The evening of July 26, 2014 brought together a gathering of distinguished individuals to support the cause of organ donation in an evening of music and celebration at 'the Theater' of the India Habitat Center, New Delhi.
The event organized jointly by MOHAN Foundation and ORGAN India (an initiative of the Parashar Foundation) took great pride in releasing their research study "A study of the deceased donation environment in Delhi/NCR" This research results from interviews with stakeholders, information from hospitals & transplant centers, and information available in the media and online. It has a two-fold objective:
- To understand the organ donation and transplant environment in India with focus on historical trends, challenges faced and scope for change
- To make recommendations for an effective and functionally efficient organ donation and transplant system in Delhi/NCR
Ms Anika Parashar, Trustee -Parashar Foundation began the proceeding welcoming everyone and introducing the organisations and the aim behind the event. She thanked the principal sponsor of the evening - Hero Corporate Service Limited. Anika shared the inspiration behind the genesis of ORGAN India. It was when her own mother needed to have a heart transplant and had to spend months in Chennai to get a donor that they realized the gaps in the organ donation scenario in our country and felt the need to do something to change the situation. She invited her mother, Ms Kirti Parashar to release the report.
Ms Pallavi Kumar, Executive Director (Delhi-NCR) then shared how happy they were to be partnering with Parashar Foundation and that there was a shared passion and energy for the cause. She said that MOHAN Foundation looked forward to doing much more with them. Pallavi also said that they hoped that this research motivates and inspires further studies which will improve our understanding and enable wider acceptability of organ donation by our society.
She then introduced the special guest of the evening - Ms Sonam Kalra. The proceedings couldn't have been followed up more fittingly than it did with celebratory soulful music concert by Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project which warmed the ambience in a journey of melody and collective awe of the moment. The music like the cause spoke of a uniform message of secular goodwill and shared love for life and of life even in death.
Sonam's unique brand of music blends many voices of faith to create one voice. She has shared the stage with legendary musicians like Abida Parveen, and has performed at Prestigious Music Festivals all over the world as well as for renowned musician Sting. Their song Man Manam aired on Coke Studio last season. In January, 2013 the Mail Today newspaper named Sonam as one of "the 50 creative powerhouses & impresarios who have elevated Delhi from a cultural desert to one of the world's leading arts capitals".
The audience included Dr. Dharamshaktu (additional DG, DGHS), Dr. D.S Rana (Chairman, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital) Dr. Samiran Nundy (Senior Liver Transplant Surgeon, SGRH), Dr. Vinita Chopra (Trustee, SGRH), Dr Avi Soin (Chairman, Liver Transplant, Medanta Hospital), Dr Ravi Mohanka (Medanta), Dr Rana ( RML Hospital), Dr Aditya Pradhan (BLK Hospital) to name a few. Transplant coordinators from ORBO- AIIMS, ILBS, RML etc also graced the evening. Presence of supporters and friends of both the organizations along with donors and beneficiaries made the evening a celebration for the cause of organ donation and the people who have worked for its betterment.
The concert was followed by cocktail dinner which gave a great opportunity for everyone present to network and talk. It would not be a farfetched assumption to say that the evening turned out to be a success.
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