B.D. Somani Students Raise ₹15 Lakh Through 14th Squash A Mile Event In Support Of Underprivileged Cancer Patients

Mumbai: Students of B.D. Somani International School raised ₹15 lakh through the 14th annual edition of Squash A Mile (SAM), held on Sunday, September 27, at the Bombay Gymkhana in support of underprivileged cancer patients.

Organised in association with the V Care Foundation, the annual initiative brings together participants of different age groups to complete 165 laps of a squash court, equivalent to one mile, while raising funds and awareness for cancer care.

With donations from this year's event still coming in, the initiative has raised more than ₹3 crore over the past 13 years and provided medical aid to over 4,500 patients, according to the school.

Nine student organisers mark final year

For nine B.D. Somani students - Thea Ajoomal, Rianna Holland, Sohaya Ahuja, Mahika Jain, Tanvi Patel, Ananya Mehra, Shloka Patel, Ananya Dalal and Imaan Virji, this year's event marked their fourth and final year as student organisers.

As graduating students, they reflected on how their involvement in Squash A Mile had grown from an opportunity to contribute to a social cause into an annual tradition of their own.

The students said meaningful change is often built through people returning year after year, choosing to contribute and carry a cause forward. Their final edition also marked the handover of the initiative to a new group of students.

Initiative started in 2012

Squash A Mile was established in 2012 by siblings Rhea and Rohaan Advani, inspired by their mother, Renuka Advani, a cancer survivor. They started the initiative with the V Care Foundation to raise awareness and funds for underprivileged cancer patients.

The V Care Foundation provides financial, emotional and informational support to cancer patients and their families. According to the school, the foundation has supported more than 10.81 lakh patients over the past five years.

The event has since become an annual initiative at B.D. Somani, bringing students and teachers together around cancer awareness and fundraising.

School community supports annual event

The 2026 edition was supported by Principal Navroz Billimoria, Vice Principal Shalini Sharma, IGCSE Coordinator Kaizeen Jehangir and CAS Coordinator Saiti Datta.

Their continued involvement, along with the participation of students and teachers, has helped sustain the school's association with Squash A Mile.

For the nine student organisers, their final year on the court was a culmination of four years of participation in the initiative, leaving behind both the funds raised for cancer care and a tradition that will be carried forward by future student organisers.