Very well said. This Mark twain line on Patriotism, it is applicable everywhere, even in India these days. If you oppose your Government policy on any topic, that doesnt makes you anti-national.
The uniformity of Eden Gardens: Though I haven't been
inside, it looks smart and uniform from the outside. The cricket grounds
in Britain are all done in pieces. Lord's — the home of cricket — has just
got a new stand that I saw on the TV the other day. You have a mixture of
stands there, whereas Eden Gardens has one big plan and looks consistent.
That's very interesting.
The fascination for football: I once had a visitor who
comes to Kolkata regularly from Britain. He had told me that around 10
years back, the kids used to play only cricket at Maidan, but now you see
most of them playing football. I know this city has a legacy of football.
It's a shame that I missed a match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. I
hope to watch one in future.
The readiness of Bengalis to go out and see the world:
There are so many Bengalis residing elsewhere in India. Though I feel the
probashis should return to their own city, but, in general, Bengalis have
an open mind. I was surprised to see that a lot of people here know about
Belarus, where I was posted before coming here. I think Bengal is very
outward-looking and interested about the world, just the way I would like
to think Britain is.
Intellectual tradition: I have heard a lot about
Bengalis' thirst for knowledge and studying. I've only dipped my toe into
the works of Tagore. I am aware of the Bengali renaissance and that
everybody is very proud of it. But there is a lot of talking. I would like
to see some action.
The adda culture: I recently attended an adda session
where I found a lot of Bengalis speaking fluent English. I too plan to
soon get some lessons in Bengali. There is this ready expressiveness among
Bengalis that I find very fascinating. Being an extrovert Englishman, I
quite enjoyed the adda. Back in Britain, we have something similar, called
chinwagging ( laughs ).
Comments
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/I-hope-to-watch-an-East-Bengal-Mohun-Bagan-match-soon-Bruce-Bucknell/articleshow/54506374.cms
Five things you love about Kolkata...
Very well said!
http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/136/india/2016/10/02/3420124/mahatma-gandhi-and-his-experiments-with-football?ICID=SP