He is Pradip Das. He is born-blind and a die-hard supporter of East Bengal. A blind man who cannot see has been coming to East Bengal ground and Salt Lake Stadium from his home in Salkia, Howrah district for almost the last 30 years! 

It sounds amazing when the 53-year-old man claims he can see his favorite team's matches like other normal supporters who have the vision and witness the matches, sitting beside him in the stands! 

Pradip boasts of his ears! "Sound is my vision. I hear the expressions of the fans and can smell their mood from the sound they generate on the stands. My brain then helps me to determine whether my favorite team conceded a goal or scored or somehow managed to save from conceding a goal or even some of our team squandered a sitter," Pradip stated on Saturday at the East Bengal Club premises. 

Documentary film-maker Subhro Mukhopadhyay has taken a noble initiative by making a 14-minute short documentary film on Pradip’s journey. When asked about the reason behind making the film on him Subhro explained, “We want to come forward with some financial assistance for him. He badly needs financial help.”

Pradip lives in Salkia, Howrah district with his mother and brother. Poverty is his other companion. He described, “I feel despite being born-blind I have six senses and the sixth one is football. I loved the game after touching it when I was growing up. My father originated from East Bengal (now Bangladesh). So I choose the red-and-god jersey.”

He added, "I first went to the stadium in 1997 for East Bengal's Federation Cup match against Air India. Since then I have not missed the team's single match held in Kolkata and at the Salt Lake Stadium. I have a stick that helps me to walk and sometimes I have someone from my coaching camp who gives the commentary of the match.” 

The story does not end here. Pradip Das runs a coaching camp also at his locality, Soumyajit Sports Academy. Soumyajit was the first boy who encouraged Pradip to start coaching camp. Now the coaching camp has 34 boys. Pradip has a commentator. His continuous commentary on the boys' training helps Pradip to guide the boys. 

He has a dream that boys from his coaching camp will shine and represent the teams of mainstream Indian football. His team also takes part in different tournaments. 

Pradip even revealed that he has officially been invited by Bangladesh's premier team Abahani Krira Chakra to play three under-17 exhibition matches. But the key obstruction is finance. “I made written appeal twice to the Chief Minister for a grant of Rs 20 thousand. I have never received any response yet. Even I made repeated requests to the MLA of my constituency Gautam Chowdhury for financial assistance. But he has never responded to my appeals.”

Whatever help Pradip has received so far is from East Bengal. The club felicitated Pradip Das on its foundation day on 1st August and gave him Rs 25 thousand. This apart, Das receives footballs from the club for his training camp.

Mukhopadhyay however has planned to send this short documentary film to different funding organizations and some football federations in Europe and Scandinavian countries also. He said, "If any football federation comes forward and gives him a monthly stipend then it will be the best for him. The IFA and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) can easily take the initiative of giving him some amount as a monthly stipend."