Gautam Gambhir has shown his class on the field over the years with his conventional yet aggressive batting style as well as his approach. From helping India to clinch ICC T20 World and ICC World Cup to leading Kolkata Knight Riders to Indian Premier League title twice, Gautam Gambhir has added several feathers to his exceptional career.
But there is more to Gautam Gambhir than just Cricket. The Delhi-lad has been vocal about various social and political issues and also runs a charitable trust named ‘The Gautam Gambhir Foundation’.
The foundation helps the less fortunate and majorly focuses on providing education to those can’t afford and it even funds several orphanages. Gautam Gambhir Foundation is again making headlines as the KKR skipper has announced that his trust will bear all educational expenses of the slain army soldiers’ children, who were killed in the Sukma Attack.
Gautam Gambhir to bear full expenses of the children of 25 CRPF personnel killed in Sukma attack, Gambhir's media manager confirms to ANI pic.twitter.com/CQwnPsUI0r
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2017
On Monday, in the deadliest attack by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma, CRPF’s 74th Battalion was attacked by around 300 Naxals, leaving 25 CRPF jawans dead and seven others injured. The Jawans were assisting local population in a road building activity in Burkapal village when the incident happened.
Gambhir said that he was shaken after seeing and two newspaper pictures of the massacre and grieving daughters of martyred CRPF officials while adding, “On Wednesday morning, I picked up newspapers and saw gut-wrenching pictures of the daughters of two CRPF men killed in the latest attacks. One was saluting her martyred father while in the other picture, the howling young woman was being consoled by her relative. The Gautam Gambhir Foundation will take care of the entire education expenses of the children of these martyrs. My team has already started work on this and I shall soon share the progress we have made”.
25 CRPF men sacrificed lives for d country. Sometimes I wonder if we deserve their sacrifice!!! pic.twitter.com/yKN8bzEom2
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 26, 2017
As we crib over lack of air conditioning or size of our already mammoth SUV, let's ponder over d future of d daughters of CRPF martyrs. pic.twitter.com/XhBbbaFEgD
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 26, 2017
Chattisgarh, Kashmir, North East,do v need more alarm bells or r we a deaf state?Life of my countrymen isn't cheap,someone needs 2 pay 4 it
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 24, 2017
This is not the first time that Gautam Gambhir has come forward to express his thoughts on burning issues as recently, when a video of a CRPF soldier being brutally attacked by Kashmiri youth went viral on social media, he Tweeted
For every slap on my army's Jawan lay down at least a 100 jihadi lives. Whoever wants Azadi LEAVE NOW! Kashmir is ours. #kashmirbelongs2us
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 13, 2017
Anti-Indians hav forgotten dat our flag also stands 4: saffron – fire of our anger, white – shroud for jihadis, green – hatred 4 terror.
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 13, 2017
Gautam Gambhir also took on to Twitter to Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer who has been awarded death sentence in Pakistan for alleged espionage.
Stand up for your countrymen, especially when they devote their life for the country's safety! #KulbhusanJadhav pic.twitter.com/HBZPnDQXPp
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 12, 2017
It’s not just words that Gambhir believes in and it’s not political issues that he has been vocal about. Back in April 2015, the Indian Ice-Hockey team was facing a financial crisis and they took to social media for crowd-funding in order to participate in the 2015 Challenge Cup of Asia in Kuwait. Gautam Gambhir heard their plight through radio and donated cash of Rs.4 Lakh to help the cash-strapped Indian ice-hockey team to participate in the tournament.
The same year, he openly accepted Salman Khan being his idol when it comes to charity work and if that is the case, we expect Gautam Gambhir to carry on his work for the unfortunate and set an example for everyone who believes in cribbing rather than taking a step further.
The Gautam Gambhir Foundations and the player himself are the clear examples of ‘A Man’s True Wealth Is The Good He Does In This World’.
As for IPL 2017. Kolkata Knight riders have taken the tournament by storm and the franchise is currently standing at the top with 12 points after thrashing Rising Pune Supergiants in their last match.