When we look back at the journey of professional cricketer Rinku Singh, it makes us believe that hard work can do wonders and change one’s life 360 degrees.
From almost being a sweeper to rising from the ashes and being a star player of Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL team ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’, the story of this phoenix will go down in history.
He also became a household name when he hit five consecutive sixes in the last over to make his team victorious.
And since the left-hand batter has seen the worst in life, he knows what poverty is and how difficult it is to realize your dream when you don’t have proper facilities and opportunities.
Hence, when KKR got him on board for a reported sum of Rs. 80 lakhs in 2018, the cricketer decided to donate a sum of Rs 50 lakhs to build a hostel in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, for those underprivileged budding cricketers who aspire to make it big, just like him, but don’t get proper exposure or training due to financial constraints, reported The New Indian Express.
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As of now, the hostel is under construction and will become operational next month. Talking about Rinku and his childhood dream of building a hostel, Masooduz-Zafar Amini, Rinku’s childhood coach from Aligarh, told The New Indian Express:
“He always wanted to build a hostel for young players, who do not have financial resources to pursue their dreams. As he is financially sound now, he has decided to make it a reality.”
Rinku coached under Amini who now runs the Aligarh Cricket School and Academy on the land owned by the district association. This is where the hostel is being constructed.
“The work started around three months ago with Rinku watching the progress from close quarters before heading to join his team. The hostel will have 14 rooms and each one can accommodate four trainees. A shed and a pavilion are also being constructed. Separate toilets are also being constructed. These trainees can have food at the canteen being run at the place. It will cost around Rs 50 lakh and the whole expenditure is being borne by Rinku,” shared the revealed.
Rinku’s eldest brother, Sonu, is glad that he worked hard to pull his family out of poverty and is making his dream come true.
“We delivered gas cylinders together when our father was not able to do that but we always wanted him to focus on cricket. The sacrifices we made bore fruits as he not only pulled us out of poverty but also decided to build a hostel for poor cricketers.”
After reaching such heights, not everyone has the foresight and willingness to do something for others. But Rinku resonates with the feeling of these underprivileged sportspersons and is doing something for them. Kudos to him!