Sachin comes to aid of a school in West Bengal tribal village

Sachin Tendulkar, a Member of Parliament, agreed to release Rs 76, 21, 050 for the Gobindapur Makrampur Swarnamoyee Sasmal Siksha Niketan school, located about 140 kilometres southwest of Kolkata in Midnapore (West) district.

Published : Jun 14, 2016 15:17 IST , Kolkata

Sachin Tendulkar, a member of parliament, has been criticised for his rare appearances in the Upper House
Sachin Tendulkar, a member of parliament, has been criticised for his rare appearances in the Upper House
lightbox-info

Sachin Tendulkar, a member of parliament, has been criticised for his rare appearances in the Upper House

Sachin Tendulkar has promised to sponsor the reconstruction of a 51-year-old neglected school in a tribal village in West Bengal through his Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund.

Tendulkar, a member of parliament, agreed to release Rs 76, 21, 050 for the Gobindapur Makrampur Swarnamoyee Sasmal Siksha Niketan school, located on NH-6 under Narayangadh police station about 140 kilometres southwest of Kolkata in Midnapore (West) district.

It was nothing but a “miracle” for headmaster Uttam Kumar Mohanty who was left “frustrated and endured sleepless nights after making door to door” pleas to the local MPs and MLAs for financial assistance to the school which was on the verge of collapse.

Ten years after his struggle, he wrote to Tendulkar in 2013. The iconic cricketer, then, was a year into his new profile and was being criticised for his rare appearances in the Upper House. Mohanty searched the internet for Tendulkar’s official email address and he finally wrote to him on March 13, 2013, requesting for assistance for the school building.

“I had little hope after being ignored by Suryakanta Mishra (a five-time MLA) and Prabodh Panda (who was in the House from 2001-14). It was out of sheer frustration,” Mohanty told PTI from his residence in Kharagpur.

After a year, on August 7, 2014, Tendulkar replied, assuring him of all the assistance for the school with more than 1000 students.

Mohanty sought help of civil engineers and the rough estimate was Rs 76,21,050.

“But he agreed readily,” Mohanty said, “Everyone was astonished and could not believe their eyes, even the ones who criticised me all these years. I cannot express in words how much happy I was... It was like God-sent. Everyone at the school will remain indebted to Tendulkar forever. It was so overwhelming.”

In due course, Tendulkar’s office got in touch with Mohanty over phone and credited the amount to the local DC.

“The greatest thing for me is his humility. This nondescript village will not be known to him and many others but he was convinced and came forward seeing just my letter and the supportive documents,” he said.

Construction is in full swing and the building has a plaque which duly acknowledges the contribution of “Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, honorable MP Rajya Sabha. FY 2015-16.”

“After the school is complete, I will go to Mumbai to invite him for the inauguration — it’s like another dream, but everyone here are desperate to see the God-like icon,” Mohanty says.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment