The stamps will be printed as a part of the India Post My Stamp venture

To commemorate the 150th year of inception of the historic Eden Gardens, the Cricket Association of Bengal(CAB) will release about 5, 000 envelopes and stamps with photos of the world famous stadium along with its long-time president Jagmohan Dalmiya.

The stamp will be affixed on a medium-sized envelope and put inside a cover which will carry photos of former Bengal captains on it, a senior official of Philatelic Bureau at Kolkata GPO told PTI.

The stamps’ design and the size of the envelope will be finalised soon after a discussion with West Bengal Circle Chief Post Master General (CPMG) Arundhati Ghosh.

“CAB has finalised their choice of size and design of the stamp. Now it is waiting for the CPMG’s sanction. Once we get her go ahead, we will prepare them and hand it over to CAB by November 9,” he said.

The idea of putting Eden Gardens’ photo on the stamp was suggested by the Philatelic Bureau, he added.

“We had suggested them to use the photo of Eden Gardens stadium or CAB’s logo on the stamp. They liked the idea and finalised the stadium’s photo along with Jagmohan Dalmiya,” he said.

In fact, CAB had earlier decided to have a sketch by painter Jogen Chowdhury on the stamp. But because Mr. Chowdhury’s sketches could not be adjusted into the stamp due to size constraints, officials chose the stadium and Dalmiya’s photos for it.

“We had to do away with the idea of having a Jogen Chowdhury painting on the stamp because it was too big to get into that small size,” CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey said.

The stamps will be printed as a part of the India Post My Stamp venture, he said.

“There will be 417 sheets of stamps printed. Each sheet will have 12 stamps. Once they are ready they will be fixed on the envelopes and put inside the cover.”

Asked, he said though the price of the envelope along with the stamp is yet to be finalised it may not be more than Rs 5, the official said. CAB is scheduled to unveil both the envelope and the stamp on November 11, two days before India take on Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI of the ongoing series here at Eden Gardens on November 13.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by PTI / Kolkata – November 04th, 2014

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MP Kapil Krishna Thakur, 74, who was elected from the Bangaon constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls passed away in a city hospital here on Monday.

Mr. Thakur, was the elder son of Binapani Debi of the Matua community, a religious sect in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Mr. Thakur’s younger brother, Manjula Krishna Thakur, is a minister in the AITC government.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Staff Reporter / Kolkata – October 14th, 2014

Kolkata :

Months before Chhanda Gayen attempted her double climb at Kanchenjungha, a team of mountaineers from the city quietly accomplished a daring feat that is no less stunning. Eleven blind climbers scaled 16,000 feet at the Yunam peak in Himachal Pradesh last September, arguably the tallest climb by a group of individuals with disability in India. While four of these climbers have partial vision, the rest are totally blind. The team plans to improve upon the feat by summiting the Nandaja peak in Garhwal later this year.

Even though they don’t have the power of vision, which could be a crippling disadvantage in any climbing expedition, each of the team members are trained in mountaineering. A few of them had even trekked in the eastern Himalayas before embarking on the daring adventure. They took the assistance of guides and were led by a large group of climbers, but made the journey on their own steam, putting their climbing skills to the sternest test.

Unfortunately, the expedition had to end 4,000 feet short of the Yunam peak as the last leg was considered too risky for the group. “We were progressing steadily, though it was getting tougher. Eventually, the weather came in the way and we had to give up. We were all very disappointed for we believed we could make it,” said Dolly Dutta, one of the blind climbers. The expedition started from Chandigarh, with the team reaching Rohtang Pass via Manali. It then made its way to Tandi and then Kelong and Jispa, where a training session was held for the members. The team then reached Bara-lacha la Pass. “We had our base camp in Bharatpur and were ready to travel the last lap. But it was snowing heavily and the tracks got treacherous. So, the seniors advised us against making an attempt to summit. We had to travel back, but it was still a breathtaking experience,” recalled 31-year-old Dolly, who lost her vision 15 years ago. While the challenged climbers – four of whom were women – were not allowed to proceed, three of the rest made it to the Yunam summit.

PHOTO

Lack of experience and difficulty in acclimatizing to the extremely low temperature prevented the group from making the attempt, said Raja Abhimannyu, a member of Voice of World, an NGO that organized the expedition. “It’s not easy to get used to the snowfall and the inclement weather. Without the aid of vision, you need experience and skill to negotiate the treacherous climb to the top. Even though very brave and skillful, the team lacked experience. So, we thought it wise to advise them against it,” said Abhimannyu.

But the climbers are itching to return to the Himalayas and summit a peak. Piyali Hansda, another climber, said she was ready for the dash to the top. “It wasn’t easy but every minute was a thrill. Our adrenalin was pumped up and we were raring to go. But the snow made it a little difficult. This experience has toughened us and prepared us for more difficult terrain,” she said. The other challenged members of the team were Bilwa Mangal Sardar, Pappu Das, Tutu Bera and Ritika Khan.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / July 01st, 2014

Calcutta:

The city franchise of the Indian Super League will have Atletico de Kolkata as its name.

Atletico Madrid owner and CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin unveiled the name on Wednesday at a plush city hotel, in the presence of four co-owners from the city, Sourav Ganguly, Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka and Utsav Parekh.

On May 3, The Telegraph had reported that the city franchise was almost certain to be named Atletico de Kolkata.

The name of the company formed by the group was also announced. It’s Kolkata Games and Sports Private Limited. However, the jersey and the crest were not unveiled since it has to get the green light from the master franchise ISL.

Neotia revealed that there is a plan of bringing the Atletico Madrid team to play a friendly match in the city. “They are very upbeat about it. There is also a plan to send Atletico de Kolkata to Madrid for the pre-season.”

Everyone was in a happy mood. If the Atletico delegates were presented with scarfs designed by Sarbari Dutta, the four co-owners were presented with the official Atletico jersey No. 19 with their respective names embossed on the back of the shirt. For the record, Atletico star Diego Costa wears the No. 19 shirt.

“Atletico breathes football, lives around football. It’s a great idea to expand our brand and reach a new market. India and China are huge markets. Atletico also collaborates in different countries through Altetico de Madrid Foundation.

“We are trying two different ways… One through the academy and another through the franchise and play professional football,” Marin said.

Marin said the target is to build a competitive team and an excellent academy. “Some players from the academy can come to Madrid and my dream is to see someone from this academy playing in Spain,” he added.

Asked why they chose to invest in a country whose ranking hovers around 150, Atletico Madrid managing director (business development) Javier Martinez said: “You have a massive population and if you combine that with passion and discipline, you are bound to get results. We have seen that in many countries.”

Giving example of world champions Spain, he said: “They don’t have a huge population, but they have achieved everything with the right infrastructure and discipline. There is no reason why India can’t live up to its true potential. It’s the numbers game at the end of the day.”

Briefing about their discussions over the past two days, Neotia said the Atletico delegation was okay with the infrastructure at the Salt Lake Stadium and Barasat Stadium.

“They feel the foundation is appropriate. Yes we need to improve, but we should not have any difficulty in hosting any match in the present infrastructure. We hope to get state government support. But with elections on, we are yet to talk to the state government.”

Neotia said the Atletico de Kolkata’s desire is to have the main coach from Atletico. “But we need ISL’s approval. If they are okay, then there would be a second coach from India with working experience in our country. We have met some people, discussions are going on.”

Jose Ramirez Barreto, for instance, had a round of discussion with the delegates on Tuesday. And had another round of talks with the Atletico team on Wednesday.

“I am very keen to join the franchise. Let’s see how things unfold,” Barreto said.

There is a possibility that Barreto could be roped in as someone to whom the players can look up to. He can be the go-to man for the players, motivating them when the chips are down.

There is no clarity on the players though. As most of the players want to play for Atletico de Kolkata, the master franchise still hasn’t come with anything concrete. “We do not know whether there will be a pool of players or we will select it ourselves. Atletico Madrid are ready to provide players, but they need some clarifications from Fifa as well as ISL,” Neotia added.

Goenka hoped that Atletico de Kolkata will give the much needed push to the game. “We needed something like this. I am confident it will be a grand success,” he added.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph , Calcutta-India / Home> Front Page> Sport> Story / A Staff Reporter / Thursday – May 08th, 2014