Manipal Hospitals Kolkata Takes the Gift of Life Forward Through Shuruwat Ghar Se on World Organ Donation Day

A conversation at home can sometimes become a gift of life for someone waiting for a second chance. Bringing 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 reality. The initiative was graced by Dr. Thankam 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 dialysis. Her 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 Dr. Ayanabh Debgupta, Regional Director, Manipal Hospitals East; Dr. Shugota Chakrabarti, Regional Head – Medical Services, Manipal Hospitals East; Dr. Dilip Pahari, Senior Consultant & HOD – Nephrology, Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass; Dr. Upal Sengupta, Director & Clinical Lead, Department of Nephrology & Kidney Transplant, Manipal Hospital Dhakuria; Dr. Avinandan Banerjee, Clinical Lead – Nephrology & Kidney Transplant & Member of Team Nephrology, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; Dr. Smartya Pulai, Senior Consultant – Nephrology & Kidney Transplant, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass; Dhakuria; Dr. Rajiv Sinha, Consultant – Paediatric Nephrologist, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; Dr. Abhay Kumar, Director – Urology and Uro-Oncology, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass; Dr. PK Misra, Senior Consultant – Urology & Transplant Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; Dr. TK Saha, Senior Consultant – Urology, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; Prof. (Dr.) Rajib De, Head – Clinical Haematology, Haemato-Oncology & BMT, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass; Dr. Tanmay Banerjee, Director – Critical Care Medicine, Manipal Hospital, EM Bypass; Dr. Chandrashish Chakravarty, Senior Consultant – Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care Specialist, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur; Dr. Arhana 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 enormous. The 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 Dr. Thankam S, Consultant – Fetal Medicine, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, Bengaluru, whose extraordinary journey embodies the true spirit of organ donation. After pledging her organs in 2014, Dr. Thankam S chose to go a step further by deciding to donate a kidney during her lifetime to someone she did not know. Despite years of personal, medical and legal challenges, she remained committed to her decision. Earlier 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, Dr. Thankam 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 uncertainty. But my father always taught me to never leave a stone unturned, and that belief gave me the strength to persevere. Six months ago, that dream finally became a reality. I remain deeply grateful to Dr. Sudarshan Ballal (Chairman, Manipal Health Enterprise Pvt. Ltd), my strongest pillar of support, and my attorney Dr. Joga Rao, whose efforts made this possible. My 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 pandemic. But today, this is not about my story; it is about starting a movement. India 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 perceptions. If my story can encourage even one family to start a conversation about organ donation, I would consider the movement to have begun. Organ donation need not begin with a scalpel; it can begin with a simple pledge. I urge everyone to overcome fear and superstition, talk openly with their loved ones and pledge their organs. As Khalil Gibran said, ‘It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.’”
During the programme, Dr. Ayanabh 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 everything. India performed over 20,000 transplants in 2025, yet nearly 90,000 people remained on the waiting list for major organs as of March 2026. These numbers tell us that medical expertise alone cannot bridge the gap, we need more people willing to give. With ‘Shuruwat Ghar Se’, we want to begin where the most important decisions are made with families. Our endeavour is to create an environment where organ donation is discussed openly, understood correctly and embraced as an act of compassion. One 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 Dr. Thankam 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 organs. The 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 initiative. It is the beginning of an ongoing movement to make organ donation a familiar, informed and compassionate conversation within the Manipal community. Because sometimes, the most meaningful legacy is not what we leave behind, but the life we make possible for someone else.