A group of youngsters from the Jain community are helping to promote organ donation during Paryushan 2021 (The festival of Forgiveness) through a powerful video.
The seven youngsters are encouraging all Jains in the UK to talk about organ donation during Paryushan and register to donate organs after death as a form of sewa.
The video, commissioned by the Jain and Hindu Organ Donation Alliance (JHOD), in partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), will be seen by thousands of Jains during Paryushan events organised by numerous Jain organisations in the UK, as well as through social media.
Kirit Modi, Chair of JHOD, said: “I am delighted that youngsters are taking the lead in promoting organ donation during Paryushan this year. Statistics published by NHSBT show that organ transplants have understandably reduced because of the pandemic in 2020/21. Patients from BAME communities waiting for an organ transplant have been affected more compared to the whole population. The Jain community has taken a leading role in promoting organ donation for many years. I am urging all Jains to support us during this period of recovery from the effects of the pandemic by registering to donate organs”.
The video is part of a JHOD’s Paryushan campaign and as well as the powerful messages by the seven youngsters, it features two transplant recipients from the community. Rakhi Shah – who received a new kidney in July 2021 after waiting for two years; and Sandeep Shah – a heart transplant recipient, who received the gift of life because a family made the decision to donate the heart of their loved one.
Prafula Shah, Secretary/Trustee of JHOD, says: “There is an urgent shortage of organ donors in the UK and sadly hundreds of people are still waiting for a transplant and some die waiting. I am delighted that through this video young people from the Jain community are urging us all to think about organ donation as a form of compassionate sewa this Paryushan”.
JHOD is also publishing a special leaflet on organ donation from a Jain perspective; explaining the religious aspects and messages from Jain faith leaders.
Manharbhai Mehta, Trustee of JHOD, said:
The main principle of Jainism is non–violence (Ahimsa), the purpose of which is to preserve all living things as far as possible. For Jains, Paryushan is the period to promote Ahimsa and in the process, show compassion to others. The special leaflet with the Jain perspective that is being published, brings to us the messages of compassion through organ donation by Jain spiritual leaders. It also has an extract from the Jain scripture of a king donating parts of his body, and ultimately the whole body, to save a pigeon.
Notes:
1. https://youtu.be/KTGcLfUCgxs features Two transplant recipients: Rakhi Shah and Sandeep Shah and Anish Shah, Aashi Shah, Parishi Shah, Navya Doshi, Krish Shah, Veer Shah and Keya Jain.
2. Statistics published by NHSBT show that there was a 36% decrease in the number of organ transplant recipients compared to a 22% decrease in the whole population in 2020/21.
3. Media contacts: Kirit Modi, Chair of JHOD, info@jhod.org.uk Further details about JHOD are available at https://jhod.org.uk.
(L to R) Sandeep Shah – heart transplant recipient – December 2019; Aashi Shah, Parishi Shah and Veer Shah ; Back: Bharti Bhika, Krish Shah and Prafula Shah
Rakhi Shah – kidney recipient – July 2021
Keya Jain
Navya Doshi
Anish Shah with his dad, Pramit Shah