Giving up all for the love of football

48-year-old Rayhan Bulu has been voluntarily giving football and physical education to primary school kids of class I through X in the suburbs of Bogura's Gabtoli upazila for the last 26 years, while bearing expenses from his own pocket.

Bulu now lives in a small tin-shed room in the village of the upazila’s Kadamtali village, but even six months ago he used to own a larger household consisting of 31 tin-shed. During last year’s Russia World Cup, his students demanded World Cup jerseys and football. Despite his sheer incapability of meeting their demands on a day-labourer’s wage, Bulu obliged.

He made ends meet by selling off his biggest tin-shed house and selling off 17 tin roofs. The tins were sold at 13,500 taka, with which he bought a football and two sets of jerseys which cost around 6,500 taka.

He spent all his fortune to provide football education to kids. From buying football jerseys, anklets, medicines, food and even bearing conveyance for the kids travelling to play football in various places – Bulu takes care of everything. So far, he has spent more than three lakh taka for children’s football in the locality.

Not only did the man spend his earnings, he also leased out his 25-katha pond and used the money for the kids. While working as a night-guard at Kadamtali High School, he used to work in the lands of surrounding areas for a living when the school remained closed. Even during those times, Bulu provided for the kids.

His benevolent nature did not go down well with his family. Even as he willed 13 percent of his household to his wife and children in 2002, they left him when he was suffering from stomach-related illness. Bulu, though, never gave up on his students.

His work paid dividends -- even as Bulu did not gain anything personally – and worked its way to contributing to society.

“Due to financial crisis I could not continue studies after finishing fifth grade, but now my students are attaining higher education in different universities and getting government jobs in different institutions which only inspires me to do what I am doing,” Bulu told The Daily Star.

“I have provided football and physical education to almost 2000 boys. Among them, 10-12 students have got jobs in different specialised forces. I tried to teach my students what I had learned in Ansar training,”  he added.

His football coaching has not been without its rewards either. In 2018, a team he coached participated in the Bangabandhu Gold cup football tournament at (primary school level) Rajshahi division. The Kadomtoli primary school football team became champions in upazila level and later emerged as Bogura district champions in the same tournament.

“We could not afford to pay him, but his cordial effort made our school proud in district and divisional level,” Abdur Razzak, head master of the Kadomtoli primary school, told The Daily Star.

Many of his proteges earned jobs in the army, police and other specialised forces through applying in sports quota. His benevolence changed their lives.

Naharul Islam, one of Bulu’s former students who now works for Bangladesh police, said, “I was introduced to football by Bulu sir. Like me, many of my friends who were his students, got jobs in different law enforcement agencies. He is all in one. He not only taught us football, but he also provided physical education to primary school kids from every village and he did it for free. For doing these he spent everything he had,” Naharul added.

Mamirul Islam, headmaster of the Nepaltali High School (where Bulu works as a gate-keeper now), said, "Rayhan Bulu is a cultural-minded person. Whenever there is a cultural program in Gabtali, Bulu is the first to arrive. Because of his contribution to kids’ sports, we appointed him as gate-keeper of this school last January.”

Bulu, who feels for his students as one does for his own children, is worried however. He does not know how to carry on his work in the coming years. But he remains adamant.

“I have spent almost everything I had but now I am concerned in regards to being able to find a way to continue my work in the upcoming years. Even amidst the difficulties and sorrows, I will continue as I have in the past, to do my job for the rest of my life,” Bulu said.