Mohun Bagan Day: Chandrabindoo gears up to take part in football history extravaganza

After two years of disruption due to the pandemic, Kolkata’s football enthusiasts gather to celebrate this year’s Mohun Bagan Day on July 29. This year, legendary footballer Shyam Thapa will be honoured with Mohun Bagan Ratna. Besides the award ceremony, Bangla band Chandrabindoo is set to perform at the gala. While the one lead singer of the band and actor-director Anindya Chattopadhyay is traditionally a Mohun Bagan supporter, the other lead singer Upal Sengupta is a staunch supporter of East Bengal – the archrival of Mohun Bagan. 

“I am very happy that I will be performing on this day as a supporter. But this celebration is not about rivalry. It is a historic day and our performance will pay tribute to the club for its contribution to football history in India,” said Anindya. Meanwhile, despite repeated attempts, Upal’s phone was not reachable. Folk singer and reality show star Pousali Banerjee will also perform at the do. 

The general secretary of the club, Debashis Dutta said that the day is essentially an emotion for all the football lovers in India. “On July 20, 1911, the idea of Indian football was conceived. It is an emotion for all of us. We could not host the event for the last two years due to the pandemic. This year, it is going to be a major show.”

Traditionally, all the former members of the club gathered on the day. The former footballers are divided into two groups – Shibdas Bhaduri XI and Bijoydas Bhaduri XI. There will be a match before the award ceremony. Footballer Balai Dey will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.