Messi's men seem to have driven the City of Joy berserk. Even after two days of Argentina lifting the World Cup humbling an equally competitive France festivities do not seem to end in Bengal.
Thanks to some liberal patronage provided by the Trinamool Congress brass down to the grassroots levels. The reason: Both share the same colour --- Blue and White.
The verve is so unending that even vendors of sweets and chaiwalahs (tea stall owners) have offered specially designed sweets and subsidised hot drinks in that order.
The famous rasogollas --- for which Bengal won the GI status not so long ago --- have decked up in blue and white.
Says BK Maity a shop owner in South Kolkata , "I have sold a thousand pieces in the past 24 hours." Anima Masi a tea seller at Bowbazar is selling her first 50 cups for free while another fellow tea vendor Sunita peddled free cups on Monday.
When asked to comment on the largesse she says, "this will up my business in the coming days as I will get publicity."
Sunita had sold about two hundred cups of tea in two hours on Sunday evening when two thousand people had gathered in front of a giant screen raised by local organisers at Tridhara Sanmilani Club in South Kolkata.
Similar arrangements were seen through out the state, thanks to some indulgent patronage by ruling party leaders ahead of the next year's panchayat elections.
Not only the Bengal capital or for that matter lesser cities like Asansol, Siliguri or Burdwan but remote villages like Haldipara in Nadia district and Bhaluka in Malda witnessed even women in large numbers collecting in front of giant screens to watch the Messi-Mbappe duel in Qatar.
Cut to the corridors of power in Bengal. As in Tagore's own State everything is cooked with a Tadka (spice) of politics the ruling Trinamool Congress leaders are still not sure whether a victory for Blue-and-White would fetch some extra points in the coming panchayat polls.
Some lesser leaders have already gone to town with the message that the God continues to be kind on the Blue --- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's favourite colour that is used in all State functions.
"It is not for nothing that Didi with a broken leg won in 2021 Assembly elections and Messi won with his left leg worked wonders in Qatar.