A day after Hindustan Times highlighted the plight of a Jharkhand tribal prodigy's inability to make it to an international ringball championship in South Africa due to lack of funds, offers of monetary help poured in for the boy from various parts of India and abroad.
HT received several mails and calls from philanthropists, engineers, sports journalists and a diplomat offering financial support to youngster Jeetendra Oraon.
By Monday forenoon, he got richer by Rs 50,000 as officials of a Jharkhand-based NGO, Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra (KGVK) invited Oraon and and presented him with the cheques.
Oraon, 17, a class 11 student of the Navodaya Vidyalaya in Gumla, has done Jharkhand proud by being selected for the First Junior World Ringball Championship to be held in Pretoria from December 2 to 9.
Confirming his selection for the conditioning camp to be held in Ranchi from where the team would be sent to South Africa, the Ringball Federation of India (RFI) sent Oraon a letter stating he would have to arrange for his airfare and visa fees.
The son of a cook and the third of seven siblings, Oraon was disheartened because his family couldn't arrange the money for him.
{{/usCountry}}The son of a cook and the third of seven siblings, Oraon was disheartened because his family couldn't arrange the money for him.
{{/usCountry}}Accompanied by his panchayat head, Hari Oraon, the youngster then travelled to Ranchi and ran from pillar to post for two days seeking monetary help, but in vain. Eventually, he landed at the HT office.
On Monday, many of HT's valued readers responded to the report on Oraon's plight.
"I would like to help this boy and see if I can get more help for him," wrote Srinath Acharya from Sydney, seeking the teen's bank account details to transfer some money.
Gurbachan Singh, an attaché with the Indian Embassy in Slovenia, wrote, "I am trying to have a friend of mine from Jharkhand have some money delivered to him."