When Sourav Ganguly Disguised As Sardarji To Avoid Durga Puja Crowd

For every Bengali, there is no festival bigger than Durga Puja. The spectacle is celebrated for 10 days, sending the whole of West Bengal into a period of great celebration. Every Bengali loves to enjoy the festival to the fullest and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is not an exception either. The Prince of Calcutta, as he is fondly known in the cricketing circles.

In the upcoming book, ‘A Century is not Enough’ written by the legendary skipper himself, the 45-year-old spilled several beans of his life with one of them being an anecdote showing how much he craves to get involved in the Durga Puja celebrations. In his book, Ganguly revealed that he once had to dress up like a ‘sardarji’ to avoid the crowd in Kolkata during his playing days when he was the captain of India. Such was his desperation to travel on a truck with his family and friends to see the immersion that Ganguly did not shy away from disguising.

“I am so hooked to the Pujas that I make it a point to always accompany the deity on her final ride. In Bengali there is a semi-tragic word for it – bisharjon. This is when the deity is immersed in the Ganga. The scene is amazing – the energy is sky-high, the crowds full of joy and sorrow at seeing Durga Ma going away, it’s truly memorable. The area around the river is so crowded that once, during my Indian captaincy days, I decided to go disguised as one of Harbhajan’s tribe. Yes, disguised as a sardarji,” Ganguly wrote.

“Now I could have been mobbed big time. The situation could have gone out of control. But the thrill of accompanying the para boys and family members on the truck carrying the deity was just too irresistible,” added the former India captain.

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— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) F<!---->e<!---->b<!---->r<!---->u<!---->a<!---->r<!---->y<!----> <!---->2<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->1<!---->8

The 45-year old further revealed that his wife and daughter had made the required arrangements to help him become a ‘Bengali Sardarji’. The move, however, did not succeed completely as Ganguly was not only barred from traveling on the truck by police but was also identified by one of the police officials. But in the end, Ganguly managed to enjoy the occasion to the fullest.

“My wife, Dona, had arranged for a make-up artist to come home to turn me from a hardcore Bengali into a convincing-looking Sikh. My cousins all mocked me, saying I would be recognized. I gave as good as I got and took up the challenge. They turned out to be right. I was not allowed on the truck by the police and had to follow it in our car with my daughter, Sana. As the car reached the Babughat area the police inspector peered in through the window, looked closely at me and smiled gently in recognition. I was embarrassed but asked him to keep my secret. The escapade was worth it. The immersion scene around the river is just indescribable. You have to see it to understand it. Durga Ma, after all, comes only once a year,” revealed the legendary cricketer.

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