A doctor couple from Kolkata, veterans of sporting spectacles around the world, spent a week in Qatar to watch Fifa World Cup matches.
Interventional cardiologist Rabin Chakraborty and his wife Arundhati Chakraborty, a radiation oncologist, watched three group league games and one knockout match.
On the field, there were many memorable moments, none more precious to the couple than seeing Lionel Messi score a brilliant goal against Australia.
Off the field, the two shared some snippets with The Telegraph.
Bhangra for Brazil
The sheer number of Indians — including fans in stadiums, volunteers and employees at hotels — surprised the couple.
“Indians are almost everywhere in large numbers, especially in cricket tournaments. But Qatar, in every sense, was flooded with Indians,” said Rabin Chakraborty.
The Chakrabortys have watched the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia and the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.
In Qatar, the first match the doctor couple watched was between Brazil and Switzerland, at Stadium 974 on November 28.
On the field, a late Casemiro winner helped Brazil to a 1-0 victory, sending them through to the knockout stage. Off the field, Brazil fans, not all from Brazil, held sway over the stadium.
“The day’s best moment we encountered was on our way to the stadium, when we saw an Indian group of Brazil supporters doing Bhangra (a traditional Punjabi dance). The group had everybody’s attention,” said Arundhati Chakraborty.
The presence of so many Indians in Qatar pushed up the demand for Indian food. “From biryani to begun bhaja, we had a lot of Indian food,” she said.
Men and machines
The infrastructure in Qatar impressed the doctors. As did the vast army of volunteers spread to almost every nook and corner of Doha.
“They will guide you to your destination, no matter where it is. You can ask for the stadium, nearest Metro station, Souq Waqif (a marketplace in Doha) or simply ask for assistance in booking an Uber, the volunteers are always ready to help,” said Arundhati Chakraborty.
The couple were thrilled to be at Stadium 974.
“It is an engineering marvel. It is a temporary structure that will be dismantled after the tournament,” said Rabin Chakraborty.
The stadium in Ras Abu Aboud, 10km east of central Doha, is named so for two reasons — 974 is the international dialling code for Qatar and it is also the exact number of shipping containers used in the construction of the stadium.
After the tournament, the containers and super-structure will be reused for a waterfront development project, the organisers have said.
“Every time a match ended, over 40,000 people left the stadium. But the dispersal was very smooth,” the cardiologist said.
The Hayya card, which serves as an entry permit to Qatar and gives access to transport facilities like Metro and bus and to the stadium, was of immense help, he said.
“We had to activate Bluetooth on our phone before entering the stadium to activate the card.”
Messi gets ready to take a corner in the match against Poland
Local culture
Many foreigners have been wearing the Thawb, the traditional Arabic dress, to the stadiums.
During the match between Argentina and Poland, also at Stadium 974, the Chakrabortys met an Argentine in a Thawb.
“I asked him why. He said it was a different experience and he wanted to have a taste of the local culture,” said Rabin Chakraborty.
During the course of his stay, he found that spirit in many football bans from abroad. “There was a lot of hue and cry over the curbs in Qatar. But I found people from other countries have adjusted to the local tradition quite remarkably,” he said.
