Ten-year-old Aaryaveer (Veer) Tangri remembers the moment when what he knew about sport changed.
On a trip to India in 2020, he noticed the kids around him playing his favourite game cricket, albeit with broken bats and worn shoes. Veer Tangri
“It made me sad because they had talent, but they didn’t have the same equipment,” he recalls. “I felt it’s a bit unfair to them because they can’t do anything about it. Every kid should be able to play with the same privileges and the same fairness, no matter where they are or how much money they have.”
Instead of simply filing this away as a life lesson, Veer was determined to take action – an ambition that blossomed into his very own charity, Golden Wickets.
“I asked my parents can you give them my old cricket stuff? And then I thought, what if we collect other kids’ gear as well, it would become bigger – that’s how Golden Wickets got started,” he remembers.
These days, Golden Wickets collects all sorts of sporting equipment – anything from soccer balls to boxing gloves – giving them a second life with underprivileged youth in Australia and India.
As the name of his charity suggests, Veer hopes to stand behind the less fortunate peers he helps.
“Wickets are basically the thing behind you when you’re batting – and they’re golden so that [means] the kids that we’re helping feel special,” he explains about the name Golden Wickets.
Past donation drives have involved visiting Asylum Seekers to play sports, cooking meals for the homeless and collaborating with Indian NGOs. Veer Tangri
Last year, he collected 100 football boots for a club in Haryana, sourcing them from boys at his school – and personally hand-cleaning each pair. The bag they carried to India was so full, it ripped!
Veer’s mother Richa still remembers the grateful words of the boys who received the boots.
“Veer means ‘strong’ – they said ‘Aap ka naam bhi Veer, aur aap ka kaam bhi veer.’ [You are Veer by name and be deed],” Richa says.
He also shared his ninth birthday with children from the slums of Delhi, enjoying samosas, cake and games of cricket and badminton together.
“I wanted to celebrate with them because they probably don’t celebrate their birthday with a party; we can make them feel special on this occasion,” Veer says of the idea. “There were lots of smiles. Everyone was really enjoying it, especially how we had lots of food, because they don’t often get fresh food and water.”
Of course, this kind of compassionate problem solving isn’t unusual for Veer, according to Richa. An avid fan of Rubik’s cubes, maths, and chess, she says her son is a precocious talent with a heart of gold.
“I saw [this in] him growing up – if he has a chocolate and somebody else wants it, he’s just going to give it to them. He would not even think twice,” Richa enthuses.
Some people are simply wired to want others to be happy, she says, and Veer has that quality in abundance. “His mind never shuts down – he’s always wanting to do something. He’s a pleasure to have.” Veer Tangri
Of course, Veer’s greatest passion is cricket, and when he’s not playing advanced matches or walking his dog Bails (named after the sticks used to form wickets), he’s poring over the gameplay of his heroes Kohli and Tendulkar.
When a birthday party invite once clashed with a cricket game, his choice was clear. “I said to my dad, “You tell me, do I want to go for the game, or do I want to go to the party?’ Everyone knows I’m a big cricket fan!”
Juggling a registered charity with school and sporting commitments is not an easy balance, however.
“Sometimes I have to pick something over the other,” says Veer. “I have to plan my time really well, school comes first. My parents help a lot [with Golden Wickets] as well so I can find time, and I do most of my donation drives in the school holidays or the weekends.”
His astuteness and kindness have garnered attention from the NSW Legislative Council Hansard, where MP for Hornsby James Wallace officially recognised him, and from his school King’s in Parramatta, where he received the headmaster’s award.
“I couldn’t believe it. I felt a bit nervous,” Veer says of his parliamentary debut. “I don’t do Golden Wickets for awards. I just do it to make underprivileged kids feel happy.”
Equally, he’s an inspiration to his peers, who have wanted to volunteer with Veer or start their own charities.
“If you want to start a charity, start small and gradually get bigger. You can change someone’s day with just a cricket bat or soccer ball,” Veer advises.
He says running Golden Wickets has taught him to appreciate small acts of kindness.
“I think I have learnt how to be caring towards other people, and how many people are underprivileged – I thought it would only be a handful of people in Australia and India. But there are even more people with a passion for sport,” Veer reflects.
“It’s not just the cricket bat [we give them]. They feel better because they know you are helping them without them doing anything [in return]; they feel special and cared for, and like people are thinking of them.”
To read more about Veer’s work click here.
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