Dedicating my day to others

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the function held on her birthday. Pics/Anurag Ahire

One's 50th birthday calls for a big bash. But Aishwarya Rai Bachchan likes doing things differently. On her milestone birthday on November 1, the actor pledged her support to the GSB Seva Mandal, Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), and Smile Train. The GSB Seva Mandal is working towards building a 300-bed, multi-speciality hospital for the underprivileged, in Mira Road. Keen to do her bit, the actor donated Rs 1 crore towards the project.

A source reveals, "On her birthday, she attended a function hosted by Dr Bhujang Pai where she spoke about the need to provide quality medical services to the underprivileged. Besides lending her financial support to the making of the hospital, Aishwarya wants to encourage people to donate." Dr Pai, chief convenor of the GSB Seva Mandal, says that Rai has supported the organisation's efforts in the past.

"Recently, [I told her about] the hospital that will provide affordable healthcare and also cater to the underprivileged. When I mentioned that we require funds, Aishwarya immediately said, ‘Let's do this on my birthday.' She added that people should know about the hospital. We hosted the event to create awareness so that people can reach out and help us with funding," says Dr Pai. He adds that the first phase of the hospital should be functional by the end of 2024.

The actor donated not only Rs 50 lakh to CPAA, thus sponsoring the treatment of 50 children battling cancer, but also pledged R50 lakh to Smile Train to enable surgeries for 100 children born with cleft.