Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Raksha Bandhan celebrates the bond of love between sisters and brothers. Traditionally, sisters tie Rakhis around their brothers' wrists and brothers, in turn, promise to protect them. But in a reversal of roles, some sisters have become the protectors, donating a part of themselves to save their brothers' lives.
And there are brothers who have fulfilled their promise to their sisters in the same way. On the eve of Raksha Bandhan, Free Press spoke to those who donated kidneys to save the lives of their siblings. Excerpts:
‘Proud of my daughter’
Vanya Tiwari, 24, from Jabalpur is doing internship in medicine. In 2023, she donated one of her kidneys to her brother Varad Tiwari. Varad, who joined the MBBS course this year, was suffering from chronic kidney failure and was on dialysis.
When their mother's kidney did not match, Vanya decided to donate one of hers to save her brother's life. Vanya's elder sister is also a doctor. "I am proud of my daughter. And I want to tell everyone that you can donate one of your kidneys safely. It doesn't affect your health," says Vanya's father, a businessman.
When medicines didn’t work
Arunesh Singh Tiwari, 49, lives in Rewa and works in revenue department. He underwent a kidney transplant last month. The kidney was donated by his sister Shalini Pandey who is a lecturer at a government higher secondary school in Sidhi. "Both my kidneys had failed and medicines didn’t work. For medical reasons, my wife could not donate her kidney. Then, my sister came forward.
Everything matched and now both of us are fine," Arunesh said. He said his sister's husband readily agreed to her donating a kidney. "If I am alive today, it is because of my sister," he said.
Cousin came forward
Shivani Manju, 37, is a housewife. Three years ago, she suddenly fell ill. Investigations revealed that her kidneys were failing. She tried Ayurveda and even spent a week at Baba Ramdev's ashram but nothing worked. Doctors said she needed a kidney transplant.
Her husband and father, both being diabetic, were not eligible to donate. Ultimately, her cousin brother Rajesh Kumar Gupta offered to donate his kidney. The transplant took place in July 2024 at Bansal Hospital in Bhopal. "If I am with my children today, it is solely because of my brother," she says.
True gift
Rita Saini,40, donated a kidney to her younger brother, 36-year-old Pancham Singh, in November last year. His kidney had failed due to hypertension. When she came to know about his condition, she offered to donate her kidney. "I feel very fortunate and lucky that my sister saved my life by donating her kidney. This is the true gift of Raksha Bandhan. I will remember this for whole of my life," Singh said.
