Budding players on a high

Pradip and Anirvaan play football and were among the 30-odd children dribbling and passing on the AstroTurf terrace of an AJC Bose Road highrise on Sunday. But the similarities end there. Anirvaan is a Class VI student of La Martiniere for Boys, while Pradip’s father – a driver by profession – has deserted the family, which is now run by his 18-year-old elder brother. Sixty children from eight NGOs took part in the five-a-side Kolkata Gives Bengal Tigers Inter-NGO Football Tournament over the past month. CSP Challengers, the team fielded by Calcutta Social Project (CSP) of which Pradip is a member, lifted the trophy, beating Pari Warriors representing Parivar. The organisers of the tournament said they would host a football tournament for girls after the summer vacation with both NGOs and such schools as Modern High School for Girls and La Martiniere for Girls taking part.