The 'God of Offside' launched the 10th anniversary of of London Sharad Utsav (LSU) Durga Puja along with former Indian football captain Dipendu Biswas. LSU Durga Puja has been one of the favourite celebrations for many NRIs settled in the UK - not only because it stirs nostalgia but also because it builds the “home away from home” emotion amongst one and all. To mark their 10th year, the former Indian cricket captain and the former Indian football captain watered a small banana sapling in Oxford- which has a huge significance in the Durga Puja. This banana tree will later be used in the LSU Durga Puja as the “Kola Bou” or “Banana Bride”, an integral part of the Durga puja.
Ganguly, former Indian cricketer and captain of the India Cricket team also fondly known as “Prince of Calcutta” was in the beautiful city of Oxford on 8th August 2018 for his book launch “A century is not enough”. This, as per the former Indian captain, is not a conventional autobiography rather it is a book that will tell the tale of the insecurities, failures, struggles an international sportsperson goes through behind the accomplishments and the fame that the world sees usually.
The cricket maestro who gave the cricket lovers one of the most iconic moments in the history of Indian cricket by taking off his shirt and waving from the Lord’s balcony was seen today more as an author in black suit ,white shirt and a light green tie. Also present at the book launch were other shining stars notably Dipendu Biswas, former Indian football captain, Gautam Bhattacharya, one of the finest journalists of his times and co author of this book.
The audience of the book launch event were enthusiastic cricket lovers and mainly sports loving Indians, far away from their land, still holding the fire of cricket that the “Bengal Tiger” has lit in their hearts since 1996. The fact that he rose like a phoenix made the country cheer him even more. Ganguly’s daredevilry mixed with hunger for victory created a benchmark in the history of Indian cricket captaincy and he has passed on the baton to the next generation – the result being a steady successful era of Indian cricket.
Sourav’s message to the avid listeners were “What you do with your talent will decide whether you are successful or not”!
