Ricky Martin awakens Kolkatans with 'Sabera'

For thousands of Ricky Martin fans in Kolkata, it's been a Catch 22 situation. The Latin megastar has been so near, yet so far.

Ricky Martin trooped down to this city in his private plane along with a Spanish pop star on a charity mission and has been moving around incognito ever since, eluding his fans. Even when the city went through a 12-hour general strike called by an opposition party in West Bengal, the pop star was stated to have taken rounds witnessing the city that was largely paralysed through out the day.

For a city like Kolkata, the arrival of the star was completely unexpected. But his tour plan was stated to have been finalised more than a month ago and a city hotel intimated accordingly. Auto-graph hunters, mostly teens have been on the prowl since the news of his arrival broke yesterday but the hotel front desk and a posse of security personnel have successfully warded off unwarranted queries.

Yesterday was the only occasion when the megastar got exposed to a couple of paparazzi who lay in ambush near a shelter home for destitute girls, set up by Sabera Foundation, an NGO in the southern outskirts of the city where Ricky turned up along with his team mates to shoot for a documentary.

Initially, it was running smooth with Ricky playing football with young members of a local club. The game lasted about four minutes, time enough for an exclusive photographer with Ricky Martin's team to photograph some still shots that is reportedly to be used by a London-based magazine.

The next action involved Ricky Martin dancing with a group of kids sponsored by Sabera Foundation. But this was the time when the hidden camera lenses were spotted and the performance was stopped abruptly. Talking for a brief moment, Ricky said that he was glad to do something for the destitute girls of Kolkata and would love to do more if it helped improve their lot.

It could be gathered from reliable sources that Ricky's shooting will be part of a documentary that is likely to be introduced worldwide at a gala dinner to be co-hosted by Penelope Cruz, President of Sabera Foundation, U.S., Melanie Griffith, both Hollywood stars and Esther Canadas, a top Spanish model who is also deeply involved with the charity's Kolkata operations.

The dinner is likely to be held in October in 2002 in New York through which the Sabera Foundation plans to raise $2 million. The fund is to be utilised for further growth of the Foundation. The Sabera Foundation's inception is traced back to 1999 when, Ignacio Cano, better known as Nacho Cano to his Spanish fans, stumbled upon Sabera Khatun, a poor girl who was searching for food in a rubbish dump in Kolkata. Nacho was then filing for a documentary for another charity set up by him in Madrid called El Compromiso.

The discovery moved and inspired Nacho Cano to set up the Sabera Foundation – after the girl, who is now working towards betterment of the lot of destitute girls in Kolkata. The Foundation says that many girls are abandoned by the their parents out of poverty on Kolkata street's who later turn into prostitutes, many widows are abandoned by their families and wives by their husband.

The Foundation runs safe shelters, dispensary clinics, weaving cooperatives and self-employment programme in Kolkata.