Sons of tailors, carpenters and street vendors are in India's U-17 FIFA WC squad

A tailors son from Sikkim a carpenters son from Manipur and a youngster whose mother is a street vendor in Bengaluru the Indian team for the under17 FIFA World Cup is a fascinating blend of underdogs from different parts of the countryMany in the 21member team playing in the first ever FIFA event to be held in the country from October 628 had seen their parents struggle to make ends meet But they have managed to pursue their passion for the game and are on the verge of realising a dream that of playing for the country at one of the biggest stages in international footballRepresentational pictureKomal Thatal a sprightly 17yearold boy from Sikkim did not have the means to buy a football and he had to play with a ball made of rags or plastic in his childhood My parents are tailors and we have a small shop at my native place When I was a child I used to play with round objects made of cloth or plastic Thatal told PTI from the training base in GoaHis father Arun Kumar and mother Sumitra have been saving from their meagre income to buy the playing kits for Thatal including a pair of boots and a football It is hard to ask my parents to buy a football But they are very supportive They save money and buy football kits for me I have friends who are better off and they have also helped me in getting things like footballs and boots said Thatal who wears the No10 jerseyFrom his local school at Timberbong at Soren subdivision in West Sikkim Thatal made it to the Namchi Sports Academy in 2011 Impressed by his skills the academys head coach sent Thatal for a trial in 2014 in Goa when the AIFF was looking for talented players for the U17 World Cup Thatal got the nod and since then he has been at the Indian camp He has been a key member of the team and came to the limelight during the BRICS Cup in Goa last year when he scored a brilliant goal against Brazil though India lost the match 13A similar struggle was endured by Amarjit Singh Kiyam a Manipuri boy who is likely to captain the side in the U17 World Cup Amarjits father Chandramani Singh Kiyam iquest is a farmer and carpenter rolled into one at Thoubal a small town in Manipur His mother Ashangbi Devi sells fish everyday at the state capital in Imphal which is about 25 km from her home My father is a farmer and during the offseason he works as a carpenter but he never asked me to join him He encouraged me to play football and follow my hearts desire Amarjit saidThe 16yearold fell in love with football at his local school and in 2010 he left for Chandigarh where his elder brother Umakanta Singh was enrolled at a football academy Amarjit joined Chandigarh Football Academy and that lessened the burden on his parents The academy provided him free lodging food and even bore the cost of education at a school in ChandigarhIn 2015 during one of the exposure trips of CFA to Goa Amarjit caught the eye of the national selectors He was called at the AIFF Academy in Goa and since then he has been training there He is the midfield general of the Indian team Then there is Sanjeev Stalin whose mother Parmeshwari sells clothes on the footpaths of Bengaluru to run the familyHe also got enrolled at the Chandigarh Football Academy at a young age and remained there for seven years before shifting to the national camp at the AIFF Academy in Goa Everyday my father goes out for some work or the other and so my mother stands and sells clothes at the footpath with my maternal uncle and that is our familys income When I was a child I did not know where these boots are coming from nor did I know that the money came from selling clothes on the footpath I just played football which was my passionNow I know and I do see them standing on the footpath and selling and still making me smile in that difficulties said Stalin the defensive bulwark of the Indian team Most of the remaining members of the Indian team are from humble backgrounds Midfielder Khumanthem Ningthoinganbas mother also sells fish in Imphal while Kolkata boy Jitendra Singhs father is a watchman and mother a tailor All these young talents have the passion for football and same goal that of doing the country proud and making it to the national senior team one dayI used to think that one day I will represent the country and I am here now about to play in the U17 World Cup I still cannot believe it because it all feels like a dream said Amarjit My parents were so confident about me that I will do something big in Indian football That is the reason why I stayed at Chandigarh Football Academy for seven years away from home I meet them just once in a year Stalin added Sikkim boy Thatal summed it up nicely saying Every footballer would want to play in the senior national team But for us it is the U17 World Cup first Our focus is on that We will give our best give our 100 per cent and hopefully do the country proudTrending VideoWatch video Sports stars and their swanky and cool cars Download the new midday android app to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go httpsgoogl8Xlcvr