Bharat Cricket Community
2312. Himanshu Jain
Himanshu Jain, from London, co-founded ‘Bharat Cricket Community’, a charity club that promotes healthy living and community integration to positively impact over 1,000 South Asian men in the South East.
Through the support of its members, the club provides South Asian men from Barking, Sutton, Kent, and Southend with opportunities to engage in cricket, from beginner sessions to over 200 members playing in professional leagues. Since its formal launch in 2021, the club has expanded to include women and children in coaching sessions and team formations and now hosts the ‘Bharat Premier League’ and mini-tournaments every weekend. Under Himanshu’s leadership, the club fosters community cohesion through award ceremonies, family days, and Dandiya events, offering a platform for the wider community to engage with and appreciate South Asian culture. The club encourages its members to contribute back, with many volunteering in local sports and rotary events, such as the London Marathon. Members also support Himanshu in raising awareness and funds for his ‘Leprosy Control Programme’, a programme that he runs in the UK to address the disease in South Asia.
Beyond cricket, Himanshu plays a key role in leading and supporting several charities, including the ‘Barking & Ilford United Charities’, an alms-house charity currently undergoing regeneration, and ‘Lola’s Homeless Ladder’, an East London charity supporting over 500 homeless people weekly. Himanshu also works with the ‘Institute of Jainology’ on upgrading the ”Jainpedia initiative”, which involves the digitisation, translation, and transliteration of over 5,000 manuscripts housed in British museums and libraries, and is the incoming district governor for Rotary in London for the year 2024-25.
The award for Himanshu comes ahead of Vaisakhi and Mahavir Janm Kalyanak.
Himanshu said:
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award. This recognition is a testament to the collective efforts of the Bharat Cricket Community, my fellow trustee and co-founder Prasanth, and the numerous community and humanitarian initiatives I’ve been privileged to be part of, both locally and globally, such as the Leprosy Control Programme in India, which I am championing in the UK. I am grateful for this acknowledgment and inspired to continue making a positive impact in our communities.”
Find out more about ‘Bharat Cricket Community’ and ‘Jainpedia’