Son scoring goals in SA, they scour city for flat

As shanty boy Yuvraj Walmiki wields hockey stick in Champions Challenge parents line up flats for him to see during his brief posttour stopover in city As hockey hero Yuvraj Walmiki is away on national duty for the Champions Challenge in South Africa his mother is on a househunting spree in and around the cityShe has zeroed in on three flats that she would like her son to take a look at when he comes back to the city for a short break before proceeding to Pune for a match Yuvraj Walmikiu00a0his parents seen here at their 256 sq ft shanty in Marine Lines yesterday say they have looked at a Rs 1 crore flat in Colaba and two flats for Rs 80 lakh and Rs 50 lakh in Mira Road While one of the properties is in Colaba and costs Rs 1 crore two are in Mira Road and cost Rs 80 lakh and Rs 50 lakhWalmikis family at present lives in a 256 sq ft shanty inside Neelkanth Niranjan CHS compound opposite Marine Lines station hidden behind the expensive cars parked on the premises the Walmikis have been living like this for over four decadesThe dwelling does not even have a main door a curtain hanging at the entrance dividing it from the outside worldWe do not get water to drink and use neighbouring office buildings to answer the call of nature and to take a bath Meena Walmiki 40 said We have gone through a lot of suffering and even Yuvraj is seriously thinking about owning a flatSunil Walmikis father has already seen two flats in Mira Road according to Meena She says both flats are very spacious and are in newly constructed buildings and one of them is even close to the railway stationThough the flats are cheaper than the Colaba one the family is also concerned about the distance Walmikis elder brother Rakesh who works as a peon will have to travel if it shifts to Mira RoadAnother brother Devendra who is also a hockey player and wields the stick for Air India will also have to spend much time travelling for his routine practice from Mira RoadAs a result Meena is very keen on the Colaba market flat which she has already visitedThe said flat is a resale apartment having an area of approximate 450 sq ft but the place is very good and close to the market she said The flat owners have quoted a price of Rs 1 croreMeena added that Walmiki was very busy since he last won the medal for India and had not had the time to see any of the flats At present he is playing in South Africa and will return on December 5 and will again leave for Pune on December 12 she saidu00a0We are shortlisting the places so that once Yuvraj is back we can take him to inspect the flats and take a decision accordinglyThe biggest worry for Meena is the prices of the flats which the family can not afford Yuvraj got about Rs 22 lakh by way of prize money from the state government and various institutes and political parties we have no other fundsu00a0Once Yuvraj returns we will also work out the where to source the funds from she saidLook our son on TVTHE parents of Yuvraj Walmiki watched him play on TV for the first time as he hit two goals in South Africa on November 29 against Polandu00a0India won the match 70 to ensure the top spot in Group A of the Champions Challenge Walmikis folks could watch the match because a good Samaritan recently donated a colour television set to the familyu00a0The day of the match was also Walmikis birthday and the family cut a cake for him