A regular in Kolkata (he helps raise funds for Udayan, a colony for children suffering from leprosy), ‘Iceman’ — as he is popularly called for his ability to remain calm.
Former Australia cricket captain Steve Waugh needs no introduction. A regular in Kolkata (he helps raise funds for Udayan, a colony for children suffering from leprosy), ‘Iceman’ — as he is popularly called for his ability to remain calm — showed off his skills on a different playing field on Thursday. And if what he saw seemed more tricky than Bhajji’s doosras, he did not show it. Instead, he smiled, took off his sneakers and took guard in a pair of black gumboots and yellow gloves and waded into murky water.
Waugh was helping a few environmentally-conscious Kolkatans clean up Anandapalli canal, which is 15-odd km from the West Bengal capital.
The canal has not been cleaned for the past 30 years and the water has become murky with effluents from a nearby fish market. It is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes and stench from the canal hangs heavy in the air.
But Waugh seemed undaunted, living up to his ‘Iceman’ nickname.
“It’s a good cause. It’s good for the community. I have been asked to help and if I can do it, anybody can,” Waugh, dressed in a navy blue tee shirt and grey shorts, told DNA, before taking the plunge. The former cricketer was approached through Shamlu Dudeja, who runs the Calcutta Foundation, by communication consultant Mudar Patherya, who has undertaken a drive to clean up parts of the city. “I wrote a mail to Shamlu who forwarded it to Steve and he responded promptly that he was with us,” Patherya said.
On Thursday, Waugh helped students of a school run by charitable organisation Missionaries of Word in the clean-up drive. The school teaches children of sex workers. Someone offered Waugh a disinfectant after his 10-minute stint in the canal but he refused. “There’s nothing wrong in getting your hands dirty occasionally,” Waugh grinned.
Waugh has worked for various social causes in Kolkata over the past 11 years. Apart from sponsoring Udayan, he has helped build homes for tsunami survivors. He is familiar with Kolkata’s littered streets. “If 10 million residents of Kolkata can pick up one piece of plastic and one piece of paper every day, and drop them in dustbins, this place can become the cleanest city in the world in 10 days,” he said.
“Waugh is an inspiration for anybody. The Page 3 brigade is never involved in such projects. He has never been on Page 3. In fact, he has always been on the last page. And how he has come forward to help and inspire,” Patherya said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}