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Messi’s plastic shirt boy now homeless in Afghanistan
Kabul, Dec 4 (IANS) An Afghan boy who shot to fame for wearing a plastic shirt with soccer legend Lionel Messi’s name and number and eventually meeting his icon in person is now homeless after being displaced by a Taliban offensive.
Murtaza Ahmadi became a global sensation overnight in 2016 when a photograph of him wearing the blue and white striped plastic bag jersey, with “Messi 10” written on the back, went viral.
The seven-year-old lived with his family in the Jaghori district of the Ghazni Province, considered safe during most of the 17-year-long Afghan conflict.
But the relative calm was broken in early November when the Taliban attacked the area, forcing more than two-thirds of the population to flee.
“I miss our house in Jaghori. Here I don’t have a ball. I can’t play football or go outside,” Ahmadi told Efe news on Tuesday in Kabul, where his family has been living for the past two weeks.
The boy, in a message for the Barcelona legend, said: “Take me with you. I can’t play football here (in Afghanistan). There’s just daz-dooz (the sound of explosions and gunshots) here.”
Ahmadi lives with his parents and four siblings in a small room of a rented house, which they share with a neighbour, on a hillside west of Kabul, after having stayed in the neighbouring Bamyan Province for some time.
His eyes welled up when he was asked about the two jerseys and a football, which Messi had signed and gifted to him in Qatar in 2016.
“We left them behind in Jaghori. We could not bring them, because we left the house in the dark of the night and (my) mother told me to leave the ball and shirts at home,” he said.
Afghan security forces have driven out the rebels from the area, but the family has decided not to return home.
Even before the Taliban offensive, the family had been receiving continuous threats on phone due to their son’s sudden fame, his elder brother Humayoon Ahmadi, 17, told the news agency.
“After Murtaza met Messi in Qatar and returned home, life became difficult for us. We were living in fear because the people around us thought Messi had given us lots of money,” the boy’s brother said.
“Unknown people were lurking around our house at night. Because of these things and fearing his kidnapping, we almost locked Murtaza at home and did not send him to school for the past two years.”
The family had fled to Pakistan in May 2016, hoping to get asylum in the US. However, their asylum request was rejected and they were forced to return to the village, only to be displaced again.
An estimated 300,000 Afghans have been displaced this year alone and forced to live in difficult conditions, depending on aid from government and NGOs for their survival.
Two years after meeting his icon, Ahmadi has not forgotten a promise that Messi made to him in Qatar.
“Messi told me ‘once you get a little older, I will fix things for you’,” the boy said, adding that his icon had not called him since.
The seven-year-old boy’s mother Shafiqa told Efe that “whenever he hears a boom or the sound of a gunshot, he runs and hides under my chadar (shawl)”.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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