Kalbadevicha Raja to root for organ donation this year

[related-post]

Titled Kalbadevicha Raja (Kalbadevi’s King), the 14-foot Ganesh idol has already been placed at the pandal.

Mandal president Manoj Amare said, “We will put up hoardings and distribute pamphlets among the visitors urging them to sign up for organ donation. When we got in touch with the anatomy department at Sion hospital, they told us that though they print 10,000-12,000 organ donation forms every year, they get only about 50 people to sign up for it. We have already assured them that 50 of our volunteers will take up the cause.”

Amare also said that since the time of the mandal’s inception in 2010, it has been taking up social causes to create awareness among people.

In their first year, they had undertaken a campaign against female infanticide. Subsequently, mandal volunteers have also taken up ‘Save Water’, ‘Save Trees’ and ‘Care for Senior Citizens’ themes. Being involved in social work, the mandal discusses issues plaguing the city that can be highlighted during the
festival. A caterer by profession, Amare said that his mandal also holds blood donation camps through the rest of the year in the Kalbadevi area.

“Since the mandal’s inception, we have been opting for only eco-friendly Ganesh idols. We create the idol using paper pulp which does not cause much harm to the environment,” he added.

tanushree.venkatraman
@expressindia.com