An oscar in football

Ashok Rathod's foundation uses the sport to help slum children focus on education and stay away from addictions

An oscar in football

Ashok Rathod's foundation uses the sport to help slum children focus on education and stay away from addictions

Even as the shutting down of National Football League clubs like Mahindra United (May 2010), and more recently JCT Phagwara (June 2011) stunned the Indian football fraternity, for a small set of kids from Colaba's slums the grass is still quite green.

Thanks to 23-year-old Ashok Rathod, who runs the Oscar Foundation (a trust registered in November 2010 under the Bombay Public Trust Act), over 150 kids from the Ambedkar Nagar slums in Colaba can follow their heart and dream of playing football.

Rathod, who was associated with Magicbus, a non-governmental organisation that works for the betterment of underprivileged children, from 2006-2009 began OF as an 18-year-old with a single football and 18 slum kids around 2006. Besides being a fun and informal football session for the kids,u00a0OF also fields a serious football team that currently plays in Division III of the Mumbai District Football Association.

The son of a small-time fish dealer, Ashok was inspired to do something for under-privileged kids after seeing his school mates at the nearby CM Secondary School, give up studies at an early age for drugs. Naturally, money was not easy for him too.

"Initially, my dad did not support my idea of social service, but after I won the CNN-IBN Real Heroes Award (in 2009, receiving a cash-prize of Rs 3.45 lakh) my parents understood the value of my work," Ashok told MiD DAY at his small 12x12 sq ft office in the same Colaba slum yesterday.

"With that money I've rented a place here and bought a computer on which I show videos of football legends on Youtube.com to kids to inspire them" he explained.

Amazingly, the kids are doing well academically too. "Only four kids (from 150) have failed this year," proclaimed Ashok, who has enrolled into a distance learning program with Mumbai University and plans to appear for his third-year BCom examinations this year to set an example to the kids.

Recognising his social contibution, the Albion Alliance against AIDSu00a0-- an international football outreach programme ufffd will be hosting him abroad for a seminar later this year.

"I will be traveling to London and Japan to be part of various initiatives that use sport to tackle social issues," said Ashok, who will be a guest speaker at the MaD@Social Enterprise Summit in Hong Kong this November.