The founder of SkyLink Group marks the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak by making record-breaking food donation to feed the hungry
TORONTO: Ludhiana-born Toronto businessman Surjit Babra, who made history by becoming the world’s first Sikh to start his own SkyLink airline in 1991, has now created a record in charity.
To mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Babra donated ten truckloads of cans of ready-to-serve beans this week to feed Canada’s needy people.
“My family and I feel humbled to make this donation on the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji. It will be distributed through food banks to feed poor people,’’ Babra said while handing over the donation to Canada’s biggest food charity Second Harvest.
“Our total donation is 230,544 cans of `True North Harvest’ beans, each can weighing about one pound. It is about ten truckloads, weighing nearly 11 tons (104,573 kg to be precise).’’
What prompted him to donate on such a huge scale?
Referring to `tera tera’ by Guru Nanak, Babra said, “The Guru has given it to me and I am sharing it with others.’’
He said he first thought of making this mega donation to the local Sikh-run Seva Food Bank. But they said they didn’t have the capacity to handle it.
“So we approached Second Harvest which is Canada’s biggest charity and equipped to handle it.’’
Thanking Babra for the donation, Second Harvest food recovery manager Ian Gibbons said, “We are Canada’s largest food recovery charity and what we got today is very unique. We often see large donations, but it is closest to the best we have ever got (since inception in mid-1980s). There is such a demand for this protein-rich food (beans) that our fleet of refrigerated trucks can move it out by the end of the week, but we will take up to three weeks.’’
Babra is a known name in international charity work as his SkyLink group has donated funds, food, medicines, relief supplies and equipment during natural disasters and political strife around the world – the Nepal earthquake, the Haiti crisis, the flooding in Mozambique, etc.
For his exemplary charity work and philanthropy, he was given the the prestigious World Travel Market (WTM) Globe Award in London in 2012. Babra’s SkyLink has also funded drip irrigation farming in Rajasthan.
A devout Sikh, Babra is also known for arranging his SkyLink to fly 149 copies of the holy Guru Granth from Amritsar to Toronto in 2004.
“It was the most satisfying moment of my life when SkyLink flew 149 new birs (copies) of the holy Guru Granth Sahib from the Sikh holy city of Amritsar to Canada. The local Sacha Sauda had approached me to fly the holy books from India,’’ according to Babra.
“Since the Guru Granth Sahib is a living guru for us, each bir was seated on a individual seat.’’
Born in Ludhiana, Babra was just two when he moved to Kenya with his family. He was still a student in London in 1972 when he started his own travel agency SkyLink Travel.
Having grown his travel agency into multiple offices in Europe quickly, young Babra next targeted Canada, landing in Toronto in 1979 to set up his first office in North America.
As his business grew with addition of new offices in LA, New York, Chicago, Vancouver and Montreal, Babra – in collaboration with his business partner Walter Arbib – set up his SkyLink Aviation in 1991.
SkyLink Aviation became globally known for flying – up to 100 aircraft at times – relief missions for the UN, the Red Cross, Canadian forces and other agencies to the trouble spots of the world.
Babra later created other companies under the SkyLink brand.
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Jo Bole
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