The Day I Set Foot on the Eden Gardens | Blog Post by Janet Das | Momspresso

As a child, I always had trouble remembering which stadium was located where. It was in my General Knowledge book that I had first read about Eden Gardens and Calcutta. Little did I know then that I would grow up to be married to a Bengali, and Calcutta would be a place I would frequently visit and would also become my son’s birthplace.

However, it was not until 2018 that I actually set foot on the famous and historical Eden Gardens. Now, visiting stadiums is something that I really enjoy, especially the ‘junoon’ of the fans. However, it is not very often that I visit one (or visited one, since that is a thing of the past now). I have been there maybe just five or six times. So, you can well imagine my excitement when I got to know about the opportunity of watching a match in Kolkata.

The date was May 23rd, 2018! The match was between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders. It so happens that I was born and brought up in Rajasthan and my husband is from Kolkata. My husband and I ensured to reach the stadium before time to avoid the last-minute chaos. I was fine till then. However, the minute I saw this sight, I got so overwhelmed. There was a flashback of all the times I had seen this scene on the TV and the newspaper. The excitement, pride and joy I felt at that minute cannot be described.

Moving on, we were inside the stadium quite early and the wait was unbearable. I did all kinds of crazy insane talk with my hubby and messaging my closest friends and family members while waiting for the match to begin. Finally, the wait was over, and the people started pouring in. Both teams also arrived on the ground for the initial formalities.

The match finally started. I am not too keen on sharing details of the match (not because Rajasthan lost) but because I was mesmerized by the vibe that I could feel there. The audience was literally breathing cricket. I spotted Usha Uthup very close to where we were, and she was full of energy cheering for the KKR team. It was so fascinating watching KKR play in Kolkata. It was something so beautiful and unexplainable.

I can go on and on, but obviously, you and I have other work to do as well. This experience is something I would keep looking back on with a smile on my face and comfort in my heart. It was one of the times when I experienced strangers coming together and connecting without any fear or inhibitions. How I wish our country can experience that feeling now!

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