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AN ELECTRIC PERFORMANCE

Compiled/written by Melvin Durai

November 2011

What do you get when you’re a rising hockey player who scores a crucial goal in India’s victory over Pakistan in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy? Well, in Yuvraj Walmiki’s case, you get electricity.

The 21-year-old has lived all his life in a Mumbai shanty without electricity, but after his heroic performance, electricity supplier BEST provided a connection to the home. BEST chairman Sunil Shinde ordered the connection with some urging from Shiv Sena chief Bal Thakeray.

If that wasn’t enough of a reward, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan gave Walmiki a check of Rs.10 lakh and announced that he would be offered a government job as a Class II officer.

"We have no other place to go and cannot afford to buy any house in Mumbai. But we have allowed Yuvraj to play all the hockey he wants. We are happy he has brought such a big honor to the country," Walmiki’s father, Sunil, told reporters.

Meanwhile, Walmiki’s neighbors have stopped calling BEST to request an electricity connection. Instead, they’re handing hockey sticks to their children.

Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.

[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips and more.]

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