Kolkata:
The 'City of Joy' got together today to celebrate the victory of Kolkata Knight Riders, the newly-crowned IPL champions. From packed streets to a packed Eden Gardens, tens of thousands of fans came out to show their support for the team; leading them from the front was none other than Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The players were showered with gifts including two sets of gold chains saying 'Bengal loves you,' custom-made cake, sandesh and shawls - the celebration cost the state government almost Rs 45 lakh. "Bengal is proud. The victory of the Knight Riders is like a victory of the world," said Ms Banerjee, who was dressed in a white sari with a purple border, the colour of the team's jersey.
However, the lavish affair by the Mamata-led state government was criticised by many as West Bengal is fighting a debt burden of over Rs 2 lakh crore.
But when asked about the cost of the big party, Ms Banerjee said, "We have no money, so we spent only on cake and sandesh."
The felicitation ceremony at the Eden Gardens was so elaborate, that the KKR almost ended up congratulating Ms Banerjee for their incredible victory over the Chennai Super Kings.
"We have been waiting for this day so long. Thank you Didi. Thank You Kolkata. Thank you West Bengal on behalf of every member of the team. Only Kolkata will rule," Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal, said at the reception amidst thunderous cheers from hundreds of people as confetti rained from above.
"Today is the true poribartan (change) that our chief minister promised a year ago," said Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, who is usually reticent.
However, players were soon forgotten, and it became a state-sponsored party for the IPL winners, with the master of ceremonies, Ms Banerjee herself.
She led the victory lap, while asking the delirious crowd to keep restraint. Later, she held hands with Shah Rukh Khan and Mr Narayanan and sang with the Bangla bands to celebrate the victory of the Knights during the one-hour felicitation ceremony.
The crowd of nearly 70,000 at the stadium cheered as the chief minister called co-owner Juhi Chawla and team captain Gautam Gambhir for cutting the cake. She took the microphone to read out the inscription on the cake "Larechhi, Karechhi, Jitechhi (fought, done, won)."
The Knight Riders may have won the IPL trophy, but the celebrations at the Eden Gardens have certainly stuck a very big feather in the cap of Ms Banerjee. There are no doubts that she will reap political dividends from this enormous event.
Thousands of fans filled the streets to the iconic Eden Gardens where the celebrations seemed no less than last year's world cup win. But Kolkata's victory party failed to amuse critics with many taking to Twitter, and calling it an embarrassing drama at the cost of the taxpayer. "Why so little attention to the state's Ranji players?" asked many.
The players were showered with gifts including two sets of gold chains saying 'Bengal loves you,' custom-made cake, sandesh and shawls - the celebration cost the state government almost Rs 45 lakh. "Bengal is proud. The victory of the Knight Riders is like a victory of the world," said Ms Banerjee, who was dressed in a white sari with a purple border, the colour of the team's jersey.
However, the lavish affair by the Mamata-led state government was criticised by many as West Bengal is fighting a debt burden of over Rs 2 lakh crore.
But when asked about the cost of the big party, Ms Banerjee said, "We have no money, so we spent only on cake and sandesh."
The felicitation ceremony at the Eden Gardens was so elaborate, that the KKR almost ended up congratulating Ms Banerjee for their incredible victory over the Chennai Super Kings.
"We have been waiting for this day so long. Thank you Didi. Thank You Kolkata. Thank you West Bengal on behalf of every member of the team. Only Kolkata will rule," Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal, said at the reception amidst thunderous cheers from hundreds of people as confetti rained from above.
"Today is the true poribartan (change) that our chief minister promised a year ago," said Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, who is usually reticent.
However, players were soon forgotten, and it became a state-sponsored party for the IPL winners, with the master of ceremonies, Ms Banerjee herself.
She led the victory lap, while asking the delirious crowd to keep restraint. Later, she held hands with Shah Rukh Khan and Mr Narayanan and sang with the Bangla bands to celebrate the victory of the Knights during the one-hour felicitation ceremony.
The crowd of nearly 70,000 at the stadium cheered as the chief minister called co-owner Juhi Chawla and team captain Gautam Gambhir for cutting the cake. She took the microphone to read out the inscription on the cake "Larechhi, Karechhi, Jitechhi (fought, done, won)."
The Knight Riders may have won the IPL trophy, but the celebrations at the Eden Gardens have certainly stuck a very big feather in the cap of Ms Banerjee. There are no doubts that she will reap political dividends from this enormous event.
Thousands of fans filled the streets to the iconic Eden Gardens where the celebrations seemed no less than last year's world cup win. But Kolkata's victory party failed to amuse critics with many taking to Twitter, and calling it an embarrassing drama at the cost of the taxpayer. "Why so little attention to the state's Ranji players?" asked many.
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