Clean bowled

Legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev was in Dubai recently with his charity Khushii,

Urging its residents to come to Madinat on November 28 with 'a soft heart and an open wallet.'

City Times gets on the pitch with the all-rounder

INDIAN CRICKET LEGEND Kapil Dev is the chairman of Khushii, and one of its co-founders.

In his career, the all-rounder captained India to World Cup glory in 1983 - this remains the country’s sole trophy in the competition. He is also the only cricketer to ever reach both 4,000 runs and 400 wickets in test cricket, and was named ‘Indian Cricketer of the Century’ in 2002.

Today, Kapil lives in New Delhi and fills his time involved with philanthropic efforts. He has urged the people of Dubai to come to the Madinat on November 28 with “a soft heart and an open wallet” to ensure as much money as possible is raised for good causes. He spoke to City Times about the upcoming art auction.

How did Khushii initially begin in 2003?

I was sitting with six of my friends in a golf course and we just said we should do something like this. It took us three months to set up the charity and out of the seven people, four are here at this event today. Our art auctions last year were very successful in Delhi and Bombay. We thought ‘where else could we go for next auction’? We can launch a big international chapter here in Dubai.

Why is Khushii so close to your heart?

I personally think that when I was growing up, a lot of people helped me. I had a privileged childhood, and I wouldn’t have reached this stage if people hadn’t helped me along. It’s important to remember that. You need the blessing of your seniors, a place to play - a lot of things.

Why do you feel education is so important in people’s lives?

It’s crucial. Everyone should be educated, at least to the stage where they can look after themselves. A lot of people still need help, and that’s what we’re working on. India is an education-based country and people want to become doctors, engineers and scientists. It’s all about empowerment, basically - that’s what we’re looking for.

Is there a political slant behind Khushii?

No, we don’t even go close to the political side. If you want to do something good, you don’t have to take a political route. Just do it and feel it - figure out what more you can do. You should be happy to do it.

How do you feel about the support Khaleej Times has given to your charity?