Pakistan vs Bangladesh in Kolkata: Political, historical drama awaits

ROUGHLY FOUR KILOMETRES from the Eden Gardens, near the Sealdah Railway Station, is the Father of the Nation Statue. Backdropped by the flags of their respective nations are the busts of Mahatma Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his Bangladesh counterpart, side by side

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There are several other memorabilia of Rahman too in the city, where he spent considerable years of his youth.

A biopic of his, directed by Shyam Benegal was screened in the city, where its lead actor Arifin Shuvoo, said: "People of Bengal will emotionally connect more with this film than their counterparts in Bangladesh." There are still resplendent social, linguistic, cultural and political affinities between Kolkata, West Bengal and Bangladesh. The national anthem of both countries was penned by Rabindranath Tagore, who spent much of his lifetime in Shilaidaha, a town in Bangladesh, where a three-day celebration is held on Tagore's birth anniversary. The city was the capital in exile for the first Bangladesh government, and at 8 Theatre Road, there is a Mujibnagar Memorial Monument and Complex in remembrance of the signing of the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender. Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh's national poet, is still a revered literary figure in the city.

Nothing perhaps connects the city and the neighbouring country as the cuisine.The tangy aroma of Bangladeshi delicacies hit you when you stroll along the New Market Area. The menu smacks of Bangladeshi identity and bears the names of cities across the border, such as Sylheti Shorshe Ilish (Sylhet Mustard Hilsa), and Chattogrami Chingri (Chattogram Prawn). Almost every restaurant is packed, now that thousands of fans from Bangladesh have descended in the city for its World Cup games, against the Netherlands, which they lost, and the other against Pakistan, scheduled for Tuesday.