This couple from land of Maradona teaches locals kids civic sense & teamwork

VARANASI: Wandering on Dasaswamedh and Manikarnika ghats under scorching sun and playing football with local children is the way Yuri and Sheila Goldin, a young Argentinean couple, prefer to spend their honeymoon. The two got married two months ago. While the young couple is on a week-long mission to spend time with local children in Varanasi, it is also teaching the significance of teamwork and instilling a sense of responsibility by making these children play and engage in cleanliness work along the ghats."The children should never stop playing, even when they have grown up, as it brings happy moments in life. By playing and mixing together, the understanding of teamwork also develops and so does a sense of responsibility. It is a small initiative, but can yield long term results, making them responsible citizens in the future. The idea is to engage them in playing, allow the time for sharing their experiences and make them open to change. This is how the change could be brought and the children could play crucial role in bringing about that change," says Yuri, who works in a multi-national bank. The young couple from the land of Diego Maradona, the football icon, has also received the blessings from the great footballer before marching for the six-month global mission to spread happiness. The mission began with countries in South America, including the country like Brazil, where football is played in every household. After covering countries in Latin America, places in South Africa including Johannesburg and Asia like Kathmandu in Nepal and other countries including United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been also covered under the mission.Saying that oddity of the city makes it a fascinating spot to visit, Sheila, wife of Yuri, says an off-season for foreign tourists has been deliberately chosen for the journey because it allows them more leisure time to spend with children. "We know that it is a long summer holidays in India and children also love to take time out of their studies to play. We promote interaction with them, present them some gifts like crayons for painting and then learn the special culture while telling them about ours. It is an interesting experience and we have already come across all the prominent ghats in the city with good support of local children," she added on the occasion.It may be mentioned here that after completing a week-long stay in the city (which incidentally ended on Friday), the young couple from Argentina will move to places like Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi before marching ahead to cover a total of 21 countries in Asia. Football is definitely the linking factor, common in each place, but it is only a part of the mission. The bigger part is the reflection of local culture, promoting interaction and making children responsible citizens who develop good civic sense in future. "We even do not mind to spend time in local houses, learning the art of local food while telling them about ours in exchange. The luxuries and comfort of five-star hotels and air-conditioned rooms are missing from the honeymoon trip, but the satisfaction of spending happy moments with kids is even more than what we can ask for," says Yuri.When Yogendra Awasthi, a local school kid, was asked about the experience, he said football had already earned him good friends as they spent time together while kicking the ball. "The learning has been fun and we have also cleaned the waste and garbage that used to accumulated along the stairs and platforms, making the place untidy," he said.