Meet the Bangalore Gunners, India’s own Arsenal Supporters Club “Lu, Lu, Lu, Lu-kas Podolski,” sing the group of fans huddled on the couch in front of the projector screen showing a magnified version of the Arsenal-Fulham game as he scores the Gunners’ second at Craven Cottage. “Lukas Podolski, he scores when he wants,” roar back the hundred or so fans clustered around the tables, chairs and couches pointed at the two giant screens and four televisions in the Dugout Bar and Restaurant, which are now showing the Germany international smiling and hugging his teammates in the driving rain in West London. The cheers continue throughout the first half, with fans at the pub only pausing to take a generous swig of beer or a sip of something stronger and grab a handful of French fries, jalapeno poppers and kebabs that are liberally kept at every table. Waiters and bus boys struggle to make their way through the ecstatic crowd, their hands expertly balancing trays stacked with pints of lager and smaller measures of Smirnoff and Chivas Regal. There is no cider available, though. For the Dugout Bar is in India, and is the home of the Bangalore Gunners. Founded more than five years ago, thousands of miles away from the Emirates Stadium, Bangalore’s Arsenal supporters come together in their numbers every week to watch their beloved Gunners play their patented brand of passing football and cheer on Arsene Wenger’s men as they take to the field. The group started out with a handful of fans gathering at a friend’s house to watch Arsenal Football Club and since then, has grown to an organisation with more than six hundred members. “The vision was to have something official, which Arsenal recognises,” says Vikram ‘Vik’ Bhat, owner of Bangalore Gunners. “Arsenal should recognise that there are people in India who follow football ardently and people in India who love football with their heart. “It wouldn’t happen with one person, or two people or three people going about it. Every time I played football, so many Arsenal fans always voiced out their opinions, saying we wanted something like this but nobody came forward. “The onus was to get all the Arsenal fans together, saying we can have a Gooner Army right here,” he finishes. That the group take their football seriously is very visible at every screening. Bangalore Gunners have a steady revenue stream via the selling of merchandise such as mugs, key chains, t-shirts and jackets that have been conceptualised and designed by members of the group. For football fans, the bond between club and individual is one that is so deep that it is often hard to explain in words. As Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp once said, one of the reasons you support a club is because you have found yourself there. And that, according to Aditya Kavoor, is why he feels the need to give back to Arsenal. “It’s been twelve years since I started supporting Arsenal so you need to give something back to the club that got you into football and has been part of your life,” says Kavoor, who develops and updates the Bangalore Gunners website. “Getting the Gooner community in Bangalore, which is thousands of miles away from London, getting them together to watch a match, that is reason enough to become a part of Bangalore Gunners.” Most (if not all) football fans in India harbour dreams of going to Europe to see their heroes play in the flesh. Darshan Kumar was one of the lucky few who were afforded the chance to watch Arsenal play at the Emirates two seasons ago and what made that spring afternoon extra special was seeing Thierry Henry score against Blackburn Rovers. “The first point is that we have so many Gooners in Bangalore,” he says. “We are always the underdogs. In schools or at cafés we get bullied but here, being with fellow Gooners is an entirely different experience. It makes me proud, all of us wearing the same jerseys.” “One of the most memorable games for Bangalore Gunners would have to be the final game against West Brom (two seasons ago) and the atmosphere was so good it felt like you were at the Hawthorns itself,” he continues. It is in fact due to Bangalore Gunners that Darshan was able to see the Gunners at the Emirates. A friend he made during a screening put him in touch with contacts in London, who helped him achieve one of his long-standing dreams. “I saw King Henry play, so now I can die in piece,” he adds, with a touch of nostalgia. That atmosphere afforded to Arsenal supporters who come to screenings is one of the reasons they regularly turn up for games. “You get to hang out with more guys who have the same passion, the same interest, it’s the closest you can get the game in India,” says Jeetu, a recent addition to the Bangalore Gunners membership roster. “Games are always fun.” Like most members of the group, Jeetu came to know about Bangalore Gunners through Facebook. “My first game was the Liverpool game (Arsenal won 2-0). I was totally stoked and it was brilliant. We were on a rooftop restaurant and people were screaming,” he adds. “I just fell in love with it.” But what sets Bangalore Gunners aside from the myriad number of supporters groups throughout the world is that the love they show for the club is measured in the form of their proactivity. Earlier this year, the group, in coordination with Arsenal Football Club, organised an edition of the Club’s annual ‘Be a Gunner, Be a Runner’ charity run in Bangalore, the first ever Arsenal-sponsored run outside the United Kingdom. The event was a resounding success and having piqued the attention of the top brass at the Emirates Stadium, Bangalore Gunners have now completed the paperwork that will see them become an official Supporters Club of Arsenal FC, the first of its kind in India, and what is sure to be a memorable day for Gooners everywhere. The group are expecting a response from the suits at Ashburton Grove this November. Should it come through, it is sure to be a historical day for this group that started out as a discussion forum on Facebook. And that day cannot come soon enough.
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 17:39:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015