Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS) Punjabi synth-pop sensation A.P. Dhillon might be shy of the media but definitely not shy about stepping onto the court when it comes to playing basketball.
The singer, who has redefined the landscape of Punjabi music with tracks like ‘Brown Munde’, ‘Excuses’ and ‘Summer High’, put his dribbling skills on exhibition as he engaged in a friendly Basketball with underprivileged children training.
The singer will also be returning to India to perform in the first ever edition of the Lollapalooza festival on January 28 and January 29 at Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai.
The match was a part of the initiative to support the construction of a Basketball court in the singer’s home state in Punjab to further sports development for the underprivileged in the state.
To kickstart this joint initiative, BookASmile organised a friendly Basketball match between AP BookASmile constructed court at one of the BMC Schools in Mumbai where the singer played the game with the kids.
Speaking about the initiative, AP Dhillon said: “For me personally, Basketball has always been my favourite sport to watch and play. It was my dream to one day, become a professional basketball player. Although my life has taken a different path, I have been looking for a way to give back to the community I grew up in, to help provide resources for the next generation to chase their dreams”.
AP Dhillon played the match with the two teams comprising kids under the age of 14 years currently being trained in Basketball. The children have been training in the sport for the past four years across 12 BMC school centres under the NGO, Hi5 Youth Foundation.
Dhillon added: “Today’s Basketball match with these children was extremely fulfilling and gave me a window into how, together BookASmile and I, can create development and growth opportunities for the children of Punjab. I look forward to helping build a basketball court together, in my hometown as the first step towards this mission.”
Speaking about the partnership, Farzana Cama Balpande, Head – BookASmile said: “Furthering sports development through enabling infrastructure building and establishment across states in India is a very critical pillar of the work we do at BookASmile to truly create an impact for young beneficiaries. We will jointly work towards creating an impact in the area of sports development for several young, underprivileged children who love Basketball and can use this opportunity to further growth with equal opportunities.”
On the work front, Dhillon recently launched his new album ‘Two Hearts Never Break The Same’.
–IANS
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