Sachin Tendulkar and Novak Djokovic have stepped forward to do their bit in the fight against coronavirus.
Tendulkar on Friday donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The iconic batsman also took to Twitter to urge fellow countrymen to not ostracize any fellow citizen who might have contracted the virus.
“As a society, it is our responsibility that those among us who have tested positive for Covid-19 get our love and we don’t make them feel ashamed,” Tendulkar said in a video on his Twitter page. “Maintain social distancing but don’t alienate them from the society. We can win this war against coronavirus if we support each other,” he added.
Among other prominent cricketers, the Pathan brothers — Irfan and Yusuf — donated 4000 face masks to Baroda police and health department while Mahendra Singh Dhoni, through a Pune-based NGO, made a contribution of Rs 1 lakh.
Among Indian athletes from other disciplines, wrestler Bajrang Punia and sprinter Hima Das are some of the prominent names to have donated their salaries.
Tennis world No.1 Djokovic pledged one million euros ($1.10 million) to help buy ventilators and other medical equipment in his native Serbia on Friday.
Rafael Nadal had called on Spanish athletes to help raise 11 million euros ($12.13 million) to help fight the pandemic while Roger Federer contributed one million Swiss Francs ($1.04 million) to vulnerable families in his native Switzerland.
Shukla’s donation
Former India cricketer and Bengal captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who is currently the minister of state sports and youth affairs in the Bengal government, has donated his three months’ MLA salary along with his BCCI pension for the same period to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the state. “It is the need of the hour that we all contribute to the best of our abilities,” Shukla said.
