Sachin Tendulkar Grand Farewell Highlights
Kolkata is pulling out all stops to give Sachin Tendulkar a grand farewell. The state sports ministry and the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) have both made exhaustive arrangements to ensure a memorable send-off. The match begins on Wednesday but the Sachin farewell party is well and truly on. Here are just some of the events to mark Tendulkar's 199th Test.
- A tableau hailing the Little Master, flagged off on Sunday, will go round the city till Nov 10, the final day of the Test.
- An exhibition of 100 photographs opened at a Maidan tent on Monday.
- The toss will be done with a specially-designed gold coin with Sachin’s head shot embossed (Match referee Andy Pycroft’s permission will be sought on Tuesday)
- One lakh copies of a brochure celebrating Tendulkar will be distributed at the Eden on the opening day of the Test.
- Sachin masks will be distributed in the stands and spectators will be asked to wear them when the Little Master walks in to bat.
- 199 kg of rose petals will be showered on the Eden Gardens from three light aircrafts after the final day’s play.
- CAB will present, among other things, a silver ’banyan tree’ with 199 gold leaves, at felicitation function on the final day.
- A bigger-than-life wax statue of Sachin, created by sculptor Susanta Ray, has been placed at the entrance to the dressing rooms. Life-size cardboard cutouts, festooned with lights, have been put up at the club house entrance.
- The West Bengal government plans to set up 200 giant screens across the state.
- More than 20 billboards have gone up across the city quoting cricketing legends like Don Bradman, Viv Richards, Kapil Dev and Barry Richards praising Tendulkar.
- Match tickets have become a collector’s items since they have sketches and photos of Tendulkar printed on them.
- A 128-year-old sweet shop, Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick in south Kolkata, has created a 2.3 kg shondesh depicting Tendulkar holding a bat.
- An exhibition of 100 photos showcasing Tendulkar's achievements has also been organized.
- 199 bunches of night lanterns will float in the air to greet the batting great on Day Three.
- A book on Tendulkar containing write-ups from eminent persons will be released on Day Four.
- A musical tribute by city-based artist Piloo Bhattacharya will be played at the ground during the match.
