By Oindrila Dey :- A conversation at home can sometimes become a gift of life for someone waiting for a second chanceBringing this belief to the heart of World Organ Donation Day, Manipal Hospitals Kolkata launched ‘Shuruwat Ghar Se’, an initiative encouraging individuals and families to begin an open and informed conversation around organ donation and turn the intent to give into a life-saving realityThe initiative was graced by DrThankam S, Consultant – Fetal Medicine, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, Bengaluru, an inspiring advocate for organ donation who made the extraordinary decision to donate one of her kidneys to an unrelated stranger, giving a 56-year-old woman a new lease of life after years of battling chronic kidney disease and dialysisHer remarkable journey of compassion, courage and persistence set the tone for an initiative built around one powerful thought; the gift of life can begin with a conversation at home.
The initiative brought together senior leadership and leading transplant specialists from Manipal Hospitals Kolkata, including DrAyanabh Debgupta, Regional Director, Manipal Hospitals East; DrShugota Chakrabarti, Regional Head – Medical Services, Manipal Hospitals East; DrDilip Pahari, Senior Consultant & HOD – Nephrology, Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass; DrUpal Sengupta, Director & Clinical Lead, Department of Nephrology & Kidney Transplant, Manipal Hospital Dhakuria; DrAvinandan Banerjee, Clinical Lead – Nephrology & Kidney Transplant & Member of Team Nephrology, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; DrSmartya Pulai, Senior Consultant – Nephrology & Kidney Transplant, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass; Dhakuria; DrRajiv Sinha, Consultant – Paediatric Nephrologist, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; DrAbhay Kumar, Director – Urology and Uro-Oncology, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass; DrPK Misra, Senior Consultant – Urology & Transplant Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; DrTK Saha, Senior Consultant – Urology, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; Prof(Dr.) Rajib De, Head – Clinical Haematology, Haemato-Oncology & BMT, Manipal
Hospital EM Bypass; DrTanmay Banerjee, Director – Critical Care Medicine, Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass; DrChandrashish Chakravarty, Senior Consultant – Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care Specialist, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; DrArhana Banerjee, Associate Consultant – Nephrology, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass, who came together to emphasise the need for greater awareness and a stronger culture of organ donation in India and formally launched Manipal Hospitals Kolkata’s internal organ donation drive ‘Shuruwat Ghar Se’. A dedicated organ donation kiosk was also unveiled to provide employees, patients and visitors with an accessible platform to learn about organ donation and take the first step towards pledging.
India’s transplant landscape has grown significantly, but the gap between those waiting and the organs available remains enormousThe country recorded 20,019 organ transplants in 2025, while the waiting list for major organs stood at 89,839 as of March 3, 2026, according to data from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). The government has also noted that only around 18% of transplants currently use organs from deceased donors, highlighting the critical need to strengthen awareness and donation.
At the heart of the initiative was DrThankam S, Consultant – Fetal Medicine, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, Bengaluru, whose extraordinary journey embodies the true spirit of organ donationAfter pledging her organs in 2014, DrThankam S chose to go a step further by deciding to donate a kidney during her lifetime to someone she did not knowDespite years of personal, medical and legal challenges, she remained committed to her decisionEarlier this year, she successfully donated her kidney to 56-year-old Surekha U., who had been living with chronic kidney disease and undergoing dialysis, giving her a precious second chance at life.
Speaking at the event, DrThankam S said, “Ten years ago, I made the decision to donate my kidney to a stranger, and the journey since then has been filled with challenges, setbacks and uncertaintyBut my father always taught me to never leave a stone unturned, and that belief gave me the strength to persevereSix months ago, that dream finally became a realityI remain deeply grateful to DrSudarshan Ballal (Chairman, Manipal Health Enterprise PvtLtd), my strongest pillar of support, and my attorney DrJoga Rao, whose efforts made this possibleMy journey towards organ donation is rooted in a larger belief in humanitarianism, something that has also shaped my work with Médecins Sans Frontières in war-torn countries and my participation in the Covaxin Phase III trial during the pandemicBut today, this is not about my story; it is about starting a movementIndia continues to have one of the lowest deceased organ donation rates in the world, and the challenge is not only about policy, it is also about awareness, stigma, fear and social perceptionsIf my story can encourage even one family to start a conversation about organ donation, I would consider the movement to have begunOrgan donation need not begin with a scalpel; it can begin with a simple pledgeI urge everyone to overcome fear and superstition, talk openly with their loved ones and pledge their organsAs Khalil Gibran said, ‘It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.’”
During the programme, DrAyanabh Debgupta, Regional Director, Manipal Hospitals East, shared, “Behind every number on a transplant waiting list is a person, a mother waiting to return to her children, a young adult waiting to reclaim a future, a family waiting for a phone call that could change everythingIndia performed over 20,000 transplants in 2025, yet nearly 90,000 people remained on the waiting list for major organs as of March 2026These numbers tell us that medical expertise alone cannot bridge the gap, we need more people willing to giveWith ‘Shuruwat Ghar Se’, we want to begin where the most important decisions are made with familiesOur endeavour is to create an environment where organ donation is discussed openly, understood correctly and embraced as an act of compassionOne conversation today could become someone’s second chance tomorrow.”
The event also featured a special felicitation ceremony honouring the hospital’s transplant specialists for their expertise and commitment to providing patients with a second chance at life. Building on this spirit of collaboration, the programme culminated in a panel discussion on the Organ Donation Initiative, chaired by DrThankam S. The event explored the need to address misconceptions around organ donation, encourage informed family conversations, strengthen awareness around deceased donation and make the broader transplant ecosystem more accessible and responsive to those waiting for life-saving organsThe conversations also highlighted an important distinction: organ donation is not simply about death; it is about life continuing in unexpected ways. For a recipient, an organ can mean returning to work, watching a child grow, sitting at a family table again or simply waking up without the burden of a disease that once dictated every part of life.
For Manipal Hospitals Kolkata, therefore, ‘Shuruwat Ghar Se’ is intended as more than a World Organ Donation Day initiativeIt is the beginning of an ongoing movement to make organ donation a familiar, informed and compassionate conversation within the Manipal communityBecause sometimes, the most meaningful legacy is not what we leave behind, but the life we make possible for someone else.
