Eden

 

The four orange towers gleam

From far away,

Even today;

For a poor nation

That won nothing,

Here was once a ground of hope

 

The world’s largest,

Eden shone like a prize

A world-class stadium

Of pride

Even before a ball was played

Or a match won

 

____

 

I remember a young boy

Such was the fervour

Of cricket

He never went

To see a match

What if the team lost?

 

What if Sachin scored low?

What if Dada failed?

What if ‘96 returned?

The pain so intense

It was easier

To switch off the TV, and sleep

 

_____

 

Somewhere in time,

The team disintegrated

The stars retired

The boy grew up,

And Eden shrank

While the country grew

 

An all-time great team

But who follows cricket today?

Echoes of Laxman, Dravid

Kumble’s 6

Rohit’s 264

Still resound like it were yesterday

 

_____

 

I have passed by

Many more grounds -

Brabourne, Kotla

SCG, Basin

But nothing beats

The four orange towers of childhood days

 

Eden – Where all matches were seen

Yet Eden

Where no match was ever seen

Ah, those four orange towers

That gleam from far away,

Even today…

 

27^th August 2026

 

Eden Gardens, Kolkata, established in 1864, is India’s oldest major cricket stadium and one of the world’s most historic cricket grounds. Named after Emily and Fanny Eden, sisters of Lord Auckland, the Governor-General of India, it began as a landscaped garden before becoming a home of cricket. For much of the 20th century, it was India – and the world’s - largest cricket stadium, at times accommodating over 100,000 spectators. It hosted its first Test in 1934 and has since witnessed some of Indian cricket’s most memorable moment.