Dadar station in the wee hours of an October morning. After soaking in the city's bustling atmosphere at the platform, he managed to book a bed for three days at a nearby lodge. It cost him Rs90. With just Rs20 in his pocket, he left for Shivaji Park the same evening in search of coach Ramakant Achrekar. "When I reached Shivaji Park, I began to look for sir. Some of the players then guided me to the net where he was coaching. When I approached him, he told me to meet him after three days," said Bhupinder.

He had to fend for himself in the city of dreams, but divine intervention arrived and Bhupinder found a Good Samaritan in Santosh Joshi. "After talking to Achrekar sir, I was quietly watching players practice in the nets. I saw him talking to three boys and then he pointed towards me. In fact, he told them that I too had come from outside Mumbai and could give them company. One of them was Santosh, who allowed me to live in his small room at Bangur Nagar in Goregaon. I was hesitant initially, but then decided to go ahead as I had no other option," he said.