Ulaganathan nominated for Banglar Gourab from the Government of West Bengal

Football icon, star of Kolkata Maidan during the 70’s and early 80s, Bengaluru very own Ulaganathan Narayanaswamy has been nominated for this year’s Banglar Gourab award for his excellent performance in Football and his invaluable contribution in the field of sports. 

Mamata Banerjee, Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal will confer this award to once Maidan’s darling Ulaga tomorrow, Friday, March 13 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata. 

Narayanaswamy Ulaganathan ascended from the by lanes of Gowthampuram to the Mecca of football in the early 70’s. He carried forward the legacy of Kannan and Arumayanaigam with élan and ended up playing for all three big clubs of Calcutta.

[Pic Gallery] Ulaganathan attend Mohun Bagan Day

Namma-Bengaluru's Ulaganathan, star player of Kolkata-maidan in 70's and early 80's attended Mohun Bagan Day at the Mohun Bagan tent yesterday, July 29. 

This day is the most important day in the club calendar. On July 29, 1911 Mohun Bagan lifted the IFA Shield for the first time in defeating the mighty British team East Yorkshire Regiment. 

Ulaga, as he's popularly known, played for eight seasons Mohun Bagan, he's extremely popular till date. 

Enjoy the pictures... 

Pic courtesy: Tridip Sheet and Shiladitya Mitra  

Ulaga unleashes his marvelous past

Narayanaswamy Ulaganathan ascended from the by lanes of  Gowthampuram to the Mecca of football in the early 70’s. He carried forward the legacy of Kannan and Arumoynaigam with élan. 

Not only did he play with much success for a decade, also, he won the heart of million football lovers, which to Ulaga’s surprise is still intact.

Dazzling Ulaga marches on during the Federation Cup in Chennai	Winner of the Federation Cup in Chennai
Federation Cup - lucky tournament for Ulaga	Prez Zakir Hussain during the  Durand Cup final

Ulaga came down to his hometown Bangalore after retiring from the game. Blame it on the unconditional love he got from the fans in Kolkata or his better half hailing from the same city, he fancies himself close to Kolkata than to Bangalore.

Then...	... and now

s that the primary reason that abstained Ulaga from getting involved in the game? Well, the buzz doing round in the Bangalore football circle is that, he is barely interested in developing the standard of football in Bangalore and only seen when the Kolkata majors Mohun Bagan and East Bengal comes to play here.

Homesick Ulaga - talking to his
folks in Bangalore daily for hours,
in the era of Trunk Call Booking Service

That might not be all that true. After all he was a senior marketing executive in a pubic sector company and that his pattern of job kept him busy all these years. Now, that he called his day from the job (Ulaga retired from his job a couple of weeks back), he is seen teaching kids in the neighboring ground next to the Bangalore East railway station in the morning.

Dash of Bollywood during those Rovers Cup days, seen with dream girl...

... and nightingale

Ulaga hope the kids who apparently come from a poor background learn few tricks of the trade and apply them in the competitive genre. Not to forget imparting knowledge to his own club, Bentex, a BDFA C-division team.

Always a photographer's delight

Federation winning smile, Ulaga had this smile 4-times in his career