or you can read the full article from Rotary World April 2009 issue by clicking on this link here
09
Apr
13 Questions: Gautam Lewis
by BBC Ouch Team
He’s been a high-flying music manager, but now Gautam’s interests lie more in flying for disabled people, and pursuing the fight to eradicate polio.
He answers our questions.
People think I’m …
Difficult to pigeonhole. In the last 10 years I’ve run a nightclub, done photography, run businesses and managed bands, so employment agencies in particular find it hard to categorise me.
Uppermost in my mind today is …
Wondering what the global audience will make of Passport from Polio. I hope I have done justice to those children whose lives we are trying to save.
Tourists taking snaps of the Houses of Parliament got a little something extra in their photos during the weekend of 21st February, when Rotary illuminated the iconic building with the words End Polio Now.
The dramatic message – Rotary’s pledge to rid the world of the crippling disease – was projected on to the structure on Saturday (21 February) as part of an international initiative to encourage the world to get behind the final push to eradicate polio from the four remaining endemic countries.
Other buildings being illuminated in the week of Rotary’s 104th birthday (23 February) include the Sydney Opera House, the Coliseum in Rome, Cape Town, the prestigious Culzean Castle in Glasgow and High Falls in Rochester New York.
Gautam Lewis is an ambassador on behalf of Rotary International for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which was set up in 1988 and has immunized many millions of children against the virus.
Gautam himself contracted polio when he was 18 months old living in the twin city of Howrah & Kolkata in India. At the time one in five children in the city died of the virus. Gautam not only survived, but went on to have an eventful career in the music industry in th UK before setting up a flying school providing free training for disabled people.
From street to advocate, this is his story as told to Ruby Russell… to read the rest of the story please visit foto8.com by clicking here…
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL’S POLIO AMBASSADOR RECEIVES “ASIAN WHO’S WHO” CHARITY AWARD 2008
The Award was presented to Rotary International’s Polio Ambassador Gautam Lewis at Asian Who’s Who International’s 21st annual book launch and awards ceremony which took place at a glittering gala dinner in London’s Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, on Friday, 24th October, 2008, attended by more than 300 guests, including Asian business tycoons, politicians, peers and celebrities.
Gautam Lewis said: ‘I started of life abandoned on the mean streets of Kolkata because of polio and as an adult have gone back to help eradicate polio. To receive this Award is a great honour and I would like to acknowledge everyone at Rotary for the work that is being done to end polio. I am accepting this award on behalf of all of the Rotarians and people involved in this global goal to eradicate polio.’
This is an article in November 2008 issue of The Bulletin – The British Polio Fellowship will be having their 75th anniversary later this year.
London, Oct. 25: A 31-year-old man, dumped by his parents outside Mother House in Calcutta when he was three because he had polio, last night won an award in London for his polio alleviation charitable work in Calcutta.
At the annual Asian Who’s Who dinner at Dorchester Hotel, Gautam Lewis, who thinks his original name might have been Gautam De, struggled to the stage on crutches to the loudest applause of the evening and collected a prestigious award for “Asian Leadership in Charity”. Read the rest of the story by clicking here….
Kolkata-Born Gautam Lewis of Freedom in the Air, a polio survivor, accounted for the Asian Leadership in Charity award for his polio eradication charitable work with Rotary International.
BBC London presenter Riz Lateef and Asian of the Year 1996 Raj Loomba of the Loomba Foundation presented Gautam with the award.
At the annual Asian Who’s Who dinner at the Dorchester Hotel, Gautam Lewis, who thinks his original name might have been Gautam De, crutched to the stage to the loudest applause of the evening and collected a prestigious award for “Asian Leadership in Charity”. He accepted the award humbly on behalf of all the partner organisations in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary International, WHO, UNICEF and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their inspiration and back-breaking work during the past 20 years in the fight against polio.
Gautam, whose charitable work now takes him to India several times a year — was interviewed by presenter Matthew Amroliwala live on BBC Television Worldwide where his inspirational story was heard by an estimated 80 million viewers.
The Asian Who’s Who International celebrated the publication of its 21st edition and was founded by Mr Jasbir Signh Sacher. It started in 1975, some 33 years ago. During the 60’s and 70’s a large influx of Asians from South Asia and Africa came to the UK. Michael Jackson’s brother, Jermaine came up to Gautam at the end of the evening to congratulate him on his award and said “what an amazing thing you are doing”.
It was very good of CNN IBN to film Gautam Lewis’s visit to one of his homes in Kolkata during a recent visit to take photographs for a exhibition called Full Circle which is about raising awareness for polio eradication. Although you can send out a press release and chat to the journalist, somehow crucial factors get changed. Please note Gautam Lewis is currently only a pilot in the UK and not in New Zealand with a Private Pilots licence rating and does NOT yet have a Commercial Licence Rating although he is working towards that..Do visit the Rehabilitation Centers for Children website, a place that gives children corrective surgery to poor children in Kolkata.
We received this article yesterday from friends in Kolkata. It talks about polio eradication and flying.
Kolkata Article, India July 2008
This article on Aviation Without Borders Smiling Wings day was featured in Scotlands Sunday Post, August 10th 2008 – click on image for a large view to read the story.
This article writes about the speech I gave at this years Rotary International of Great Britain and Ireland conference in Blackpool in April. The speech was filmed which can be viewed by clicking here
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