Dr T. Ao (Talimeren Ao) | Summary in English | Biography of India's first football captain

Summary of Dr T. Ao (Talimeren Ao) in English. The biography of India's first football captain

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Talimeren Ao was born in Changki village of Mokokchung, Nagaland on January 28, 1918. Talimeren was fortunate to have his football abilities recognized at an early age and put to good use.

While still in school, his football skills impressed the locals and even the American missionaries. In their opinion, he could become a great footballer if he was properly guided.

Talimeren was elected captain of the Cotton College football team in 1938, while still in his first year of I. Sc. Every year, the two colleges -Cotton College of Assam and Murari Chand College of Sylhet played friendly football matches.

Talimeren was the Cotton College football team captain, but he was also taking his I. Sc final exam, which was critical for him. His main concern was preserving the Nagas' name and reputation as he was the only Naga studying science at the time.

Talimeren asked the Principal and the Professor in charge to excuse him from the matches and replace him with someone else. Talimeren had already taken all but one of the examination's papers. His Professor excused him from that one exam because he was a good student.

In the first match, Cotton College defeated Murari Chand by one goal. Talimeren scored the game-winning goal after expertly defending the ball so that no forward player from the opposing team could get the ball past him.

This sensational news quickly spread among Bengali football fans in and around Sylhet. Murari Chand College was defeated by Cotton College after thirteen years. Captain Talimeren and his team were bringing the trophy back to Cotton College.

People were intrigued by the gifted young man, especially after his teammates spread the rumour that he was a Naga head-hunter!
Talimeren's father wanted him to become a doctor, so he enrolled at R.G Kar Medical College in Calcutta. He had met Sarat Das while playing for the Maharana Club of Guwahati. Sarat Das had already joined Mohun Bagan by the time he arrived in Calcutta.

When Sarat Das found out that Talimeren was in town, he rushed over to his hostel and accompanied him to register as a member of both the Mohun Bagan Club and the Indian Football Association.

Later, he was chosen as the undisputed Captain of the Indian Football Association when free India was to be represented as a country for the first time at the London Olympics in 1948. The barefooted Indian team won the first match against Burma. In the second match, against France, India lost.

The barefooted Indian team, particularly Talimeren, had a significant impact on the world. He was given the nickname "Barefooted Genius." A few days later, the team attended a press conference in London, where he was asked how he played football without boots, to which he replied that they played football, not football.

Talimeren travelled extensively throughout Southeast Asia and other Asian countries. When his team was scheduled to play a local team in Dhaka, he decided to sit out the game to give his other teammates a chance.

When he did not emerge from the locker room, the crowd became agitated and began yelling. The other players were barred from entering the field by enraged spectators. The officials eventually persuaded Talimeren to play, and it wasn't until he emerged to join his friends that the mob calmed down.

Despite his successful football career, Talimeren did not neglect his studies and graduated from the MBBS programme in 1950. He was invited to join Arsenal but turned it down, preferring to live a simple life among his people.

He joined Dibrugarh Medical College as Registrar in 1952. The following year, the Assam government transferred him to Kohima as an Assistant Surgeon. Dr Talimeren married Deikim Doungel, a Staff Nurse he met in Kohima in 1956. They were blessed with four children, two sons and two daughters.

He was appointed to the All India Football Selection Committee in 1968–69. In 1972, he was elected to the All India Council of Sports. He was also a member of the All India Council of Sports' Executive Committee and the Nagaland State Sports Council's Member Secretary.

Dr Talimeren retired from the government and settled in Dimapur, Nagaland. He aged gracefully, occasionally appearing as the chief guest at sporting events. After a brief illness, he died on September 13, 1998, in Dimapur. He left a legacy of laudable accomplishments that speak for themselves.

(This video biography has been created using information from the NBSE Class 9 English textbook of the chapter Dr T. Ao written by Dr Senti Longkumer.)

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