KOLKATA: Thousands of football fans in the city may still be ruing the early exit of the favourites (read Brazil and Argentina), but on Sunday, a tiny pocket tucked away in a congested commercial neighbourhood of Kolkata will shout its heart out for
Croatia when Luka Modric and his teammates take on France in the all-important World Cup final.
The eastern European nation, with population lesser than that of Kolkata, has won hearts and support here with their style of play. But this pocket of Kolkata has a connection that goes beyond just a soft corner for Hrvatska. Croatia has an honorary consulate on the ninth floor of Poddar Court, a sprawling building near the police headquarters.
Arun Poddar, the honorary consul of Croatia in Kolkata, is excited about the match. “It is a great moment for Croatia. Winning the match will be a bigger achievement,” said Poddar, who has visited the “beautiful” country a few times.
The consulate has no plans around the World Cup since there are hardly any Croats in the city. “Croatia is a tourist destination and we have many people coming here to enquire about the process to visit the country. We guide them on how to apply for the visa and some of the places they can visit there,” said Poddar.
Interestingly, many people who have offices in Poddar Court or work in the building came to know about the existence of the Croatian consulate after the heroic way “the small country with a big heart” made it to the final. “I have been working on the sixth floor for 14 years but I never knew that Croatia’s consulate is located in this building. It is only after they advanced to the quarter finals that I discovered its presence,” said Pravin Sureka, who works in a logistics management company.
