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Journalism of Courage
‘‘Ki, Steveda aar khelbe naa, amraa Steveda ke aar bat haathe TVte dekhbo naa?”
(Won’t Steveda play any more, won’t we see him batting on TV again?)
Ten-year-old Sonali Majhi’s reaction was typical of the scene at Udayan, the residential home for children of leprosy patients, after they got the news from Sydney today.
But mixed with the sadness of the fact that Waugh the Cricketer would retire was an elation at the possibility that Waugh the Philanthropist would get a bit more time to spread good cheer.
‘‘We expect more visits here from Steveda,’’Amit Rajwar, a student of Class VIII, told this reporter.
Waugh, patron of this home set up 33 years ago, visits this place once a year on an average. Apart from monetary help, he provides medicine, clothes and other materiel for the 220 boys and 80 girls staying at this home. ‘‘Whenever he comes he spends some time with the parents of the children too,’’ Udayan official Swapan Naiya told this reporter.
Sonali, a cricket aficionado and an avid fan of Waugh the Cricketer, says it was too early for him to quit the arena. ‘‘He is so young, why should he quit so early? Once he told us ‘Fight hard before you give up’ and now he is giving up himself. Why is it so?’’ the young girl says. Vikas Paswan, a student of Class VII, agrees: ‘‘Whenever he comes here and tells us not to despair for any moment and work hard. What’s happened to him now?’’
Others, however, look forward to more visits from Steveda. ‘‘We hope he makes more frequent visits here,’’ 15-year-old Sanjay Mahato told this reporter.
