Australian cricket phenomenon, Steve Waugh, a regular in Kolkata (he helps raise funds for Udayan, an organisation for children from leprosy colonies) showed off his skills on a different playing field as he labored with the murky waters of Anandapalli canal in Kaberdanga area of Thakurpukur on 8th May.

Waugh lead a clean-up program organised by Calcutta Foundation and a voluntary group called Calcutta Sparkling. He put all his efforts to work for the cause, which was started at the Dhakuria Lakes a few days earlier. The Anandapalli canal has not been cleaned for years and the water has become murky with effluents from a nearby fish market. It is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes and foul odor from the canal hangs heavy in the air. However that did not stop Waugh as he smiled, took off his sneakers and slipped on a pair of black gumboots and yellow gloves and waded into the water. Waugh took the plunge and did what others had failed or avoided to do, he endured the ghastly sight and smell and strived to clean the mess as spectators simply gaped.

Part of this canal extends through the Missionaries of the Word (a home for children whose mothers are from red-light area).Waugh headed directly to Nalanda Vidya Peeth (a school for the children of the Missionaries of the Word) after the clean up to inaugurate their computer room. On arrival he was greeted by the children of the home. After a quick look around Waugh addressed the children on the importance of computers and education, encouraging them to follow their dreams and become whatever they aspire to be.

In a city where talk is never followed by action, Steve Waugh tried his best to make a difference. His involvement will shake the residents of Kolkata awake and pay attention to the polluted water bodies in the city. "If 10 million residents of Kolkata can pick up one piece of plastic and one piece of paper every day, and drop them in dustbins, this place can become the cleanest city in the world in 10 days," he said.