The West Bengal government will present Dokra metal Maa Durga idols, Darjeeling tea, Nadia’s traditional uttariya stoles and terracotta artefacts to the Brazil, Uruguay and Indian men’s and women’s teams, and to the Russian women’s team.
All of this is being arranged while thousands of police personnel and a three-tier security cordon prepare to guard Saturday’s historic India-Brazil friendly on Saturday (Oct 3) at Salt Lake Stadium.
Gifts from Bengal’s craft belt
The hampers draw on the state’s artisan clusters: Dokra metalwork from Bankura and Purba Bardhaman, textiles from Nadia, terracotta pieces and Darjeeling’s tea. With Durga Puja weeks away, the idol is a timely gesture for guests visiting the City of Joy.
Blue Tigers ready
The football team completed its last-minute preparations ahead of the historic India-Brazil match. On Friday at Salt Lake Stadium, under coach Khalid Jamil’s supervision, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Manvir Singh, Ryan Williams and others trained intensively.
The session focused on preparing for different match situations. The players worked on multiple set-pieces and attacking movements, including crosses from corners and direct shots from outside the box.
India recently drew with Panama in Bengaluru after a good performance. Now they face five-time world champions Brazil. Saturday’s match is a dream moment not only for the Indian players but also for millions of football lovers across the country. The entire football fraternity is now waiting to see India take the field against Brazil on Kolkata soil.
Security: layers, numbers, bans
Spectators must clear three layers of security checks, and water bottles, umbrellas, flag poles, selfie-sticks and tripods are barred. Mobile or virtual tickets are scanned first, followed by a second check and a final frisking at the gate.
On numbers, about 2,000 police personnel will be deployed, with Bidhannagar City Police combining ground security with CCTV, plainclothes personnel and mobile patrols. A separate report quotes the state police chief as putting the total at 2,500 personnel, with 20 IPS officers. The two figures differ, probably because they cover different scopes. Radio flying squads will patrol the perimeter against ticket black-marketing, and senior officers including the Police Commissioner will be present.
Brazil are not leaving it to chance either. The team sent an eight-member security delegation, reportedly to avoid a repeat of the crowd-control failures seen during Lionel Messi’s visit last December. The state sports minister said everyone is working together on security and that the Chief Minister is personally monitoring the situation.
Stadium makeover
The sports department has been refurbishing restrooms and facilities, re-turfing the pitch after heavy rain and back-to-back matches, and installing new fencing around the practice grounds. Brazil’s inspection team had earlier flagged concerns over the playing surface.
Tickets and schedule
Tickets ranged from ₹999 to ₹15,000, sold only online, and most non-premium seats went in about 20 minutes. The stadium holds roughly 85,000. Kick-off is 7 PM IST on Saturday, with gates opening at 4 PM. India face Uruguay at the same venue on October 6.