CRICKETER’S POPULARITY SHOULD NOT BE SOLD-ARJUNA

“We were not people with  a lot of money, Still we did not surrender our popularity for advertisements”

Former Skipper of our World Cup winning team Arjuna Ranatunga quips:

These days in the electronic media in Sri Lanka how a popular cricketer and his wife are deployed by a multinational company to publish a ‘myth’ about adverting a particular brand of milk powder which is supposed to contain the ideal content of ‘Calcium’ for strengthening one’s bones. This story related and discussed in the state Rupavahini television discussion they have had with Consultant Physician in Community Medicine Dr SUSIE PERERA was published in the Gossiplankanews.com web site a few days back with the Rupavahini video.

When this story was read by many in the web site the main topic spoken was about what the World cup winning Captain Arjuna Ranatunga had to say on this matter that he had never capitalised to surrender his popularity for commercial advertisements for financial gain. He had quipped..........

“My Father and Mother had clearly explained to me what is good and bad. When I appeared for my first Test match I was asked to appear for or two advertisements. What I received was a meagre sum of Rs 5000/- although I was promised Rs one lack However my mother told that “my son’s body and talent are not to be sold”. My Mother sternly advised me not to repeat it any more. Those days when I go to school my mother gives me Rs 2/-only for my pocket money. Just imagine what a lot of money is Rs one lack those days. It is something I could not believe. Since we were told and warned we never sold our talents and popularity for advertisements for money. We were compelled to stay away from advertisements.
All six brothers in the family who played cricket at the highest level did not crave for it particularly money. Our dear Mother paved the correct path for us. I posed for a MRI scanning and a POLIO advertisement very happily with my clear conscience. I never took money for them. From them I gained a lot of self satisfaction. If I requested Rs 10 to 15 lacks there would never have been any value in it.

Popular cricketer’s myth about ‘Calcium ‘ in a certain type of milk .article was published in the Gossiplankanews viewed from Here