OFF-SIDE: PLOUGHING THE ROOTS COMES NATURALLY TO CK VINEETH

by Pushpak Shirwadkar July 4, 2017

NEW DELHI: Footballers are like gladiators. Hundreds and thousands fill up the stands to watch these warriors display their skills. But unlike Roman times of yore, it’s not about bloodthirst but the calmer activity of defending and scoring on way to winning. The field is their amphitheater and their feet the tools.

But what if the playing field is replaced by a field of another kind? Let’s say a paddy field. Your head may be now screaming – ‘You must be joking, right?’

Not really! In an era when many Footballers are all about the bling and flashy things in life, National Team winger CK Vineeth is cut from another cloth.

“As a son, it’s my duty to help out my dad. Whenever I get the time to come home I try and help him on the paddy field. Everyone in the family puts in the work needed,” he stated.

“So with the hectic season having just ended, I felt best to go back to my roots and indulge in farming. It has always been a unique experience. Unwinding couldn’t have better,” added the man from Kannur, the naval port which has been the epicenter of naval strategic importance right from the time of the Portuguese to Dutch to the British and then finally the Indian Navy.

“The field is right in front of our home. My dad retired 4 years back but previously he used to work on the field only during his free time but now he is into farming on a more regular basis,” Vineeth, who was on a scoring spree in the last season informed.

For Vineeth, family comes above everything else and he treasures the time he spends with them. “My brother is an engineer in Bengaluru, and this year we went together to help get the field ready for the planting season.”

Incredible – isn’t it? Apart from being a humble human being, Vineeth has detached himself from his roots — be it toiling the fields or planting saplings he never minds getting his hands dirty.

The earthiness in him also reflects in his passion for photography. “Right now I click whatever I like. It’s a learning process right now. But I’m most passionate about wildlife. I love clicking nature and hopefully I’ll get better at it,” he echoes. “I love to travel and have been planning a trip to somewhere filled with nature and wildlife for a couple of years now. The prospect of doing that is very exciting to me.”

It’s monsoon time in Kerala and the prolific winger is just itching to be back every day on the field once again – the paddy field.