It struck me that I ought to explain a little bit about why we cheer for the teams we do. Well, in part, it’s because I thought we ought to, and I’m the one of us most capable of complex thought and logic. But also, each team has a special something that captures part of what I love about life, and part of what makes you who you are.
So periodically (like during international breaks, long holidays, or say, global pandemics that completely alter everything we understand about our lives and ourselves), I want to introduce you to the teams we are tied to.
Our eleventh, and final team to meet is a team that shows that whatever you accomplish, you will accomplish it with others.
Dear Boys,
Wherefore Punjab FC
Your grandma has a theory. She believes that geography can shape societies. Growing up on Montana prairies, people were as open as the wild outdoors. Whereas those in the mountains tended to prefer a little isolation, like craggy, inaccessible human peaks
When I lived in India, that bore out. In the Garwhal hills of northern India, people were more independent and defensive, on my trips to the flat land, especially to Punjab–the agrarian state due west of my home, people were more open and eager to greet whomever they met and to support their neighbor as easily as my neighbors were to lend a cup of sugar or help hunt for a missing dog.
So it was that I fell in love with Punjab. As much because of the people and their values as because of the terrain. Though, to talk to your grandma, they often align.
Who is Punjab FC
In 2005, the year I applied to teach in India, Ranjit Bajaj started a youth sports club with a clear goal: to create a pipeline of talented kids who would, in 30 years, compete for the World Cup.
Ten years on, that team had proven to be a force among youth sides and, suddenly, the India Hero League. As Champions they seemed stronger than ever, but a new partner and a shortened season threw prior plans for a loop.
Now, two teams claim the Punjab FC Legacy, Minerva Academy and Roundglass Punjab FC. The first is Bajaj-ji’s project, still aiming for a Cup challenger in a little more than a decade. The second bears the name of Gupreet Singh’s business. Roundglass aims to support wellness for all through data and health programs. Hence the combination of training, teaching, and building a top tier club.
Roundglass will play in the I-League next year while Minerva stays focused on training. Time will tell how teams evolve from here, but both share a valuable vision.
How are we Punjab FC
One thing I hope you boys learn from me, that I learned from both Montana and Punjab, is to respect how what you have, largely depends on what others before you have done.
It reminds me a lot of what former President Obama said almost a decade ago. “Somebody helped create this unbelievable [system]…that helped you succeed.”
Your grandpa Mark started a business that has grown and grown. But he didn’t pave the road to work, he didn’t teach his employees their ABCs and 123s, he didn’t build each part and make every sale, he had a team. The business’ success isn’t just his it’s theirs, and all the people who helped them along the way.
I teach kids, but I don’t feed them before school or limit their screen time to complete it at home. Your mom markets classical music but she doesn’t play the cello or rig the lighting.
When Punjab FC takes the pitch this year, it won’t be Ranjit or Gupreet’s team, it won’t be the managers’ or the players’ or the fans’. It will be a shared experience. As President Obama’s rival, Governor/Senator Mitt Romney, once said
“you didn’t get here solely on your own power. For most of you, loving parents, sisters or brothers, encouraged your hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues in order to organize competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them.”
Punjab as a place thrives because people care for others. Every farm, every temple, every shop, every football club succeeds because others strive to succeed. Roundglass is indebted to Minerva, and Minerva to Roundglass. They share the privilege and the power of Punjab FC.
You are indebted to your mother and me, and our parents, and our friends, and your teachers, and the random kindness of Punjabi families who offered support and food and shelter.
What we build, we build with others.
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