YOU CAN HELP INDIA’S BIGGEST CRICKET FAN

Actor Abhilash Thapliyal has launched a campaign to help Sudhir Kumar Gautam

We have all seen the man with the tricolour painted on his body, cheering for former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar during matches, but actor Abhilash Thapliyal (far right) is on a mission to make it easy for Sudhir Kumar Gautam (right) to attend every match around the globe. He is making a website to ask people to contribute and financially help the fan.

The campaign, started by Abhilash, aims at getting enough funds for Sudhir, and is picking up well. “It has just started. Frankly speaking, we haven’t been able to generate enough funds and we’ve been trying to spread the word. The ICC champions trophy has been taken care of, but the objective is not just for one match or tournament. We want to help him be present every time India plays. You and I may a click a picture, but that guy paints his entire body. His identity is that Tiranga,” says Abhilash, who is known for his online videos, a political satire titled Muffler Man. He will soon make his Bollywood debut in Makhna, starring Taapsee Pannu and Saqib Saleem.

Talking about his campaign and the financial aim associated with it, Abhilash adds, “Right now, our focus is only on this fiscal year. If we aim at collecting funds for the next 10 years, it’s going to be tough. Initially we thought we would raise `8 lakh, and had even decided how the money would be divided. However, we realised that while we are getting plenty of likes and hearts on Facebook, it’s not getting translated into money.” The actor says that they are now looking at raising `2 lakh. “The West Indies trip would be expensive. We have linked his account with the website, so that the contributions may go directly to his account.” Visit the site: www.desiredwings. com/helpsachinfan