A wonderful 'shot' at charity

 The cricketers gave away some of their prized possessions to support Mathru Foundation, an NGO. Mathru Foundation launched by the paraplegic brave heart Malathi K Holla, aims at enabling the rehabilitation of paraplegic individuals. The proceeds from the auction were given to the Mathru Foundation making this event not just an auction but a means of inculcating hope into the lives of paraplegic individuals.

The members of the Indian cricket team took time off their busy schedules to be a part of the event. People went mad with delight on being able to see their beloved cricketers at such close proximity and the constant chant in the background was ‘bring us the Cup’.

The event also had kids from the Mathru Foundation who got an opportunity to meet their favourite cricketers. The kids were ecstatic to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir, Piyush Chawla, Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Praveen Kumar and Virat Kohli, who were all present at the event and  interacted with the kids bringing a smile on their faces. Speaking on behalf of his mates, Sreesanth said, “It is our pleasure to be a part of this auction and we are doing whatever little we can to help them. We are honoured to be a part of this initiative.”

The cricket memorabilia included gloves, cricket bats autographed by the World Cup squad and many other possessions of the cricketers which cricket-lovers haggled for in delight. A bat autographed by Sachin Tendulkar got the highest bid at the auction and went for a staggering Rs five lakh. The auction raised nine lakh and will be used for the construction of a new place for the kids of the Mathru Foundation.

Elaborating on their vision, Malathi K Holla said, “Our main intention is to be able to accommodate more kids. There are many kids in rural areas who are very talented but are confined to four walls. This new facility will hopefully reach out to them. The auction as such was a new experience for all of us. All our children are cricket crazy and it was a wonderful opportunity for them to meet their favourite stars.”

Lending Malathi Holla a helping hand were former international sprinter Ashwini Nachappa, international cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, H T Krishna Reddy and Sridhar M K, both physically challenged and Anantha Bhat M, a leading advocate.

Anil Kumble too was present at the event. When asked about the auction, Venkatesh Prasad said, “The response was absolutely wonderful and I am very happy that the cricketers gave their possessions for the auction and most importantly made time for the event.”