"I'm not one to easily succumb to adversity; we will learn, adapt, and press on. Yet, I want to emphasise that my tears were shed out of love for my mother, not weakness," wrote Kerala Blasters defender Prabir Das on his Instagram page regarding the ugly on-field spat during his team's away match in the Indian Super League (ISL) against Mumbai City FC on Sunday.
When asked about his bust-up with Mumbai's Rostyn Griffiths in the dying minutes of the match and the emotional outburst on the touchline after the final whistle, the 29-year-old right-back was not so keen to revisit those unpleasant and traumatic experiences. From his social media post, it is clear that he was upset with Griffiths for saying something very insulting about his mother.
Several ISL players, including Fijian international Roy Krishna, who currently plays for Odisha FC, and Bengaluru FC's Spanish midfielder Javier Hernandez, have consoled Prabir following the unfortunate incident.
"My priority is doing my best on the field and helping my team win matches," Prabir explained the reason as to why he chose to refrain from commenting on the clumsy clash with Griffiths.
Prabir, who made the switch to Blasters from their southern rivals Bengaluru FC in June, has only played two home matches for his new team. However, he has instantly played his way into the hearts of Blasters' passionate legion of fans with his aggressive brand of football.
Somebody who carries his emotion on his sleeves, Prabir is an epitome of dedication and determination on the field and he never shies away from giving back his piece of mind to the opponents.
A native of Sodepur on Kolkata's northern outskirts, Prabir has instantly fallen in love with Kerala. "In Kerala, football is followed with religious fervor and people here make every match a celebration. I'm looking forward to bringing my parents to Kerala so that they can also enjoy the state's love for football," he says.
He is also extremely happy to know that Keralites fondly call him 'Dasettan' (brother Das). "I've heard a lot about Yesudas sir (singer K J Yesudas). I have listened to some of his Malayalam songs. I know 'Dasettan' is equivalent to the Bengali term 'Das Dada'. I'm thankful for their unconditional love and support."
If one scrolls through Prabir's Instagram page, it will become evident that he is familiar with Yesudas and Malayalam film music. He has posted many reels on the social media platform with popular Malayalam movie songs in the background.
Whenever Prabir posts a reel, his Instagram followers from Kerala would flood the comment section with two questions: "Who is that girl in the videos, and who selects Malayalam songs for you?"
The girl who features alongside Prabir in the reels is his girlfriend Geetashree Roy, a Bengali actress.
"As of now, I don’t want to reveal the answer to the second question. Possibly, I will disclose the name of the person who helps me in picking Malayalam songs for my videos in the future," Prabir signed off with a playful smile.
