Local derby at Eden Gardens

For around six decades, the rivalry between two of India's greatest football clubs namely East Bengal and Mohun Bagan has always ended in a bitter ending for the fans of both sides. The matches at each stadium or at neutral venues have been packed to the rafters and witnessed some of the worst fan clashes. One such incident even saw fans carrying swords to the stadium. There is no doubt a city like Kolkata gets divided when these two footballing giants clash.

Footballing derbies around the world revolve around history, heritage, pride and fan support between these two teams. The second priority is the points, the title and the trophy that they are competing for. The number of clashes and head-to-head matches between these teams has been nothing short of entertaining despite the final outcome of the match.

The Maidan area located in the crème de la crème location of Kolkata is named as it is for a particular reason. Apart from the posh locality, supermarkets, hotels, business centres and shopping centres, it is a sea of green. A 200-acre park is the equivalent of a Shivaji Park in Mumbai, where many a cricketer or footballer grew up playing in the centre of the Maidan. Not to mention the Race course, Golf Course and the footballing stadiums of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting along with Eden Gardens along with a dozen sporting clubs all within a 4-kilometre radius within the Maidan area.

So it's obviously no surprise to see a footballer at Eden Gardens catching up with the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) series. But the game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore Royal Challengers witnessed another spectacle altogether. Apart from the celebrities such as Dr Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Royal Challengers, along with Katrina Kaif, the brand ambassador for the franchise, one noticed the team members of both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

It would be normal to see footballers at the Eden Gardens, considering Kolkata is the unofficial sporting capital of India and is home to some of the best footballers in the country. But something about this occasion was different. Both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan team members were in their respective team jerseys and sitting alongside each other side by side. Now for those of you who don't follow Indian football, it is almost the same as seeing team members of Manchester United and Liverpool sitting side by side watching a rugby game, or the same as seeing team members of Inter and AC Milan sitting side by side. Now that will be considered as a breakthrough for football pundits. On asking the management team of the Royal Challengers, it turns out that United Sprits (Dr Mallya's company) owns a majority stake in both the footballing clubs. McDowell's sponsors Mohun Bagan while Kingfisher sponsors East Bengal. Dr. Mallya's idea of bringing these teams to the stadium was not only to extend his support to these clubs but also to show united support for the Royal Challengers.

It was a unique yet unforgettable sight to see both teams cheering on the Royal Challengers among a partisan Eden Gardens crowd. It was something that no football expert could have imagined. To see these fierce rivals sitting in the same stand and cheering for the same team. Although it may seem too good to be true, there were some individual differences. Between both teams, there was a difference of opinion as the home local footballers from Kolkata backed the Knight Riders whereas the non-Kolkata footballers were cheering at every shot the Royal Challengers played.

Having had the pleasure to speak to Alvito D'cunha - the equivalent of a Ryan Giggs in Indian football, he said that he hoped he would see the same craze and passion for football one day amongst Indians. West Bengal, Goa and Kerala certainly are leading the way for football and hopefully the rest of India can follow suit.

It has to be said that the IPL transcends regional and international boundaries, age, and experience along with past international performances. While the telecast may have focused on the field, history was certainly created off the field.