On September 5, at the start of the first-round Duleep Trophy match between India C and India D at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, commentators said on air that the wicket and the weather were “nice and easy”. By the time the phrase was repeated for the third time, India D had lost three quick wickets, including that of their captain, Shreyas Iyer. All three wickets were claimed by fast bowlers, but it was the fourth one that truly excited a European-looking, Telugu-speaking man in the VIP stand.
Moncho Ferrer, 53, was not rooting for any team in particular, but he was genuinely impressed by right-arm fast bowler Anshul Kamboj’s delivery that caught batsman Yash Dubey off guard. A slight edge sent the ball thumping into the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Moncho must have felt that the dismissal captured the spirit of the cricket stadium that he passionately built over two decades in Anantapur, a small arid town in southwestern Andhra Pradesh. “That dismissal was typical of the Anantapur Cricket Ground,” said Moncho, his face lighting up. “The ball rises fast and quick and the batsman has to get his bat and hands up. A nick is all it takes to be in the keeper’s hands.” Interestingly, Kamboj topped the bowling chart with 16 wickets in five Duleep Trophy innings, also winning the player of the series award.
Anantapur, a drought-prone and bone-dry town, hosted four Duleep Trophy games this season, creating a sporting milestone in this part of Andhra Pradesh that is close to the border with Karnataka. The seats were full of excited fans who cheered and clapped through every moment. The well-maintained ground rivals those in England and Australia in terms of size, infrastructure and the nature of the wicket.
Moncho, who served as president of the Anantapur District Cricket Association, is a respected figure in the region’s sporting circles. Born to an English mother and a Spanish father, he grew up as a Telugu boy, fluent in the language, speaking the distinct Rayalaseema dialect. Steeped in the local culture, Moncho relishes the traditional diet of jowar and ragi with groundnut chutney. And, cricket is a part of his life.
Moncho’s European appearance often raises curious questions. “People ask me, ‘You are Spanish, so how come you like cricket’? I ask them to do their homework,” he said. “I was born and raised in Anantapur. The first time I set foot in Spain, I was 18. I did not speak a word of Spanish till I was 25. Spain was foreign to me.”
As a child, Moncho often lamented the lack of sports facilities in Anantapur. It prompted him to work hard to address the concern. He now serves as programme director of the Rural Development Trust (RDT), an NGO set up by his parents, Vicente and Anna Ferrer. The organisation has been active for the past 55 years in poverty alleviation, health care, education, women empowerment and agriculture.
The Anantapur Cricket Ground was constructed in line with the organisation’s vision to encourage local people to pursue professional sports. “When we started building the ground, we didn’t want just another field,” said Moncho. “We researched how things are done in Australia and South Africa, as they build their wickets quite differently.”
The task began in 2000 with the purchase of land, followed by years of research and experiments. Moncho said he had “zero knowledge and zero experience” in constructing a cricket ground, so he sought extensive help from books and experts. The challenge of finding the right soil was particularly difficult. Local soil, with only 5 to 17 per cent clay content, was not suitable. “We needed soil with over 50 per cent clay content, and we could not find that anywhere nearby,” he said. They finally found the right soil at Amalapuram, nearly 800km from Anantapur.
What sets the ground further apart is the hybrid Bermuda grass that flourishes in sunlight and requires very little water. “Put it under a tree and it will die,” said Moncho. Sourced from Mysuru, the grass has gained so much attention that now Moncho’s team supplies it to various other grounds and lawns. Nearly 30 people work to maintain the ground, and 40,000 litres of water is used every three days for its upkeep.
When the ground was inaugurated in 2004, it hosted a Ranji Trophy match between Railways and Andhra. Sanjay Bangar, the captain of the Railways team, had his reservations. “Bangar had never heard of Anantapur,” said Moncho. “He told me later that they were upset about being sent here. They said the Railways were a decent team, so they should have played in Visakhapatnam. But once he saw the ground and played here, he said, ‘Oh my God, put all my matches here!’”
For a region that has seen extreme poverty and untouchability, Anantapur is much better off with its growing sports facilities. Moncho believes that sports can be a great leveller. He thinks one of the most significant challenges facing the region has been caste and class discrimination. “But there was one place where all this discrimination faded away: the sports field. It didn’t matter what caste, religion or colour you were; the player who hits a six or scores a goal becomes the hero,” said Moncho, recollecting his father’s social outlook.
Vicente Ferrer lived through some of the most turbulent periods in world history, marked by revolutions, wars and political upheavals. He was born in Barcelona in 1920, when the world was still reeling from the aftermath of World War I. As a teenager, Ferrer found himself embroiled in another conflict. The Spanish Civil War erupted in the late 1930s, and the teenager was drafted to fight for the left-leaning Republican faction.
When the rightist Nationalists emerged victorious in the war, Ferrer, like many others on the losing side, was sent to a concentration camp in southern France, where he spent nearly two years. Upon his release, he joined the Jesuits, dedicating his life to missionary work. His path eventually led him to India, where a new chapter of his mission unfolded.
Arriving in India in 1952, Ferrer saw a nation on the cusp of becoming a mature democracy. The first general elections had just concluded, which Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress won by a landslide. Ferrer began his humanitarian work in Maharashtra, focusing on improving the lives of farmers in the drought-prone Manmad region. He helped facilitate the digging of thousands of borewells, significantly improving water access for local farmers.
Ferrer’s religious background and foreign origin, however, was viewed with suspicion and he was sent back to Spain in 1968. He returned a year later, with the support of prime minister Indira Gandhi. This time, he chose Anantapur, which was among the most underdeveloped regions of the country. He founded the RDT at a time when the region was grappling with a movement demanding the separation of the Telangana region from the state of Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 350 people, mostly students, lost their lives in protests. Despite the turmoil and political instability, Ferrer was undeterred, dedicating himself to the service of the downtrodden.
His wife, Anna Perry, was drawn to his vision after meeting him. She was on a world tour with her brother and they ran out of money while in India. She found an assignment to interview Ferrer for a newspaper. Impressed by his personality, she discontinued the trip and decided to stay on with him as a volunteer. Ferrer, meanwhile, wanted to travel extensively to raise funds for his development work in Anantapur. But the Jesuit authorities denied him permission. In March 1970, he left the order and married Anna.
Today, in Ferrer’s absence, Anna continues to lead the organisation. Her office in the old block at the entrance of the vast RDT campus is a blend of the past and the present. Stacks of files and papers can be seen across her desk, symbolising the tireless effort required to run such a large operation. In one corner, a loud window air-conditioner does a fine job, despite its vintage nature. Dressed in a simple kurta, the 77-year-old greets visitors with a warm smile and a “namaste”.
Reflecting on those challenging years, she said, “In Maharashtra in 1967-68, and here in Anantapur in 1973-74, there wasn’t much understanding between us and the government. There was a lot of disbelief―what were we really doing? Some assumed it was for personal benefit or for religious work. The government did not want to renew our visas. But my husband always believed in fighting for what was right. We had the support of the people.”
In the 1970s, Anna recalled, most people had inadequate housing and earned their livelihood in kind, receiving ragi or seeds instead of money. Bonded labour was widespread and the survival rate of newborns was just 50 per cent. One meal a day was the norm, access to health care was almost non-existent and superstitions and a lack of understanding about modern medicine were big challenges. “There was a case of a child who was suffering from severe malnutrition. We saved her, but she became blind because of her poor health. I wondered whether we had done the right thing. Or did we burden her parents? But later, she attended our school and I felt better. There were many such situations.”
The RDT has come a long way since those difficult initial days. Today, it operates in 3,800 villages across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The organisation has built 1,347 check dams, provided education to more than 11,000 students and assisted around 15,000 women in delivering babies safely.
At the RDT canteen, the design reflects the organisation’s commitment to sustainable living. The ceiling has a unique arrangement that allows sunlight to pass through, without exposing those inside to direct heat. The room feels airy without the need for fans, thanks to the wide spaces and high ceilings. The lunch menu is a fusion of European and south Indian cuisine, with dishes like macaroni, boiled vegetables cooked in olive oil and fried fish alongside sambar, pulao, vegetable curry and curd.
APART FROM CRICKET, the RDT also supports football, tennis, hockey, judo and kabaddi. Ferrer, who passed away in 2009, was an ardent fan of FC Barcelona. The football programme is supported by La Liga, Spain. The RDT runs a rural sports centre, grassroots coaching centres and development centres where players, coaches and referees are trained.
Anjali Devi from Anantapur’s Rayadurgam village still remembers that hot summer day when her understanding of football changed completely. As a student at the local government school, she enjoyed watching football being kicked around during sports class. She thought there was nothing more to the game. But, at a summer camp organised by the RDT, football coaches from Spain opened up a new world before her. They taught her the basics of the game and important techniques. She became a goalkeeper and continued attending football camps, practising every morning and evening throughout her high school years.
While pursuing her bachelor’s degree, she attended a referee workshop organised by the RDT. Later, she switched from refereeing to coaching after seeing a notification from the RDT, seeking coaches for their academy. Today, the 26-year-old is the only woman from Andhra Pradesh to hold a ‘C’ licence in football coaching. If not for the exposure she got at an early age, Anjali wouldn’t have reached this stage, as she comes from a poor rural family with a conservative background. She now wants to climb the professional ladder further by obtaining higher certifications and coach national-level teams.
Nallabotu Balakrishna from Mallireddipalle village near Anantapur is another beneficiary of the RDT’s grassroots initiatives. Balakrishna was declared to have an IQ of just 33 and a mental disability of almost 90 per cent. Thanks to the RDT’s programme for children with intellectual disabilities, he picked up badminton. Not only did he shine locally, he also went on to win three medals at the Special Olympics held in Los Angeles in 2015. In his village, he became a celebrity. Youngsters approach him wanting to know about his experiences travelling abroad. “I want to visit many other countries and win more medals,” said Balakrishna. He is currently a trainer at one of RDT’s centres that cares for children with disabilities.
The Spanish connection in Anantapur is not limited to football. Moncho said tennis was not accessible earlier, so the RDT joined hands with the Rafael Nadal Foundation. In 2010, Anantapur was thrust into the global limelight when Nadal came visiting for the inauguration of the tennis academy, his foundation’s first project. “They shared the same philosophy as us. It wasn’t about professional tennis; it was about using tennis for the overall development of children,” said Moncho. The centre features tennis courts and classrooms where English is taught, as well as facilities for computer training, personality development and children’s nutrition. Over 200 kids train and study at the centre.
Anna, meanwhile, feels that she has fulfilled her husband’s mission, but remains upset by the labels that have dogged the RDT and her family for five decades, of promoting Christianity. “I have a son (Moncho) and two daughters (Tara and Yamuna). Two of them are married to Hindus and one is married to a Palestinian Muslim,” she said. “I care about people’s lives and future, not their religion.”