Dad’s drive behind Punam’s journey from chawl to team
CHANDIGARH: On days the Indian women play a match in the Women’s World Cup in England, Ganesh Shyam Raut follows a ritual. The 51-year-old car driver with a private firm in Mumbai, makes multiple visits to a temple in Borivali to pray for the team’s success. His daughter Punam Raut opens the batting for India. On Wednesday, Punam (106) smashed her maiden World Cup ton against Australia and although India lost the game, the Mumbai girl earned accolades. While recounting their days of toil, living in a chawl and finally being able to enjoy his 27-year old daughter’s success, Ganesh couldn’t hold back his tears. “We have seen tough times when we were living in a chawl in Prabhadevi. Punam wanted to pursue her dream of playing cricket for the country, but I was poor with limited resources. Had my American boss not given me ~10,000 way back in 1999, Punam would not have pursued cricket. From that money, I bought her a new kit, shoes and the attire. And, enrolled her at Shivseva Sports Club, a cricket academy run by coach Sanjay Gaitonde,” said Ganesh, who was over the moon when Punam joined Indian Railways in 2009 after making her ODI debut for India. “I lost my mother in 2004 and everyone at home was depressed. The next day, Punam had to appear for her first cricket trials. She was not sure if I was in a frame of mind to take her to the trials. I could see that uncertainty and gloom in her eyes. But how could I take that chance away from her for which she had been preparing since she was six. She appeared for the Mumbai U-14 and U-19 trials, and got selected. From there on, there was no looking back,” shared Ganesh. “She tells me Papa ab driver ki naukri chhod do, aaram karo (Father, you quit your driver’s job and relax at home). But I don’t want to. I wanted to be a cricketer, but I was very poor and could not ever afford the sport. I am happy that my daughter is doing well for the country,” added Ganesh.