CHENNAI: Four children from Chennai will take part in the first-ever Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC) to be held in London from April 30. Around 10 teams from nine countries including India, Pakistan, England, Bangladesh, Nepal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mauritius and a Syrian Refugee team, are expected to participate. India will bringing in teams North India and South India in 2019.
The event will take place on the hallowed turf at Lords. Four organisations will bring two teams, Team North India and Team South India to the Cricket World Cup. Each team will consist of eight members (four boys and four girls in the age group of 14 to 17 years) for six-a-side, 20-ball match using a specially prepared hard ball out of tennis ball, as it is to be played by street children.
The format is called Street Twenty Cricket. Karunalaya has already selected two boys and two girls. Magic Bus from Mumbai will select four (two boys and two girls) for a wider representation in Team South India.
Those selected by Karunalaya are Paulraj (17), Nagalakshmi (17), Monisha (14) and Suryaprakash (17). Paulraj, whose parents run a tiffin shop on a street at Mat market, used to do menial jobs to buy cricket gear. He was involved with Karunalaya for more than one year, through its education and sports for development programme.
Suryaprakash is a sixth standard dropout and had been working as a child labourer in Punjab and Chennai for many years after his father expired. He escaped after being abused by his employer. He was wandering in the railway station when he was rescued, says Dr N Paul Sunder Singh, founder and secretary, Karunalaya.
Similar is the story of Nagalakshmi, a native of Madurai who was abandoned by parents and lived in government homes until referred to Karunalaya. So is 14-year-old Monisha, who lives on the street from birth, with her family. Her father Baskar passed away in 2016 and her mother works as a maid.