WALKING TO RECOVERY
Health is an important factor in our lives and this year, at the Hindutan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (HTKGAF), Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre was there to spread awareness on a healthy lifestyle. As a part of their initiative, one of the events presented by them at HTKHGAF was the ‘Walk for Life’ walkathon which aimed to create awareness about Cancer and promote walking as an exercise for a healthy life. After all, walking is considered to be the simplest exercise and quite beneficial too, it’s a good start on a journey towards fitness.
It was heartening to see many people, both young and old, from all walks of life gather at Rampart Row where the walkathon was flagged off by the lovely actor Madhurima Tuli, of Baby and Naam Shabana fame. DJ Roshan was present and went ahead to introduce her and the Jaslok team to the participants. George Philip Alex, chief marketing officer, Jalsok Hospital & Research Centre mentioned that, “it’s important not only to provide for the health of the patient but also to support the family because it’s always a hard time for them as well and they need to keep their spirits up to aid in the patient’s recovery.”
Kruti Garg, curator of the Heritage Walks at the HTKGAF, who also curated the walkathon said, “This year, the theme of HTKGAF is about going green and walking is such a perfect way to reduce pollution in the city. The walkathon brings together the concepts of health and heritage as we will be walking in one of the most iconic parts of the city.”
The 5 kilometre walk saw participants follow Kruti along the Gateway of India promenade, through the lanes of Colaba winding their way to Cross Maidan and back again to Rampart Row. Speaking about the importance of fitness, Madhurima said, “I take my personal fitness very seriously and religiously practice yoga, I also enjoy walking as a form of exercise. In fact my mother is also a fitness enthusiast and also does mountaineering. I support the cause of cancer awareness as early screening can save lives.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer is one of the leading reasons of morbidity and mortality globally. What is more worrisome is that, over the next two decades the number of new cases is expected to go up by about 70%. It’s expected that globally 21.7 million people will be impacted by cancer by 2030. Presently, cancer stands at the second position for diseases responsible for leading causes of death worldwide.
“There was a very basic thought behind this walkathon. We wanted to promote walking - the most basic form of exercise as part of an overall healthy lifestyle that can significantly reduce people’s risk of developing certain kind of cancers. Exercise not only helps in living a healthy life but also supports the recovery process among cancer patients, uplifting their mood and improving their state of mind. Weight gain and osteoporosis are common side effects that may occur to some cancer patients and survivors in the course of them receiving the treatment, hence regular exercise enhances their recovery and improve their chances of a better outcome too. I also wish to encourage the masses to take up regular medical check-ups to safeguard themselves by early detection of any form of cancer and other conditions or disorders” said Dr Tarang Gianchandani, chief executive officer of Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre.