It was young Mukesh Singh and fellow striker Anil Dhanraj’s day out as they scored goals aplenty. And with every goal, they rejoiced like they were another step closer to nirvana. As a Don Bosco volunteer from Germany, Sarah Tammer, or ‘didi’ as they call her, says: “When these kids play football, they let out the anger inside them in the form of energy”.

Five years ago, Singh bid farewell to living on the edge in Dhandkot in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri District, walking a whole day on foot and traveling three days to reach new Delhi. Ask him who paid for the tickets and he replies: “Those who run away from home don’t buy tickets.”

Luckily, Singh found a job in a large Delhi cloth store, but he soon got bored as he wanted to study. Having heard of the city of dreams, he collected his salary of Rs 700, got on a train without a ticket and came to Mumbai.

Loitering at the railway station, he even got his name tattooed on his right arm so that he did not forget it. “I got it done cheaply for a mere Rs 40 from the shop,” he giggles.

But it was when the Don Bosco Shelter volunteers brought him to their home in Wadala that he got really worry.

Singh is now living his dream and waking up to bomb blasts is a distant nightmare. This 13-year-old, who goes to a Hindi-medium school and is studying in Std VI, has caught the eye of even the referees at the Cooperage.

“He looks like a player with sound skills and killer instincts,” points out Steven Fernandes, one of the senior referees. A call from a professional club may not be far away.

For now, Singh is honing his skills with the Don Bosco Shelter team in the third division of the Mumbai District Football Association and does not know how to tackle team trials.

But Tammer is hopeful. “There have been two Don Bosco boys who have earlier made it to the Mahindra United Under-15 team, so why not him?” she asks.

Singh has not heard of Mehraj-din-Wadoo, the only Kashmiri footballer in the Indian team. He has simply not dreamed that far. “I enjoy my football to relax, but if I get money for it, then nothing like it,” admits the youngster.

He was also one of the lucky ones who got to pose with the Barclays EPL trophy when it was displayed at the Cooperage. “It’s an honour and a proud moment for me which I cannot forget for the rest of my life,” he says.

Five years ago, Singh did not even know that such a sport existed, but now it has become a passion.

Of course, he misses home and his parents, but is determined to stay on. “This is not the right time. I want to study, earn and then go home.”