A day in the sun for underprivileged kids
MINI WORLD CUP Event lights up gloomy lives of children
WHAT STOOD OUT WAS THE UNBRIDLED JOY THAT THE DAY PROVIDED THESE KIDS BEFORE THEY RETURNED TO THE DREARINESS OF THEIR LIVES.
NEW DELHI: This is a world cup of a different kind. Far away from the shores of Australia and New Zealand, the high commissions of the two host countries decided to arrange a ‘mini world cup’, featuring underprivileged children, to celebrate the occasion.
What became apparent, as one watched the kids play and generally have a good time under the sun, was the stark difference between the real tournament and its heady heights and the relaxed affair taking place, as well as the socio-economic disparity between the two sets of players of the two tournaments.
“We focus on sports as a source of holistic development and these days are very special,” said Pratik Kumar, the CEO of Magic Bus Foundation, one of the NGOs from which the six competing teams were drawn. The high commissioners of both countries were present on the occasion.
“We have worked with these NGOs before and thought it would be a nice initiative to organise this with these kids,” said Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling, when asked what prompted them to plan such a tournament.
His New Zealand counterpart Grahame Morton said that there are other events planned for the quadrennial showpiece, such as a breakfast with the Sri Lankan delegation before the two face off.
But the day belonged to the kids. 12-year-old Priya, who hails from Wazeerpur and is the daughter of a house painter, wants to grow up to be a cricketer and names Mithali Raj as her icon.
Even amidst the jargon focusing on sports for development, what stood out for these kids was the unbridled joy that the day provided them before they returned to the dreariness of their lives.