A group of children from underprivileged families who took part in a rugby tournament in Monaco last month were greeted by Princess Charlene, the princess of the principality, who invited them to be there again next year.
They came back with a trophy, too.
The group of 12 boys from Future Hope went to Monaco, in western Europe, in April for more than a week to participate in a rugby tournament that had participants from several nations.
“You should come back again next year,” one of the team’s coaches quoted Princess Charlene of Monaco as telling the boys.
The boys were delighted with the royal invitation.
They came back not just with a bagful of experiences from the Sainte Devote Rugby Tournament but also a Fair Play trophy and the experience of meeting a princess. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene were both present at the inauguration of the tournament.
“We met the princess a few times. Once during the inauguration, again at a swimming event and a third time during the award ceremony at the end of the tournament,” said Pratap Kundu, manager-cum-coach of the team.
“During the inauguration, the boys shook hands with her. We saw Prince Albert II, too, but from a distance,” he said.
Another coach said at the award ceremony, Princess Charlene invited them to visit Monaco next year.
After the first couple of matches, the boys had shed their apprehensions and inhibitions. “When we first stepped into the stadium to play, we felt a little lost and intimidated. But gradually, when we started playing, that went away,” said the captain, Ashish Teli.
The spectators at Stad Louis II were cheering for them, which upped the confidence of the boys.
“Some of the players from Italy thought we were too small for them. But we won the match against them,” said team member Sandeep Mondal.
For all the 10- and 11-year-olds, who fight difficult circumstances every day, the tournament involved many firsts. None of them had boarded a plane before, let alone flown to a foreign country. They also walked down the French Riveria, along the Mediterranean.
“It was the first time that I saw the sea. The water was blue and clean,” said Ashish.
Monaco is a preferred holiday destination for the world’s rich and famous and of course, known for the Formula One Grand Prix.
While the boys were awed by the experience, they did not forget how to conduct themselves over the 10 days.
The Fair Play trophy was for their discipline and conduct inside and outside the stadium.
“The South African coach told me that our boys should teach discipline to the other boys,” said Kundu.
In the dining room, unlike other teams, the Future Hope boys cleared their plates after dinner, he said.
“The boys trained hard to be able to play in an international tournament. They were incredibly well-behaved. These 11-year-olds went to the other side of the world on a flight, to different circumstances, where they ate food they had never seen... they were outside their comfort zone but they did not complain. They were happy,” said mentor Paul Walsh.
The boys are from Khelo Rugby, a sports development project that is part of the NGO Future Hope.
Sujata Sen, the CEO ofFuture Hope, said that this was an experience of a lifetime for the boys.
“If you have an experience in your childhood it stays with you throughout your life. In a way, it will influence their thinking, it exposed them to things they had never seen before, they interacted with people from different nations and learned about their cultures,” said Sen.