يحاول ذهب - حر
Farewell, legend
June 23, 2024
|THE WEEK India
Sunil Chhetri's determination to be counted among the best was rewarded by a stellar international career, evoking comparisons with all-time greats like Messi and Ronaldo

Perhaps Sunil Chhetri always knew that the pursuit of football in India would never fetch him the stardom enjoyed by the country’s cricketers. Playing for the club or for the country, he had only limited triumphs to seek. So, Chhetri made it more about the journey than the destination. He chose to cherish the voyage over the port of call.
So, it is pointless to reflect on India’s disappointing performance against Kuwait on June 6 at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata—Chhetri’s last international match. The goalless draw was a second-round qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Had India won it, their chances to proceed to the third round, where top 18 Asian teams would battle for World Cup glory, would have been bolstered. But it was not to be. Under the overcast Kolkata sky, Chhetri failed to manufacture a miracle, but had clearly earned the right to leave the field with his head held high.
“He was [not tall], but could score goals with his head, by dribbling past players, by shooting from a distance. He had everything,” said Subrata Bhattacharya, Chhetri’s first senior coach, who is also his father-in-law.
“After watching him play, I asked the Mohun Bagan management to sign him.” Thus began Chhetri’s 19-yearlong professional journey in which he would represent India in 151 international matches and score 94 goals.
Although he was born in Secunderabad, Chhetri spent most of his childhood in Darjeeling. Football was in his blood as his father, K.B. Chhetri, had played for the Army team, and his mother, Sushila, once represented Nepal.
هذه القصة من طبعة June 23, 2024 من THE WEEK India.
اشترك في Magzter GOLD للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة، وأكثر من 9000 مجلة وصحيفة.
هل أنت مشترك بالفعل؟ تسجيل الدخول
المزيد من القصص من THE WEEK India

THE WEEK India
The tenth nerve
Maya, all of 18, had been battling refractory epilepsy for the better part of her adolescence. The word ‘refractory’ always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as it signifies a resistance to the arsenal of medications we typically rely upon. Maya's face, although etched with the fatigue of countless seizures, still held the spark of youthful curiosity. Her parents’ faces were a blend of apprehension and desperate hope as they held hands in front of me.
2 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
F-35: Owner's pride, others' meme
Heard of the mitrailleuse machine gun? The world’s first rapid-fire gun developed in the 1860s, it was like Onida TV—owner’s pride and enemy's envy. The French owners kept it under such thick wraps that when the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 broke out, the guns were issued to front-line troops without operating manuals. By the time clearances were obtained and the manuals arrived, France had lost the war.
2 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
Old dog can learn new tricks
Newlyweds start the day by murmuring sweet nothings. Those past the seven-year-itch exchange polite greetings in the mornings. Couples nearing their silver jubilees rudely grunt 'good morning' to each other.
3 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
UNAPOLOGETICALLY SOUTH
Chef Vijaya Kumar, who won the James Beard award in New York, says it signifies not just a personal triumph, but also a cultural shift
3 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
MASTER CLASS
Light and shadows were at play in his films, like in life. His films were a slice of his life, but with technical flourishes and sharp observations on society and its hypocrisies. With that, Guru Dutt created his distinct style and cinematic language. On his birth centenary, THE WEEK takes you through the life and work of one of the greatest filmmakers
25 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
The Dutt aesthetic
It was sculpted with light and moulded in music
4 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
The other pandemic
Last month, there was a spurt in Covid infections, igniting panic which led to some people recalling the horrors of five years ago. But, as far as pandemics go, they have turned out to be limited, with relatively few casualties and rapid recoveries. On the other hand, a real epidemic has gone largely unnoticed, even as it slowly but inexorably takes a horrific toll.
2 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
Stress less. Live more
Across boardrooms and living rooms, between deadlines and daily rituals, a quiet question lingers. It surfaces in conversations, in passing thoughts, and in rare moments of stillness. How do we hold everything together, and more meaningfully? How do we move through the busyness of life with purpose?
2 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
Poet with a camera
Guru Dutt crafted images so evocative that they transcended words
3 mins
July 20, 2025

THE WEEK India
BROKEN SYSTEM, BLEEDING FAITH
Kerala’s health sector, long seen as a model, is buckling under a structural crisis
6 mins
July 20, 2025