Simran Shaikh stays in a tiny 12 by 12 feet room along with her grandmother, parents and siblings.
On Sunday, her life changed perhaps forever when she became the most expensive hire at the Women's Premier League auction.
Azad Nagar in Dharavi, which is considered to be India's largest slum, woke up to a new reality and new fame on Monday.
The residents of Azad Nagar wondered why hordes of journalists, videographers and photographers had suddenly turned up in their locality.
Pointing to my colleague Videographer Afsar Dayatar, one passerby asks, "What brings you folks to this area?"
"Simran Shaikh," I reply.
The name doesn't resonate with him and he looks puzzled still.
"Cricketer Simran Shaikh," I add.
"News nahi dekhta kya bey?," another Azad Nagar resident butts in Mumbaiese, tapping the first gentleman on the head.
"Apni Simran got Rs 1.90 crore in the IPL women's auction yesterday," Passerby 2, says, adding, "Woh moti (That fat girl)."
By this time enlightenment has dawned on Passerby 1. "Abey woh bachpan mein hogi (She was fat in her childhood). Right now, she is a shining cricket star."
On Sunday, December 15, 2024, Simran was signed on by the Gujarat Giants for Rs 1.90 crore (Rs 19 million) at the Women's Premier League auction in Bengaluru. The most expensive buy at the auction.
Since then the dingy lanes of Azad Nagar have come alive with jubilation and anticipation.
Many residents are unable to come to terms with the fact that such a huge sum of money can be made by a girl who grew up playing cricket as a child in their gullys.
A girl who stays in a tiny 12 by 12 feet room with her grandmother, parents and siblings.
In an adjacent room lives her grandfather Tayab Ali who arrived in Bombay from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh in 1965 and did odd jobs all his life to survive.
"We were very poor. Many times we skipped meals because of lack of money," recalls Zahid Ali Shaikh, Simran's father, of the hard times he faced while growing up.
"It was only because of poverty that I could never become a cricketer. I am happy what I could not achieve has been achieved by my daughter."
Zahid was a bowler in his youth. In the 1990s his fame spread far and wide in suburban Mumbai and he was frequently summoned to play for different teams.
But he always regretted that he never got to play cricket with a cricket ball because of lack of funds. All the fame he accumulated was as a tennis ball bowler.
"I never saw a better bowler than him in my life," says his friend Afzal Khan.
Burdened with family responsibility Zahid began concentrating on his job of electrician and abandoned his passion for cricket.
"I never expected Simran will get this kind of money," says her father, still recovering from the happy memory. "The maximum I expected her to get was Rs 20 lakh. This moment feels like a dream."
Simran is Zahid's third daughter and always played cricket with the boys in the area for which she was often taunted.
Her talent was first spotted by her teacher Pushpa at the R C Mahim school.
"It was Pushpa Madam who told us that Simran had a great future as a cricketer because she was very weak in studies," Simran's mother Akhtari Banoo tells me. "She told us her attention was all the time on sports and she had all the qualities to become a great sportsperson."
"Another two names without whom Simran would never achieve these great heights are Sanjay Gaitonde sahib and Sangeeta Madam who works with the Mumbai police," Zahid adds.
"Please mention all these names in your article," Akhtari Bano instructs me. "They made Simran what she is today."
"I must also convey my thanks to many others like that sports shop owner in south Mumbai who saw I was falling short of Rs 1,500 to buy a cricket kit for Simran but he did not hesitate to give me a discount that day to buy the cricket kit," says Zahid.
Recalling the difficult times Simran faced while growing up, her father says, "Every day she got up at 4 am. My duty was to give her a glass of milk with almonds before she left for practice. She was very particular about her diet to be a fit cricketer."
Asked what the family is planning to do with the money, Zahid says, "We will buy a bigger house for sure. We need more space for the family."
"Simran is training me to become a cricketer," pipes up her 16-year-old brother Aquib Shaikh. "I want to be a fast bowler and she is giving me tips to become one. I only hope to reach where she has reached."
The family awaits Simran who is expected to be home on Wednesday from Ahmedabad where she is playing a match.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
