Young cricketers play messiah to Jammu migrants

The team has used money from their club account to help improve the conditions in the migrant camp set up in the local high school. ‘‘We had some money in our club’s account. We decided to spend this in helping migrants by providing them food,’’ says Balraj Maandi, member of the Young Cricket Club, Deoli.

After the club account was exhausted, the team collected more money and bought food supplies, which they distributed among the kids in the camp. ‘‘They’ve come as farishtas (angels) for us,’’ says Reshma Devi, a migrant from Jabbobal.

For the team members, however, it is a simple case of helping out. ‘‘We saw our own people suffering from various problems as the administration takes time to take action. We decided to help these people. This was more enjoyable than cricket,’’ says Ravi Kumar, a team member.

The cricketers have now decided to collect more money in the form of donations. ‘‘Everybody will come forward to donate,’’ says Subhash, a local shopkeeper. The Deoli cricketers are not alone. Various organisations have come forward to help the migrants.