One of the biggest club football rivalries in Asia began in 1920. Millions of people still consider the result of any match between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal a matter of utmost seriousness. Here's the oral history of the Indian El Clasico from the origin rooted in discrimination to the professionals running the business in 2022
The 1970s in West Bengal are remembered as an era when the Naxalite movement, the influx of refugees and brutalities by the security forces competed with the liberation of Bangladesh, the garibi hatao slogan and the resounding victory of the Congress party in elections that caught the national attention.
There were countless allegations of police atrocities and fake encounters to eliminate Left activists. As the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata) plunged into near anarchy, the unnatural death of youngsters became a regular feature—it almost stopped making news in the local media.
(This story appears in the 21 October, 2022 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)