1940s: A Tryst with Destiny, and Redeeming the Pledge

In 1942, the club triumphed for the first time at the prestigious Calcutta league. In spite of the absence of several key players, East Bengal put up one of their best performances ever and won 20 out of their 24 matches. Their captain, Somana, top scored with 26 goals. No player had till then scored more goals in a single edition of the league, which made Somana’s achievement even more noteworthy.

The very next year, in 1943, the club won the Calcutta I.F.A. Shield, heralding the ascent of a major force in Indian football. The Shield illuminated the club tent on 26 further occasions.

Since their achievements in the early 1940s, East Bengal never has to look back. It did not believe in rising like a meteor, but dazzled like a sun in a blaze of glory, rewriting soccer history in the country over and over again.

The late 40s saw the ascent of East Bengal’s Panchapandava (the five Pandavas), a popular reference to one of the most formidable forward lineups in Indian soccer. Venkatesh, Apparao, Dhanraj, Ahmed Khan and Saley formed this deadly forward line, which were largely instrumental in East Bengal’s successes during this period. The Panchapnadavas dominated Indian football from 1949 to 1953, ensuring East Bengal’s rise to national ascendancy. In 1949, East Bengal became the first club ever to do the treble, winning the Calcutta League, the IFA Shield and the Rovers Cup (then the premier most national football championship) in the same year. 1951 was the year of a special double – this time the IFA Shield and the Durand Cup in the same year – yet another peak that hadn’t been scaled before by any Indian club.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, East Bengal’s dominance was largely shaped by Jyotish Guha, the no-nonsense Club secretary who brought in a new era of professionalism in the club. His untiring efforts in stringing together a team with players from across the country and stressing on fitness training ensured that East Bengal became India’s best run club with the fittest players at its disposal.

The club’s affiliation with the masses grew by leaps and bounds after the partition of India in 1947, when millions of refugees from East Bengal thronged India and identified themselves with this great club. The differences between the bangals and the ghotis became epitomized through the epic battles between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. The derby between these two great sides is still one of the most widely anticipated events in any Indian football lover’s calendar. East Bengal outshines their rivals comfortably, having triumphed on 108 occasions and lost on 80 occasions.

The club’s national triumphs began with winning the Rover's Cup in 1949, the D.C.M. Trophy in 1950 and the Durand Cup, India’s oldest football championship, in 1951. The Durand Cup is incidentally the second oldest football championship in the world, the oldest being the F.A. Cup in England. The Durand and Rovers were won 16 and 10 times respectively by the club.

Compiled by: Ranadurjay Talukdar