Indian captain Saurav Ganguly hosted a dinner for poor and underprivileged children taken care of by several NGOs at his house last week. The NGOs had come to receive a donation from Ganguly’s wife Dona.Dona Ganguly, an Odissi exponent who runs a school for dance and music Dikshamanjari, saved about Rs 4 lakh from the money she got from sponsors to organise a cultural function early this year. The function was held to mark the formal inauguration of her school. The ceremony was attended by music legend Lata Mangeshkar, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Saurav among others.At his South Kolkata residence, Saurav spent time with the children, apart from giving autographs and posing for photographs. ‘‘It’s like a dream for me,’’ exulted a young boy who got both an autograph and a pat on his back. ‘‘He is always there for children. In fact, whenever there’s a good cause, Saurav comes forward and lends a helping hand,’’ she added.Saurav also took part in a programme Saurav Sandhya, where five poor sportspersons were felicitated. There, he said, ‘‘I am ready to stand by young, needy sportspersons.’’ Last year, Saurav had auctioned his gear to raise funds for treatment of a Siliguri boy who suffered from a life-threatening disease.
