I didn’t want my family to stay in Kashmir: Wadoo

Wadoo, like a true sportsman seeks paradise in his playing position but the troubles in his paradise, back home, has made the Kashmiri stronger than before. 

When the Chennaiyin FC pre-season started in Italy in July, Wadoo’s hometown of Srinagar was under a curfew. While he saw people dying in the valley, the only good news for Wadoo came when he was retained by Chennaiyin FC. 

What should have been less than 10 minutes to the Srinagar airport from his residence, Wadoo had to brave the curfew and it took three hours for him to reach. After successfully making the trip, Wadoo admitted that much of the pre-season was spent in thinking about his family back home. “When I was in Italy, the problem back home was huge. There were so many complications. My mind was at home. My son and wife were alone. They had to live without food and there was no milk supply too. I wasn’t able to concentrate,” Wadoo said. 

Wadoo said they were used to this hardship. While the valley remained tense due to political issues this year, it was floods that he had to tackle in 2014. “We are used to these hardships for the past 25 years. As a family man, I am feeling depressed. It is very hard to tackle these situations. As a human being, I have realized that I have to accept these and move on,” the right-back said. 

However, things have improved for the Kashmir-born player as his family is safe with him in Chennai. “My family is with me now. They are my strength. That is one of the reasons I didn’t want to keep my family there. After I returned from Italy, I brought them here the next day. They will be with me till the end of the season and that is my greatest motivation,” the 31-yearold added.