Ravichandran Ashwin sent down his deliveries in a quiet corner of Ramakrishna Mission School playground on Friday.
The young boys bowling with the India off-spinner or facing him in the nets had joy in their eyes. These were children with dyslexia, coping with difficulties in reading fluently and accurate comprehension.
After a vibrant session, Ashwin said, “They are kids with special ability. They can be brilliant with some other attributes. We have to give them the confidence.”
Ashwin is the brand ambassador of Madras Dyslexia Association, a non-profit organisation established to provide remedies to afflicted children. The association has been run here for the past 20 years by D. Chandrasekhar.
Ashwin manages the grounds at Ramakrishna Mission School and whenever in the city, catches up with the children.
“These kids are often bullied at school by peer groups, their parents do not always understand their problems, and they can so easily slip into depression. We have to spread awareness about them in the community,” said Ashwin.
He manages two lower division teams in the TNCA league. “We have to give these children hope, get them out of their mental suffering. Many of the boys with dyslexia play in my teams. And they have been doing extremely well,” he said.
Former Tamil Nadu cricketer Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan assists Ashwin in his endeavour.
