BackPhoto essay | Batting for change
A local cricketing league is helping boys from Delhi's slums nurture their passion for the sport
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Jaise Virat ne Australia ko haraya tha, main bhi waise karna chahta hoon (I want to play like Virat did against Australia)." Like most people, Himanshu Rajak too can’t stop raving about Virat Kohli’s performance in the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup.
At 11, he is sure of what he wants to be. So is Sonu Raikwar. “Main toh Captain Cool banoonga (I will become Captain Cool)," says the 13-year-old, referring to M.S. Dhoni.
“I don’t think that these children will change their dream with the change in weather. They are pretty serious about the game," says Rajesh Pundir, who is helping Raikwar, Rajak and many other boys from Delhi’s slums hone their cricket skills. Pundir is the executive director of the Community Foundation Charitable Trust (CFCT) that works in slums across the Capital. He has hired a coach to train these boys, who are in the age group of 10-14.
It was in May, during a work-related trip to a slum in south Delhi’s RK Puram area, that Pundir saw a group of boys playing with a worn-out bat and ball. “That’s when the idea of a Slum Cricket League (SCL) was born," he says.
Inspired by the Indian Premier League, Pundir and his team have started by organizing matches among teams in each of five zones—east, west, north, south and central. Eventually, the zonal winners will battle it out for a trophy. Thirteen teams have been formed in the west zone, 10 in the south zone and nine in the north. The selection process for the east and central zones is in progress.
The inaugural edition of the SCL was played in October. The 10 south zone teams took part; 13 matches were played at a ground in Vasant Vihar. The second edition was played in December, with the north zone teams playing 12 matches at a ground in Chandni Chowk. The editions for the east, west and central zones will start from mid-April, once school exams end.
All the children are given cricket kits for the games. “The entire event was funded by me and some of my friends," says Pundir, adding: “We did approach a few corporate houses for support, but the first question they asked was, ‘Is any celebrity coming?’ So we went ahead ourselves." He says around ₹ 2 lakh has been spent so far on the games.
The league has been an instant hit. “The children pull up their collars after hitting a four or a six, or throw away their sunglasses after missing a catch. They enjoy every part of the game and know all the styles of cricketers," says Pundir, adding, “The SCL has also served as a good distraction for these kids, some of whom were into drugs." Pundir says they don’t indulge in substance abuse any more—they know it will affect their game.
Zonal matches are just the beginning. “If everything goes as planned, the SCL will go pan-India. As for the children, we are in talks with some clubs in Delhi which will provide free training and support to them. The CFCT is also planning to set up five Slum Cricket academies (for each zone) to assist them," says Pundir.
Raikwar’s and Rajak’s mothers are happy the two boys are getting a chance to live their dream. Their one concern is that they hardly study. They talk cricket, eat cricket, play cricket all day long, they say. Raikwar’s elder sister, Aradhana, looks at the two boys and quips, “Will you stay quiet when the commentator asks you about your performance?"
Raikwar and Rajak smile and bury themselves in their books.
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