Calcutta : Some of the poor street children of Calcutta are jumping with exitement as they will be not only witnessing the world cup venues in England but will be getting the chance of playing there as well. As Just before the world cup , which is scheduled to start on May 31 , there will be another world cup. The Street Child Cricket world cup. This will be the inaugural edition of such a tournament.
Meet Jabir Ali , a class-4 dropout, whose mother works as a cleaner, who used to spend nights under Gariahat flyover in Kolkata . Or for that matter Soni Khatoon , a resident of a sack-tent near Calcutta Port which didn’t have electricity, and for drinking-water you have to ride 15 minutes away on bicycle. Why not we take a glance into the son of a rickshaw-puller, Mohammad Waris who studied till IIIrd standard and took a job in a local cap-manufacturing unit from 10 am to 10 pm, earning Rs 200 per week.
Also Read : 'Don't judge Kohli by his form in IPL'
Today, Jabir Ali, 14, can’t hide his excitement, as he is now learning how to negotiate a formal dinner. Soni Khatoon, 15, wants to spread awareness that Lord’s is the mecca of cricket. Mohammad Waris, 13, who has returned back to school and now a student of 8th standard , wants to become an allrounder . Ben Stokes of England is his idol.
Then there are Millie Singh, Ayushman Choudhury, Anjali Paswan, Tarak Sardar and their teammates. Come April 30 and all of them will be representing either of the two teams from India — Team North India and Team South India.
“Earlier, we used to beg for meals. Now, we are attending martial arts and dance classes, and undergoing leadership training, apart from playing cricket ,” said Soni Khatoon.
The North India team is undergoing training at Aditya Barun Barman Academy in the Rabindra Sarobar complex in south Calcutta. The tournament will be organised by Street Child United, which has previously conducted football tournaments and Olympic events for the underpriviledged children. This is their first entry into cricket with eight-a-side mixed teams with four boys and four girls. Team North India has all its players from Calcutta — four each from Save the Children and Hope Kolkata Foundations.
The first step, however, was not easy. “Many of the children were earning, and we faced a lot of resistance. Hard counselling and persuasion were required to convince their parents. We told them that if you resist, the cycle of poverty would continue,” said Moumita Saha, co-ordinator of the foundation.
Also Read: Injury scare for Rohit ahead of WC'19 team selection
The selection process started last November. The Hope Foundation initially picked 26 children followed by a shortlist of 10, eight and eventually four. Save the Children, meanwhile, shortlisted 11 other children and trimmed its list to four. The training started in January, and is now held four days a week — Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday — from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm.
The tournament will be hosting 10 teams from nine countries, with the final at Lord’s on May 7. Sourav Ganguly has been appointed the brand ambassador for the event. This has delighted the players further. "Meeting Sourav uncle is a dream come true. What more do we expect? He encourages girls to play more cricket," said Milli ,18, with a big smile. “We are now counting the days for our first foreign trip on a jet plane,” she added.
