Pinki Sonkar of the Academy Award winning short documentary ‘Smile Pinki’ fame is going to London where she will toss the coin at the prestigious Wimbledon men’s singles final on July 7.
Earlier in 2009, she flew to the US to walk the red carpet at the Academy award ceremony.
Pinki, who represents the global cleft charity Smile Train that sponsored her corrective surgery, has been selected as the charity partner at this year’s Wimbledon.
Many people, including chief development officer Jagdish Prasad and other officials, bade goodbye to now 11-year-old Pinki here. She left to New Delhi where British High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan, will host a send-off dinner for Pinki on July 2 at his residence.
Earlier Dr Subodh Kumar Singh, who performed the life changing corrective surgery on Pinki in 2007, took her from G S Memorial Hospital - a smile train centre, where the surgery was performed, to the Bharat Mata Temple.
Dr Singh said a sporting event of Wimbledon’s stature collaborating to spread awareness about the issue of cleft lips that concerns millions of children worldwide was a remarkable example for others.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Singh said a sporting event of Wimbledon’s stature collaborating to spread awareness about the issue of cleft lips that concerns millions of children worldwide was a remarkable example for others.
{{/usCountry}}“The popularity of Wimbledon will bring much awareness and support for millions of children born with cleft palate. It is a matter of great pride that a patient treated by me is going to be part of the Wimbledon,” he said.