New Delhi, 01 November (H.S.): Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Sunday called for making organ donation a powerful expression of humanity, stressing the need to build a society where more patients receive transplants and fewer lives are lost while waiting for organs.

The Vice-President inaugurated the National Organ Transplant Games 2026 at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. The event brought together transplant recipients, organ donors, healthcare professionals, family members and other stakeholders from across the country.

Paying tribute to deceased organ donors, Radhakrishnan expressed his heartfelt condolences to their families. He said their selfless decisions had given others a second chance at life. Describing the Games as a celebration of courage, determination, compassion and the precious gift of life, he highlighted the significance of organ donation in transforming and saving lives.

The Vice-President described organ donation as a ‘Mahadaan’, saying it offered hope even in the face of loss. He observed that the organ donation movement in India had received considerable impetus from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent emphasis on the subject through his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ addresses.

Radhakrishnan said the Games celebrated the resilience of transplant recipients and demonstrated the life-changing potential of modern medicine. He appreciated the participants for their courage, discipline and sporting spirit, noting that their achievements inspired hope among those awaiting organ transplants.

Calling for greater public awareness about organ donation, the Vice-President stressed the need to dispel myths and misconceptions, encourage informed decisions and motivate people to communicate their wishes to their family members. He said the National Organ Transplant Games provided an excellent platform to advance this mission by bringing together transplant recipients, donors, healthcare professionals and their families.

During the programme, the Vice-President released the ‘Zindagi Dobara’ calendar and felicitated the medal winners of the World Transplant Games 2025, held in Dresden, Germany.

He also witnessed a world-record attempt in which 570 transplant recipients and organ donors performed Tadasana together. Following the successful attempt, the organisers received a certificate from the World Book of Records, New Delhi, recognising it as the “Largest Congregation of Transplant Recipients and Donors Performing Tadasana”.

The programme was attended by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav, Lok Sabha MP Bansuri Swaraj, Dr. D. S. Rana, Chairman of the Sir Ganga Ram Trust Society and Chief Patron of NOTG 2026, Dr. A. K. Bhalla, Organising Chairman of NOTG 2026, and Dr. Anil Kumar, Director of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), among other dignitaries.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar