Murali the philanthropist

As destructive as he is on the field, hurling the ball with untiring menace, off the field Muttiah Muralitharan is a creative force doing good deeds that go well above the call of duty, writes Anand Vasu in the Hindustan Times.

While sportsmen and celebrities of all kind usually turn to philanthropy now and then, it's hard to find someone who has done so much, personally, for a cause. To see for yourself you have to take a 22-kilometre drive from Galle, towards Colombo to the village of Seenigama, one of the worst affected by the 2004 tsunami. Over there you will find the Foundation of Goodness, an organisation that has touched the lives of people from 25 villages.

Also read an interview with Murali about the Foundation of Goodness.

I did an advertising campaign with a cement company, and the deal was that instead of paying me, they would provide cement worth $100,000 because cement was then badly needed.

Richard Dwight, though, feels that Murali missed out on a exemplary gesture at the SSC. Read more in the Daily News.