Barefoot Boys

Written by: Konkona | Luminary
  • Summary

  • In 1911, just three decades after the sport of football came to India, a group of Bengali men sent shockwaves across the entire British Empire. The Amor Ekadosh, or “Immortal Eleven,” competing in one of the oldest football tournaments in the world, did so without boots on their feet. Unafraid to go toe-to-toe with their colonisers, they showed a country what freedom felt like–long before its citizens were free. Konkona Sen Sharma brings the remarkable story, once erased from history, to life.
    Konkona | Luminary
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Episodes
  • British Conceptions
    Aug 29 2023
    It’s 1857. British soldiers play football in the barracks of Bengal, but Bengalis—with their “delicate limbs”—aren’t welcome to play ball. How could India come to be known as “the Brazil of Asia”? In this episode, we meet the Immortal Eleven.
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    19 mins
  • The Father of Indian Football
    Sep 5 2023
    We meet Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikari, founding father of Indian football. He showed Indians that they could not only express their masculinity, but also beat the British at their own sport.
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    19 mins
  • No Boots? No Problem
    Sep 12 2023
    Nagendra marries into the Sovabazaar family, and starts a football club in its name. The British are baffled when the Indians show up…barefoot.
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    15 mins

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