Rangamati Hill District Council.[10]

On 9 May 2012, Mari passed away, while being admitted at the Holy Family Hospital. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s since 2008, and also had skin cirrhoses, which forced him to be hospitalised. He left behind a wife and three sons[11]

In 2012, the National Sports Council changed the name of the Rangamati Stadium to Ching Lah Mong Chowdhury Murruy Rangamati Stadium, to commemorate the late footballer.[12] In February 2020, a mural of the Mari was innagurated in Rangamati.[13][14]

Bibliography
  • Dulal, Mahmud (2014). পাকিস্তান জাতীয় দল বাঙালি খেলোয়াড় (transl. Bengali players in the Pakistan national team) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon.[15]
  • Alam, Masud (2017). ফুটবলের গল্প ফুটবলারদের গল্প (transl. The story of football the story of footballers) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 9789849134688.
  • Dulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.

References
  1. "ফুটবল নক্ষত্র মারী | PaharBarta.com". August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  2. "Football before the birth of Bangladesh". Dhaka Tribune. March 4, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  3. Reporter, Sports (May 10, 2012). "Legendary Mari breathes his last". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  4. "কারও সংগ্রহে নেই দেশের খেলাধুলার রেকর্ড!". www.jugantor.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  5. "উজ্জ্বল মুখ". www.kalerkantho.com. August 5, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  6. "ফুটবল শিল্পী মারীকে মনে রাখেনি কেউ". www.jugantor.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  7. "::Sport::15th Anniversary Special". archive.thedailystar.net. Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  8. জনকণ্ঠ, দৈনিক. "কমপ্লিট, গ্রেট এ্যান্ড লিজেন্ড ফুটবলার এনায়েতের না বলা অনেক কথা." দৈনিক জনকণ্ঠ || Daily Janakantha. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  9. "এশিয়ান গেমস হোক সাফের প্রস্তুতি". www.kalerkantho.com. August 2, 2018. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  10. "চিহ্লা মং মারী: এক ফুটবল যোদ্ধা". Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  11. Reporter, Sports (May 26, 2012). "Mari remembered". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. "নামেই 'মারী স্টেডিয়াম' কোথাও নেই মারী! | কালের কণ্ঠ". Kalerkantho. September 15, 2019. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  13. "রাঙ্গামাটিতে ফুটবলার চিং হ্লা মং মারীর মুর‌্যাল উদ্বোধন | PaharBarta.com". February 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  14. "মৃত্যুবার্ষিকীতে ফুটবলার মারীকে স্মরণ; PaharBarta.com". May 9, 2023. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  15. "পাকিস্তান জাতীয় দল বাঙালি খেলোয়াড় - দুলাল মাহমুদ". www.rokomari.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
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