India, Hull, Medicine, Cricket and Charity - An Anglo - Indian Affair
In Hull’s year as City of Culture, the 70th Anniversary of Independence in India, and England hosting the ICC Champions Trophy, Cricket World met up with the Pathak family, in Hull, earlier in the summer to hear their fascinating story. Hull, a relative cricketing backwater has hosted several of India’s finest cricketers over the last 30 years.
This unique series of videos chronologically describes an Anglo-Indian relationship celebrating a family’s passion for cricket, medicine and helping people over an amazing 40 year period.
Ashok Pathak and his son Samir both studied medicine to become surgeons and both played cricket to a high level when they were younger. Ashok in India and his son Samir in England.
The videos describe Ashok’s early years in India as a budding cricketer (Ranji Trophy for Bihar 1972-74) and then, settling in Hull, in the North East of England, in the 1970s, as a Junior Doctor, talking about his passion for cricket and medicine and what it was has been like living and working in the NHS, in Britain, for over 40 years.
He talks about the unique Anglo Indian relationship created through cricket and medicine and about the enormous number of doctors and nurses that he has assisted in training in India and those that have come over to Britain, to work and train in the NHS.
Ashok then speaks about how he assisted with highlighting the disaster of the Kosi River Floods in 2010 in India (and how lucky we are in Britain to have such great Emergency Services!) and finally he ecalls what an honour it was to be awarded an MBE for services to Medicine, in both India and Britain, and for his charitable work.
As an aside, during the interview with Ashok, I sensed that, with a twinkle in his eye, he has always wondered ‘what might have been’ in his cricket career had he not gone into medicine?
Then we talked with his son Samir who speaks fondly about growing up in Hull and following his father into medicine, in England, and how he is now developing and continuing a relationship with cricket and medicine both in the UK and in India. Samir talks briefly regarding his own cricketing career in his younger years and elaborates on the Cricket Charity he has established to benefit underprivileged cricketers- Cricket Beyond Boundaries
Samir also spoke of the role Cricket can play in raising awareness around several health issues and the wider impact sport can have on society. He then discusses future plans of utilising cricket to raise health profiles in certain sectors.
Cricket Beyond Boundaries
Since its formation in 2011, Cricket Beyond Boundaries (CBB) has now brought 20 underprivileged cricketers over to the UK from India to spend time in leading schools and develop their cricket and life skills.
These talented young cricketers have come from different areas of India and as the programme grows,our or five more boys are heading over this summer with more schools becoming involved.
The initiatives' long-term goals are to extend help to poor young cricketers in the UK and enable them to complete their education, be able to support female cricketers and also cricketers with disabilities. They also want to expand their work to include all cricket playing nations
CBB Fundraisers:
CBB have previously hosted high-profile charity events and fund-raisers including:
A match against Lashings in 2013 at Hymers College in Hull with Sunil Gavaskar in attendance
A dinner at the House of Lords in July 2014 attended by Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Farokh Engineer, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK and patron Lord Bhikhu Parekh
A dinner at Cinnamon Kitchen in 2015, attended by Dilip Vengsarkar, Farokh Engineer, Gordon Greenidge, and Monty Panesar.
CBB work closely with:
a) Ashwin's GENNEXT Academy (Chennai)
b) Vengsarkar's Cricket Academy in Mumbai/Pune
c) Chembur Children's Home, where Kukreja coaches orphan cricketers in his spare time.
School Days at Hazaribagh St Xaviers with Australian Fathers who gave initial exposure to cricket
Medical School
Cricket
Patna University Captain, East Zone Universities-
Bihar Ranji Trophy Squad
Move to UK in 1977
Training
Orthopaedic Surgery
Remnants CC Team in 1980s in Hull
Early cricketers who came to Hull- Dilip Vengsarkar (1990), WV Raman (1992), Paras Mhambrey, Venkat Ramana, D Vasu, Amit Dani, Nishit Shetty
Later years saw IPL stars Shivil Kaushik and Sarfaraz Khan
Medicine and India-UK – charitable works
Trips to India to train
Recruitment of doctors to work here
How many numbers supported over the years
BBC documentary following Kosi River Floods in 2010
MBE in 2011 for service to medicine
India, Hull, Medicine and Cricket – An Anglo- Indian Family Affair
Samir Pathak
Hull City of Culture
Samir sets the scene between Hull and the cricketers that have come through this City
Early years
Born in Hull 1981, Schooled in Hull at Hymers College
Now in final years of training as a Liver and Pancreatic Surgeon
Cricket- Liverpool University Captain whilst studying Medicine, England Universities 2004, Current MCC playing member.
Cricketers facilitated bringing to Hull, as a former Hull CC player; Sarfaraz Khan, Vikas Dixit, Shivil Kaushik
Cricket Beyond Boundaries involved with currently 5 cricketers including 2 orphan cricketers visiting UK schools/clubs in 2017.
Future – to have disadvantaged people/cricketers from all over the world coming to the UK to learn about life and cricket – partnerships with Ashwin Academy, Vengsarkar Academy and others
Video Information
Ashok Pathak | Medicine | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Ashok Pathak | Early Years | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Ashok Pathak | The Kosi River Floods | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Ashok Pathak | MBE and the Future | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Samir Pathak | Early Years | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Samir Pathak | Following in Father's Footsteps | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Samir Pathak | Cricket Beyond Boundaries | An Anglo-India Affair
Samir Pathak | Hull (City of Culture), Cricket and Medicine | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Samir Pathak | The Future | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Samir Pathak | CBB, Fundraising and Royal Interest | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Samir Pathak | Cricket and Medicine | An Anglo-Indian Affair
Durham School 2017 – interviews with players and CBB youngsters
Cricket Beyond Boundaries
Cricket Beyond Boundaries (CBB) was established in 2011 as a global sports initiative that uses cricket as a vehicle to transform lives. Since then, CBB has helped 18 poor Indian children spend time in leading UK schools including Durham School, Cheadle Hulme, Denstone College and Kings College, Taunton, to develop both their education and cricketing skills.
The initiative is continually expanding with more schools and youngsters set to be involved this summer.