On November 29, 2021, as part of India’s National Organ Donation Day celebration, Project ‘Gift Hope, Gift Life”, supported by SBI Foundation, funded by SBI Card, with MOHAN Foundation as the implementing partner, was inaugurated by the Chairman of State Bank of India, Shri. Dinesh Kumar Khara at State Bank of India Corporate Centre, SBI Bhavan, Nariman Point, Mumbai.
Ms. Jaya Jairam, Project Director at MOHAN Foundation began by welcoming the Chief guest, Shri Dinesh Khara, the other dignitaries and the audience. She began with a short prayer for Lord Ganesha and thereafter invited Smt. Manjula Kalyanasundaram to give the welcome address.
The event began with a welcome address by SBI Foundation’s CEO and Managing Director, Smt. Manjula Kalayanasundaram. While welcoming all the dignitaries and the rest of the audience, she shared about the dire need to raise public awareness about organ donation, through dissemination of information and highlighted the need to bust the myths. She also briefly introduced the partner organisation, MOHAN Foundation, to the audience.
After lighting the lamp by all the special guests, Ms. Pallavi Kumar, Executive Director at MOHAN Foundation welcomed them with a bouquet and specially designed set of tea coasters with messages promoting organ donation.
The dignitaries who attended the event included –
Mr. Aman Bhaiya, Assistant Vice President at SBI Foundation introduced the audience to the organ donation scenario in India and why SBI Foundation chose to support organ donation. He also presented the salient features and impact of the project. A touching testimonial - “A Helpline that saves Lives” – a short video was played, which interviewed a family who was helped by the SBI-MOHAN Foundation Helpline, in their decision to donate their 19-year old son’s organs.
Shri. Dinesh Khara was invited on the dais, and he launched the Project Gift Hope, Gift Life, with a virtual curtain that was inaugurated by him by the clock of a button. Thereafter, he launched the website sbif.organdonor.in, which was designed to disseminate information about organ donation, transplantation, legal aspects, FAQs and it enabled online pledging. It was planned to drive organ donation pledges amongst the SBI employees through such online pledges. Ms. Jaya Jairam briefly took the audience through the website content.
Shri Khara then launched the organ donation film #LiveLifeVarunSize, which aims to sensitize public about organ donation and encourages them to pledge for organ donation.
After this, Shri Dinesh Khara was invited to speak. Expressing concern on how organ donation as a percentage is much lower in India as compared to other countries, and how the need for saving lives and providing livelihood has become much more magnified ever since COVID struck the world, he shared that losing lives is as painful, irrespective of its causes.
He went on to say, “I would like to salute the medical professionals to make organ donation and transplantation happen. Provided that there are enough donors, organ donation and transplantation ensure that the ailments of many can be addressed. Enough people have lost their lives on account of organ failure. For a society like ours, it takes time to build adequate sensitization and commitment to the cause. There is an increasing need for highlighting the facts in order to bust the myths. It is an important part of public education that is being attempted by MOHAN Foundation”.
He went on to say that the support being provided by State Bank of India and its group companies, through its CSR arm, is a step in the direction to enable MOHAN Foundation to reach the public and enable them to voluntarily opt to support and deeply commit to organ donation.
He ended by emphasizing the need to encourage conversations about organ donation in society and enable people to internalise the cause, resulting in a deeper commitment and making it a reality. He appreciated MOHAN Foundation’s efforts and conveyed his wishes for carrying on the noble work. Lastly, he added, “I am sure Indian society will also undergo a change and the organ donation rate will increase”.
In the next part of the event, SBI’s own employee, Shri. Dashrath Mundari, who donated his daughter’s organs, was invited on the dais and Ms. Pallavi introduced him to the audience. It was an emotional moment when Shri. Mundari went on to share the story of how his 27-year-old daughter met with an accident, was diagnosed to be brain dead and when counselled by MOHAN Foundation’s counsellors, he consented to donating his daughter’s organs so that she may continue to live on this earth, through others. The audience were left inspired by this deed by one of their own.
Finally, vote of thanks was given by Shri. Lalit Mohan, President and COO of SBI Foundation.
The whole event was livestreamed on SBI Foundation and MOHAN Foundation’s social media handles and is available for viewing at https://www.facebook.com/MOHANFoundationIndia/videos/1370964710023927
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