We were paid to welcome U-19 heroes'Author: Savie Karnel Date: 05 Jan 2008
80 college kids (who had not even heard of U-19) were hired by event mgt company. Girls paid Rs 1,000 each, boys Rs 200, to cheer returning World Cup winners
Bangalore: Eighty fans who thronged Bangalore airport to welcome India’s U-19 cricket heroes yesterday, were not fans. They were paid to be there. MiD DAY discovered that the girls were paid Rs 1,000 each and the boys Rs 200 to stand and wave the Tricolour and cheer as the team, who routed South Africa, emerged from the airport terminal building.
Mid-Day - Article
In fact, the ‘fans’ did not know the name of a single U-19 cricketer.
The team had arrived in Bangalore yesterday for a felicitation ceremony. Event management company, DNA, had hired the students. Vinay, who was managing the crowd, said, “I work for a firm that supplies people to DNA for their events. We are paying the students to be here,” he said. Arga, a TYBCom student said, “DNA called us and told us to cheer the players. They are paying us Rs 1,000 each.”
Rosy, a ‘fan’, said, “I don’t know any player and I am not interested.” For Sulochana too, this was just a way to earn some pocket money.
Arga added that her group had not been asked to go to the stadium. “It is just an hour’s job. I don’t know anything about the U-19 team. We were told to wait till the team emerged from the airport and then leave,” she said.
Alka, also from Jain College, hoped the players would be “cute”. But she was disappointed when the team made an appearance. “No, they are not cute at all,” she said. The only Bangalorean in the team was Manish Pandey, a TYB Com student in Jain College, but the girls had never heard of him.
Sandesh and Shrikant, from Vijaya College, were angry that boys were being paid just a fifth of what the girls were getting. “I feel cheated,” said Sandesh.
The students used the tricolour to cover their heads as they waited for the U-19 team to arrive.
‘We were paid to welcome U-19 heroes'
not acceptable
