Dream come true for visually challenged fans as they meet their hero Chhetri

Panaji: What was meant to be an interview with a local television channel in Bengaluru turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.

When Anugrah TS, the Indian blind football team’s goalkeeper (sighted), received a call from a ‘local television channel’ in Bengaluru that they wanted to interview him along with his visually challenged teammates, Abhishek K and Akhil Lal, both fully blind, he thought it would be a good opportunity to tell everyone about their love for the beautiful game.

Abhishek and Akhil caught everyone’s attention after the visually challenged fans travelled from Kerala to Goa to watch Bengaluru FC in the second leg semifinals of the Indian Super League (ISL) at Fatorda. It was the first time that they were at a stadium, experiencing a live football match where their hero, Sunil Chhetri, was in action.

Chhetri’s stoppage time winner for Bengaluru against FC Goa made their trip memorable, though their wish of meeting the legend remained unfulfilled.

“Maybe some other time,” Akhil had told TOI immediately after the semifinal win. “My dream is to meet Sunil Chhetri in person, just once.”

A few days later when Anugrah got a phone call asking whether the three of them can come to Bengaluru for an ‘interview’, they agreed. It was an all-expenses paid trip, and even though one of them was travelling with friends on a short holiday, they decided to cut it short.

“In the middle of our television interview, we were handed an envelope with the Bengaluru FC club logo, so I was taken aback,” Anugrah told TOI. “When I opened the letter and read it, I could not believe my eyes.”

Bengaluru had teamed up with White Gold to give the trio a pleasant surprise, as the club conveyed, “extremely moved by your passion for BFC and your love for Sunil Chhetri.” All three of them were flying to Kolkata to watch Bengaluru take on the might of Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the ISL final.

Anugrah was so astonished with what he was reading that he checked the contents of the letter three times. Abhishek couldn’t believe what he was hearing, so checked, twice, if it’s fake. Akhil was jumping in joy.

It was then that the visually challenged fans realised that the call and the interview was not from a local television channel but Bengaluru FC’s in-house media team. The club had taken note of the fans’ love for BFC and admiration for a man they all call Captain, Leader, Legend.

The trip to Kolkata and front-row seats for the ISL final was only one half of the surprise.

On the morning of the ISL final, while the three of them were made to ostensibly wait to meet their sponsor, a familiar voice greeted Abhishek. “Good to see you,” he said. Even as Abhishek felt the handshake and later a warm hug, he knew who was next to him; it was his hero, Chhetri, in person, for the first time ever.

Chhetri later walked up to a shell-shocked Anugrah and then put his hand around Akhil’s shoulder, who was “trembling with excitement.”

At the game, it was Anugrah who conveyed rapid-fire what was happening on the field through running commentary and making signs on their arms and hands. Bengaluru eventually lost, but the three returned home with memories etched in gold.

“I never thought even in my dreams that I could meet Sunil Chhetri. It was my biggest dream,” said Abhishek.

Bengaluru have now decided to induct all three fans as Season ticket holders for 2025-26, delivering a heartwarming message on social media: “As a club, we will always look out for the community around us; we are because they are. The medals may have been silver, but our hearts can always be gold.”