To get used to the Australian Spring weather, my friend Vishal Agrawal from India arrived a couple of days earlier. We were blessed to do the Diwali pooja together with Vishal. For those who are not familiar with Diwali, it is a festival of lights celebrated across India and by the Indian diaspora around the world. After Diwali, the countdown had started. Finally, the day, we had prepared for, had arrived. On Sunday morning Vishal, Shekhar and I left home around 5:40 AM. It was cool 8 degrees and the weather forecast was around 20 degrees for the day. When we arrived at the MCG at 6:30 AM, Kushal Sharma was already there. Other friends and supporters started coming in. Michael Wang came and so did Paul Brock. Jack Blanco wasn’t feeling well to join us. Peter Molloy came in. I hadn’t seen Peter for five years but had bumped into him just a couple of days earlier near Boronia Station and told him about the walk. Makhan, son of our old friend late Sita Ram, rang me when he was leaving Werribee and still made it. Shakeel our friend for more than 20 years came all the way from Mickleham. Gautam Garg, Jagmohan Sharma Ji and Dharmendra Bhayia all came from Craigieburn. Hardik Pathak, Bharat Bhai and members of their team came from distant places in the Eastern and South – Eastern side of Melbourne. Amol Joshi had to arrange a cab to Gaurav bhai’s place to get a lift with him and reach the MCG. Kavita and Anand Kulkarni brought lots of cooked food packed in disposable containers. Satyajit Datar also brought food that Ashwini had cooked but couldn't accompany him to the MCG. Monika and Rahul Malhotra came with their son Yuvraj who had flown in from Gold Coast the previous day. On behalf of the McGrath Foundation, Jo and Andrew Lovelock had driven from Mount Martha. Another McGrath Breast Care Nurse Joylene Fletcher had driven all the way from Ballarat to flag us off. Joylene also brought a basket of goodies that I would be able to make use of during the walk. If I have left out someone’s name, it is unintentional and please forgive me for it.
After welcoming everyone, I introduced and thanked Vishal Agrawal who, despite his very busy business schedule, had flown in from India to support our walk. I also thanked Amol Joshi who had arranged through Ravi Ji a substantial sponsorship to pay for a month’s rent for the van. Amol bhai would also accompany me all day on the walk from the MCG to Dandenong. Also thanked Rahul and Monika Malhotra for their continued support for the walk. I thanked Kavita and Dr. Anand Kulkarni and acknowledged their financial help and support for the upcoming book based on the two previous walks. A Retiree’s Odyssey: From the MCG to the SCG in Support of the McGrath Foundation by Dr Prabodh Malhotra in Collaboration with Dr Anand Kulkarni. I thanked Satyajit Datar for his guidance and support for the walk. Also thanked all support crew and supporters who had come to celebrate the start of Walk 3.0. Finally, I thanked the McGrath Breast Care Nurses who deliver the most needed services to breast cancer patients and their families.
After Jo and Joylene expressed their appreciation for the walk, Amol bhai and I set off while Shekhar and Vishal were sorting out the stuff in the van. Jo and Joylene accompanied us a short distance around the MCG, then Jo said, “We will see you at the other end on 3rd of January.” Amol bhai and I walked on Punt Road then turned left into Toorak Road. We had breakfast at Caulfield where Gaurav Kakkar also joined us. Gaurav ji has been an unwavering supporter of the walk from the very beginning. He brought lots of food and goodies for the walk. Thank you so much for everything Gaurav bhayia. Soon after breakfast, Shekhar called me to the van and gave me a bad news. A signal on the dash of van indicated Gearbox was overheating.
This news certainly added to the challenge but nothing was going to stop the walk. We returned to the van to take stock of the circumstances and make alternative arrangements. We contacted Michael the owner of the van and shared with him the bad news. He said that he would get the van fixed as soon as he could. In the meantime, he would loan us a Ford Ranger Ute to continue the walk. Amol and I continued to walk. Vishal and Shekhar stayed with the van. When Michael arrived with the loan car that was a dual cab Ute whose capacity for luggage was limited to the back seats. In light of this, only select stuff was shifted from the van into the Ute. The rest of the stuff was left in the van with the expectation that the van would be with us in the next couple of days. But due to the Melbourne Cup (one of the most famous horse races in the world) on the first Tuesday in November, it was a long weekend in Victoria. Thus, a delay was unavoidable.
Vishal, Shekhar, Amol and I had late lunch at a Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant on the Princes Hwy on our way to Dandenong. With all the steamed vegies, it was quite delicious and healthy. We continued to walk to the Dandenong Market where we called it a day. The first day’s destination had been reached. Shekhar boarded the Airport bus to Knox. He would come back later with Danny and join us at Amol bhai’s house. The Ute had only two seats in the front as the back seats were occupied by our belongings. Gaurav bhai came to pick up Amol Ji. I joined Vishal who began his role as the support crew under the changed circumstances and drove the Ute instead of the decorated van. Vishal quickly got used to it and he had no trouble adjusting to the changed conditions.
Sonali ji and Amol bhai had organized a function at their place to mark the Diwali festival but also to highlight the 1,300 kms walk to support the McGrath Foundation and raise awareness about breast cancer. As the event began, supporters and their families started to come in. In all, more than 80 people joined in the chanting. Shekhar and Danny also joined us. Gaurav bhai had brought in several laminated copies of the cover of our upcoming book, A Retiree’s Odyssey….. and displayed them around the kirtan area. The highlight of the kirtan was Shekhar’s friend Mohit, who is a master of dholak (Indian drum). Vishal bhayia didn’t feel like a stranger at all. He instantly become a part of the group. Ravi Ji and his father-in-law blessed the occasion with their presence. After an hour’s chanting, Sonali Ji introduced me as the special reason for the event. I thanked Sonali and Amol bhai for organising the function and shared my views on how and why this walk was different from regular walks because it had a specific mission to help the community. I further said that I didn’t expect everyone to join me on the walk, but requested everyone to support the walk, share its details on social media, and make a donation. It was getting late by my standard. However, because of our close friendship with Amol bhai, Gaurav ji and other friends, I stayed up until about 11:00 PM but then to leave to hit the bed.
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