Hindustan Times (Patna) - Hindustan Times (Patna) - Live
CELEB POWER DRIVES ORGAN PLEDGE SPIKE
As organ donations skyrocket, we take a look at why it’s important for celebrities to endorse donation campaigns
Wouldn’t it be amazing to see the world through the eyes of Aamir Khan, or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, or Sonakshi Sinha? While Aamir has pledged to donate all his organs, Ash and Sonakshi have pledged their eyes. Their support, along with that of other Bollywood personalities, has bolstered efforts to increase organ donation pledges in India.
For ages, doctors and social activists have struggled to make people understand the significance of organ donation — simply put, it can transform lives. So, the recent report by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, stating that pledges had increased an incredible 16,500% — from 9,000 to 15,00,000 — in the past two years, is bound to be received with applause. And Bollywood deserves a big hand, too.
Sunayana Singh, CEO, ORGAN India, an initiative by Delhi-based NGO, The Parashar Foundation, says, “We’ve been supported by several Bollywood personalities such as actors Shabana Azmi and Nana Patekar, and writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar. Some have pledged their organs, and some are supporting the campaign. Even if celebrities don’t pledge their organs, just the fact that they endorse such a campaign means a lot.”
Singh explains that in India, the decision of organ donation isn’t made by the donor alone. “In India, the decision is made by the donor’s family, too. So, if one has been saying throughout one’s lifetime that one wants to donate one’s organs, then the family would also think of doing so after the individual’s death,” says Singh.
Aishwarya had pledged to donate her eyes in the ’90s, and her striking TV campaign spurred a rise in the number of pledges. “In the ad, for the first few seconds, only her eyes were visible, but people recognised her stunning slate grey eyes,” says adman Prahlad Kakar.
Kakar adds that the increase in pledges is also because of greater awareness. “It’s a combination of Bollywood people promoting the whole thing, and then people reading about it, feeling compassionate, and thinking, ‘Why should someone burn my body if people can use its parts?’, or, ‘It will be of some use after I’m gone’.”
However, to keep public interest alive, celebrity support is invaluable. Celebrity manager Anirban Blah says that Bollywood names — or any names with similar clout — need to engage more with campaigns that affect society. He names Dia Mirza (“for the environment”) and Deepika Padukone (“in the area of mental health”) as two celebs who have shown consistent commitment. He says, “I think more celebrities need to do this. You can’t use your voice just to sell chips, cola and movie tickets. Organ donation is just one of the things they should talk about.”