Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari

In February 2020, a mural of the Mari was innagurated in Rangamati.

On 9 May 2012, Mari passed away, while being admitted at the Holy Family Hospital. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s since 2008, and also had skin cirrhoses, which forced him to be hospitalised. He left behind a wife and three sons

In 2012, the National Sports Council changed the name of the Rangamati Stadium to Ching Lah Mong Chowdhury Murruy Rangamati Stadium, to commemorate the late footballer.

In 2001, Mari was given a special award as the Best Footballer from the Rangamati Hill District Council.

Mari was awarded the National Sports Awards, in 1981.

Apart from football, during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, he served as the captain of Sector 1 in Agartala and later as Quartermaster under Major Ziaur Rahman, for nine months.

In the 1957 Pakistan National Championship, the East Pakistan White team led by Mari finished runners-up, losing 2-1 in the final. Mari was named the best player of the tournament. In 1958, Mari won Azad Sporting Club their first Dhaka League. The legendary footballer again wore the armband for Pakistan Wite team the same year. He played for Dhaka Jagannath College in 1957-58 and won the 'Sir AF Rahman Shield' and 'Governors Cup' for them. Mari suffered a leg pain while playing in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. As a result, he walked away from the national team, however, he continued to play in the domestic league for another decade. Played in Mohammedan SC, EPIDC and Dhaka Wanderers, the latter being his final club in 1969. Later, he served as the head coach for EPIDC, BG Press and TCB football teams after Bangladesh’s independence.

Mari, was also involved in other sports, in 1954, he won gold in high jump and silver in 100m sprint at the National Olympics for Pakistan. Mari was a regular member of the East Pakistan Volleyball team and also captained the side.

Mari's school life began at the Baptist Mission Boys School in Barishal. In 1951, Mari played for Firingi Bazar in the Chittagong League while still in the ninth grade. Mari did his HSC from Jagannath University, in 1956 and finished his studies from the same University in 1959.

Mari's first club was the Port Trust of Chittagong, he then went on to join Calcutta Football League side, East Bengal Railway in 1951. Mari caught the attention of India while playing in the IFA Shield in 1952. After spending a season with Fire Service SC back in East Pakistan, he joined Azad Sporting Club, in 1953. With the club he made his breakthorugh in the Dhaka League. The same year, he got a chance to join East Pakistan Railway, and with them he played the Ronald Shield held in Dhaka. Mari was one of the two Bengali footballers who got a place in the Pakistan national football team in 1954. The other being Nabi Chowdhury. He was the youngest member of the team that participated in the 1954 Asian Games. The following few years he travlled with the Pakistan team to Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Tokyo, Japan and Kolkata, India. The famous East Pakistani attacking trio of Kabir Ahmed-Ashraf Chowdhury-Mari was formed around him.

Mari was born in Chandraghona, Rangamati in 1939. As his father died when he was young, his mother took care of him. Mari's father, Thysau Chowdhury, was a son of the Bomang royal family, but was expelled from the royal family for accepting Christianity. Mari was the youngest in a family of three brothers and one sister.

Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari (Bengali: চিং হ্লা মং চৌধুরী মারী; 29 September 1938 – 10 May 2012), simply known as Mari Chowdhury, was a Bangladeshi professional football player who played as a left-winger. He is considered to be the best East Pakistani footballer of all time, and one of the few to make it to the Pakistan national football team. Although most are unrecorded and unofficial, Mari has over 200 goals in the Dhaka League.