Amitabh exhorts people to undergo test for Diabetes

Mumbai, Aug 24 (UNI) Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has come out in support of preventive measures to combat the spread of Diabetes within the Asian community in the United Kingdom.

The actor kept his commitment given to former MP Keith Vaz, when he was in his constituency at the time of conferring of Honorary Doctorate on him at De Montford University, to support a cause, which was gathering grave importance and concern because of its nature--spread of diabetes within the Asian community living in the United Kingdom. The type two diabetes has a quality of not being detected upto nine to 12 years and by then there is sufficient damage done to the system for it to be eradicated, often ending in fatality.

Launching the campaign to collect funds to open centers and facilities to reach out to large masses and conduct diabetes tests so that certain preventive measures could be initiated, Amitabh himself underwent a diabetes test in the British city of Leicester yesterday before a large crowd and exhorted them to follow his example.

Leicester has perhaps the largest number of South Asian community in UK and Mr Vaz informed him that by 2020 it would be the one city outside India, where the largest number of the Asian Community would reside.

''The consistency of the love of people remains with me and I am grateful for that. I symbolically planted a tree and allowed the pharmacist to conduct a blood test on me to check if I was diabetic.

I was not. The immediate response device showed my reading as 4.8.

and I came away somewhat relieved,'' he wrote on his blog this morning.

Meanwhile, the actor was joined on the last leg of his 'Unforgettable' show by Shilpa Shetty. She displayed mock anger at meeting him because he missed wishing her on her birthday.

''Horrible me ! The frequent travel and odd timings did me in. She has this odd belief that every year that I wish her, her year goes of successfully. I wish it goes of even better this year, though I must remember to not miss it again !!'', he quipped.

With the show almost coming to an end, the group, including his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya, was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. ''It has been a wonderful tour for them. They have felt wanted and have been treated like a family. It has been fun and joyful and they will miss all this once they get back home.

I seem to think similarly'', he added.

UNI OBB RN RP AS1742