As the Mumbai Indians (MI) played its last game of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai turned into a sea of blue, with 20,000 children from all parts of Maharashtra coming to watch the team’s game.
Many of these children were visually impaired and specially-abled, but came to watch the annual Education and Sports for All (ESA) game that was hosted by MI in partnership with Reliance Foundation.ย
Speaking about this, Reliance Foundation Chairperson and Founder Nita Ambani said, “First, I must say, look at the joy. The excitement here is so wonderful toย experience. It is a very cherished day for all of us at Mumbai Indians. We started ESA by Reliance Foundation 16 years ago and inclusion has always been a part of our ethos.”
“I was visiting the National Association for the Blind. I have been working with those children for the last twenty years. This was just before the IPL season, and the children told me, โNita Maโam, can we please come for the MI match? We have never been to a stadium before and want to feel the excitement of a live match.โ So here they are today. Hundred of them. I hope they go back with cherished memories,” she added.
‘Our goal for India is a shared dream’
“We have reached over 29 million children across 28 states of India through our sport and education initiatives. We work with children from the age of five all the way to the global stage, we provide coaching, sports science, and practice facilities. We have high performance centres not just in cricket, but across athletics, football, and many other sports. Our goal for India is a shared dream that all of us have, is to one day bring the Olympic Games to our country. It is the dream of a billion Indians,” she further said.ย
Children from around 40 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) spread across Maharashtra came to watch the ESA game. Out of them, 200 were specially-abled children and 100 were visual impaired kids.ย
These children were brought to the stadium via over 550 BEST buses, and with support from over 2,400 volunteers from NGOs, Reliance and Dhirubhai Ambani International School, over 100 medical personnel. The Mumbai Police had also deployed 550 traffic officers and 450 police officers to ensure smooth operations throughout the day.