In 'Eden sauna', 54k+ fans chug lakhs of water pouches
Times of India | 22 April 2024
KOLKATA: More than 54,000 fans collectively guzzled a few lakh pouches of water and ORS at the Eden Gardens during the IPL match between KKR and RCB on a scorching Sunday afternoon, at a time when Kolkata is probably in the middle of its longest heatwave spell in 24 years. With the mercury soaring to a merciless 40.3° C, even a home team victory (KKR defeated RCB in a last-ball cliffhanger) left spectators huffing and puffing.
The match started at 3.30pm, even as the sun beat down on the Eden turf.Scores of fans, who had forked out thousands to buy tickets for the high-voltage encounter or managed to secure complimentary passes, let go of the tickets to watch the match on TV from home. Others chose to take on the heat, giving in to the excitement of watching the home team take on Kohli & Co. But many regretted the decision.
Sreemoyee Chakraborty, a second-year student at St Xavier's College, was eagerly waiting to see Kohli at the Eden but could not reach the stadium, as she fell ill midway and had to return home. "My friends were waiting for me at Esplanade. I left home at around 1pm from Belgharia but before reaching the Esplanade Metro station, I felt ill and went back," she said. Her father Supriyo Chakraborty felt they shouldn't have ventured out. "It was too hot at noon and the heat was unbearable. My daughter felt uncomfortable and I didn't take any risk," he said.
Another cricket fanatic, Subhashis Chowdhury, had left for Eden with his nine-year-old son Ayushman, half an hour after receiving a call from a friend who had arranged tickets. "We are cricket freaks and got ready within 20 minutes and rushed to the ground," Subhashis said. As for Ayushman, desperate to watch Kohli from the stands, the heat wasn't a bother. "It was my dream to watch Virat play live," he told TOI.
Even as the match, too, turned out to be a scorcher, much of the fans' banter revolved around the temperature, which hovered around the 40° C mark, only to settle in the mid-30s when the match ended around 8pm - but which, combined with the high humidity, felt like being in a 40-degree sauna.
'One was not enough, had to keep on buying water pouches and ORS packs'
Access to water pouches was either easy or difficult, depending on whom you asked.
Aramita Chowdhury said many had to go thirsty. "The place was too hot and we were not allowed to carry water bottles. At the gallery, I did not see any arrangement for water pouches," he said. But Kidderpore resident Moin Siddiqui said there was no such crisis. "I easily got drinking water, as pouches were being sold inside," he added.
A CAB official said arrangements for water at the ground was the KKR's responsibility. "They use our stadium and the rest of the facilities are arranged by them," he said. He added, though, there were counters at the stadium for fans to buy water at Rs 10 a pouch. The counters were set up by KKR, he said. ORS packs were also available at four medical centres, he said.
Rohan Ali, who came from Nadia, said: "We were happy to sweat it out at the grounds while KKR played. We had to keep on buying water pouches, though, as one pouch was simply not enough." Park Circus resident Rakesh Sarkar said paying Rs 10 for each pouch, containing about 200 ml of water, was a bit expensive. "I bought five pouches for two of us but we drank it all in less than an hour. We had to go buy more pouches," he said.
There were others, like Rohan Pradhan from Karimganj in Bangladesh, who had come to the city on a tour and had bought a match ticket. "It was so hot outside that I could not leave the hotel in the afternoon. Around 6.30 pm, I came to Eden Gardens to watch the last leg of the match," he said.