Bengaluru :
Maruthi Nilaya, a modest dwelling in Bagalugunte, an area adjoining bustling Yeshwantpur, was just another house until Monday afternoon. The family of KC Cariappa, living in a first-floor house, was the typical financially struggling but happy foursome. But on Tuesday, there were curious glances and knowing smiles as people flocked to their home.
The search for Cariappa’s house didn’t take long as a child perched on a compound asked, “Cariappa mane huduktaa iddeera?” (Are you looking for Cariappa’s house?). Before waiting for a reply, he pointed towards the house. The skinny kid — like the other residents of the street and the country now — knew who Konganda Charamanna Cariappa is.
Life has taken a dramatic turn for the spinner, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a jaw-dropping Rs 2.4 crore — 24 times his base price. The family can’t believe it. After a tiring overnight bus journey from Shivamogga, where he played a league match, Cariappa sat down to watch the IPL auctions with his family.
When KKR first put the paddle up, he admitted, he clapped for himself. Every member of the close-knit family had tears of joy.
Prathima, Cariappa’s mother and a housewife, summed up the scene: “The auction apart, just to hear his name being called out was enough to make me cry. When the bidding was over, it felt unreal that he had commanded a price like that. It still feels like a dream, one which we hope will never end.”
In less than three minutes, the youngster, named after Field Marshal General K M Cariappa, went from a budding cricketer to a crorepati.
“We stay in a rented house for which we pay Rs 5,000 a month. We have lived here for 12 years and haven’t had enough resources to repair it. I first want to buy a house for my family. I want to give the rest of the money to my parents,” the 20-year-old told TOI.
Will he gift himself a mean machine? “No. I am not interested in bikes and cars. I spent all my time working towards my dream of making it big as a cricketer, so I had no time to dream about fancy vehicles. For me, it is just a mode of commuting. Until a year ago, when I bought a gearless two-wheeler, I travelled by bus,” said Cariappa, who has been mentored by former Ranji player Sudhindra Shinde.
Coming from a youngster who has just won a ticket to the glitzy world of IPL, the statement may seem shocking; but given his hard life, he knows the value of every penny earned. For Rs 10 per day is the pocket money he and his older brother, Nanaiah, receive.
“It was all we can afford, and our children know that. Cariappa would leave home at 4.30, change two buses and walk from Shivajinagar to reach Chinnaswamy Stadium by 6am. But he never complained. Both our children know hard pressed we are for money,” Pratima confided.
Four years ago, when Cariappa made it clear cricket was his true passion, his father, a Charmanna, a supervisor at Kodava Samaja, could not afford the Rs 6,500 that was required to enroll him in a coaching camp and buy a cricket kit. But the doting father from Virajpet dug into his meagre savings and borrowed from friends to ensure his son had the basics.
“When he first said he didn’t want to study, I was very worried because I know the importance of education. People around me asked me to discourage him and said talent alone would not get him anywhere. We needed political influence and money to see him go the distance. I didn’t have either. But he was adamant, and said the pads were his books, the bat his pen, and he would script his life’s path with a ball in hand,” Charmanna said.
Elaborating on his son’s struggle, the man who earns a little over Rs 20,000 a month said: “I often give Cariappa Rs 100 for fuel. After filling petrol, he has little money left. Although I rarely show emotions at home, I sit at work and worry if my son has eaten or how he will manage if his vehicle breaks down. My face brightened after the auction.”
Cariappa, for his part, has realigned his priorities. While his pre-Monday ambition was to play for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy, he now wants to play for Team India.
For a youngster who has dared to dream, it surely is no lofty ambition.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru> Namma Metro / TNN / February 18th, 2015
