Not Cash Prize! Mumbai Cricket Association Felicitates Wankhede Groundsmen With THESE Unique Gifts (Photo credit: ICC)
The Mumbai Cricket Association has felicitated the groundsmen at the hallowed Wankhede Stadium with a flurry of grocery and household items on the occasion of the venue's 50th anniversary, in a unique and heartfelt gesture towards the figures who have been crucial in maintaining the stadium. The MCA is hosting a week-long celebration for the occasion.
Five kilograms each of wheat, rice and dal, a mixer grinder besides medical and hydration kits, a backpack, a mini kit bag and a waist pouch are some of the household items that the Mumbai Cricket Association gifted the active 178 groundsmen.
The gifts also include tea bags and kettle, towels and napkins, pens and notepads, a bedsheet and pillow, a t-shirt and track pants.
The acknowledgement of the efforts by the groundsmen happens to be one of the many events organised by the association to celebrate the milestone of the Wankhede that houses BCCI's headquarters and the venue where India won the 2011 ODI World Cup.
"We could have given them money but that’s what we do all the time. We give them monetary bonuses for festivals and even when we host games. This time, we wanted to do something different and make their day memorable. We decided to present them with everything that one uses throughout the day," MCA president Ajinkya Naik told The Indian Express.
Honoured at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday were members of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy-winning side of 1974. They had won the finals by seven wickets defeating Karnataka. That bunch of players, including Sunil Gavaskar, Ramnath Parkar and Eknath Solkar, was the first Mumbai side to play at Wankhede.
Former allrounder Karsan Ghavri, Padmakar Shivalkar, Ajit Pai, Milind Rege and Abdul Ismail, players from that title-winning side, were presented Rs 10 lakh each.
"We want every stakeholder to take part in this anniversary year, each one has played a key role and we felt that we need to document our history. So we have planned a grand function on January 19 where the India captains will be felicitated," Naik told The Indian Express.
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