Remember that scene in the eight Oscars award-winner Slumdog Millionaire when a bunch of slum kids are playing cricket near the airport even as airplanes thunder overhead? They are chased into the slum by a menacing, lathi-wielding cop who later spares the kids after their mother begs him to do that.
Remember that scene in the eight Oscars award-winner Slumdog Millionaire when a bunch of slum kids are playing cricket near the airport even as airplanes thunder overhead? They are chased into the slum by a menacing, lathi-wielding cop who later spares the kids after their mother begs him to do that. Former Australia captain Allan Border is in Mumbai to support Australian initiative called 'Red Dust Role Model'
That was the film but here in real life, these disadvantaged kids will not have any cop chasing them at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. They will be part of a day-long program today, (Thursday, February 26) featuring 12 international sportsmen, amongst which are former Australian cricket captain Allan Border, cricketer Damien Fleming and Australian women's cricket captain Melanie Jones.
Health & well-being
The cricketers, along with other sportspersons are to teach 1,200 disadvantaged kids who are with the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) child shelter called Pratham, basic drills in the sport of basketball, cricket, rugby and football. The international sportsmen are 'role models' and are part of an Australian initiative called 'Red Dust Role Model'. The Red Dust Role Models is aimed at improving the health and well-being of disadvantaged youth living in remote communities.
Border or AB as he is known, is one of the high-profile sporting role models of the Red Dust program.
Says Avinash Salvi, secretary, D Y Patil Sports Academy,u00a0 "Yesterday, Border and the rest came into the stadium to check out if all is okay and they were satisfied with the arrangements. Tomorrow, we have a day long sports drill program with a break for lunch."
Former India bowler Abey Kuruvilla also with D Y Patil said: "The kids will have drills in cricket, rugby, football and basketball. The day will end with a celebrity cricket match between Allan Border XI and Vijay Patil XI."
Well what can one say except: Jai ho! to this unique, sporting endeavour.
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