Why Kolkata Loves Football More Than Any Other City: The Soul of Bengal | Sweety Giri
Why Kolkata Loves Football More Than Any Other City: The Soul of Bengal Image source :hindustantimes If you ever find yourself near the Salt Lake Stadium on a Kolkata Derby day, your senses will register the event long before you see the stands. The air vibrates. A deafening, rhythmic roar of nearly one hundred thousand voices cuts through the humid Bengal air. On one side, a sea of green and maroon waves defiantly; on the other, a fierce wall of red and gold answers back. In India, a country famously drunk on cricket, Kolkata is a fascinating anomaly. Here, football is not just entertainment to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon. It is a secular religion, an inheritance, and a core pillar of the social fabric. To understand Bengal, you have to understand its deeply passionate, century-old love affair with the beautiful game. The Colonial Roots and Early Passion To trace the origins of this obsession, we have to look back to the late nineteenth century. British officers and mer...