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4 min readUpdated: May 13, 2026 10:12 PM IST
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari lays a wreath on the mortal remains of Former Mohun Bagan football club president Swapna Sadhan Basu (Tutu Bose), at Mohun Bagan club, in Kolkata on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)
When IM Vijayan thinks of Swapan Sadhan ‘Tutu’ Bose, he thinks of a scooter.
It was 1991. Vijayan was a trailblazing young forward playing for Kerala Police Football Club when Bose came calling. He was brought home, into a nice big house, and offered a deal. “He said he will get me a bike if I score three goals against East Bengal,” Vijayan tells The Indian Express. “At the time I used to roam around in a taxi.”
Vijayan scored two goals. Bagan won by a two-goal margin. He went back to Bose. “I said, Tutu da I did score two goals right. How about that bike?” Bose considered this. Then: “Ok then, I’ll get you a scooter.” “And that scooter me and Sathyettan used everyday to go to practice,” Vijayan says.
“For the players, he would do anything.”
Bose, who died on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, was Mohun Bagan’s effective supremo for the better part of 36 years — from 1989 until his retirement from all positions in April 2025. He was in his element recruiting players and firing them up ahead of the derby against East Bengal, the club’s eternal rivals. Through the National Football League, the I-League and eventually the Indian Super League, Bagan remained one of the most sought-after destinations for players across the country. Where the name of the club didn’t do the job, Bose’s charisma did the rest.
Your legacy will always remain a part of Mohun Bagan 💚♥️
Rest in peace, Tutu Bose 🙏 pic.twitter.com/RBrYUG4eIW
— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) May 13, 2026
Bhaichung Bhutia — India’s next great goalscorer after Vijayan — found that out in 2002, when his stint with English club Bury FC had just ended. Bose called him to Dubai.
“I flew down, spent about three to four days with him,” says Bhutia. “His death is a big loss. Such a passionate owner. Committed. And a great character. For me, I signed for Mohun Bagan just because of him. He convinced me.”
It is not that the moves always worked. Bhutia was injured for much of the 2002-03 season. When Bose brought him back in 2006, he was characteristically bold about it. “We have promised a dream team this season and what better strike duo can you expect other than Baichung Bhutia and Jose Barreto,” he said. Bagan finished eighth that season, one place above the relegation zone.
Ishfaq Ahmed, one of the players Bose signed alongside Bhutia in 2006, says even in those difficult times, the crowds never turned on him. “He was respected by fans even if the club was not doing well performance-wise. He could talk to people at those times and still make them cheer and believe,” Ishfaq told this paper.
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The biggest strain on that relationship came in January 2020, when Mohun Bagan announced a merger with ISL side ATK — a move that eventually led to the club’s football department being renamed Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Some of the more passionate fans were vocal in their anger, and Bose drew his share of it.
Yet the outpouring on those same platforms on Wednesday — coupled with the lengthy queues outside the Mohun Bagan club tent where his mortal remains were kept — showed how little those rocky periods mattered in the end. What endured were the decades of administrative stability, a rarity in Indian football. And the stories. A scooter instead of a bike. A few days in Dubai. A crowd that kept believing.
“For the players, he would do anything.”
Rohit Mundayur is a Copy Editor with the Sports Team at The Indian Express. He works with the online team and is based out of Delhi. ... Read More
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