10 October, Jumeirah Carlton Hotel London was an India Association- hosted black tie dinner event. It heralded the next stage of 80-year old IA Chairman Balwant “Bobby” Grewal’s charity fund raising “Walk Full Circle.”
Bobby will walk 2,600 miles from Kanyakumari, via Chennai and Kolkata, to New Delhi. He will walk roughly 25 miles a day for around five months, hoping to raise £1.5 million for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and the British Asian Trust.
He already walked from North to South India, raising £100,000 to fund cancer and AIDS research.
Among Walk Full Circle patrons present were Rt. Hon. Virendra Sharma, MP, Ealing/Southall; and Colin Green, UCL Emeritus Professor of Surgery. Also present were veteran journalists CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar; Mr and Mrs K.N. Malik; and Managing Editor of Gujarat Samachar, Kokila Patel.
Principle Scottish Ballet and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra harpist Meredith McCracken played for arriving guests. Elliot Bibby performed magic tricks.
The comperes were BBC Radio Stoke’s James Watt and BBC/BT sports journalist Reshmin Chowdhury. The Tuxedo Jazz band was joined by singer Hannah Layton Turner of Hannah’s Yard.
Dr Rajan Bhanot, who will accompany Bobby in India, explained via video that Bobby will live in a motor home, eating locally sourced food. In India, mobile cancer screening camps will set up at Delhi and Patna with Chennai and Kolkata also planned.
Patron Rt. Hon, Dominic Grieve QC also sent a supportive video message.
Air India’s Regional Manager UK, Tara Naidu, gave a message exclusively to Asian Voice via an attending Air India official. “Air India, India’s national carrier, is proud to be one of the sponsors of Bobby’s Walk Full Circle. Carrying Bobby in the Dreamliner 787 will make his flight much more enjoyable and comfortable when he starts and ends his journey in London.”
A Barclays Bank team presented a cheque for £10,000.
A written pledge of £5,000 from the Karma Yoga Foundation was one of the highlights. CB Patel said, “The Karma Yoga Foundation is privileged to be of some small service.”
Sterling Dental Foundation pledged a pound for every mile to be walked; £2,600.
Virendra Sharma called Mrs Harjeet Grewal on stage as the person behind Bobby’s successful efforts on all fronts. He told the Asian Voice, “Bobby’s a great community man. He gave his life to charitable work by making sacrifices.”
Bobby told the audience that he always wanted to be a sportsman, and at middle school, was the “Smallest and fastest runner.” But his middle school sports teacher preferred a couple of other favourites. This situation changed at high school, when all-rounder Bobby had a much more encouraging sports master who told him that one day he would play for India. A knee injury seemed to dampen his dream.
However, Bobby said, he took inspiration from author Ffyona Campbell’s “On Foot Through Africa” and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who is now another of the Walk’s patrons. Bobby ran the London marathon and “slept under the stars” on the first half of the Walk Circle.
From Great Ormond St Hospital Charity, Parent ambassador John Plank spoke. John described how his son Alex, also present, had been diagnosed with a unique heart disorder at two days old. He said that Bobby’s gift of money helped GOSH in four ways, so that:
1) Now parents like his wife and he could escort their anxious children between departments,
2) Equipment,
3) Research- it meant that after 10 years, Alex’s condition was identified,
4) So that others like John and his wife could stay with their infants through all procedures, like
“When your baby’s being cut open.” Above all, Bobby’s donations had given families “hope,” he said.
Professor Colin Green from Northwick Park Hospital said that Bobby “Saved my institute of research from collapse, to the extent that it has now become the number one surgical institute for stem cell research. “From the £100,000 donated by Bobby, we have now been given another £15 million, and the £100,000 given by him after the Parliamentary walk triggered another £5 million donation to St Marks Research Trust for work on bowel cancer.
Reshmin, BAT ambassador, introduced a video in which two Bengali girls, Serena and Asma, spoke of being trafficked. Bobby Grewal’s charity funds raised will help girls like them too.
ABPL Group wishes this committed young octogenarian all the very best for his walk. God speed, Bobby!
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Bobby will walk 2,600 miles from Kanyakumari, via Chennai and Kolkata, to New Delhi.
