© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In the wake of the communal tensions and uprising that are raising their ugly heads every now and then in India, this story of a man from Bihar is what we all need to hear today. Jawed Alam, a Muslim, donated his blood by breaking his Ramadan fast, to save the life of a child suffering from thalassemia. It is a fatal condition which requires the patient to transfuse blood every three to four weeks. He gave his blood to eight-year-old Rajesh Kumar in Gopalganj district, a district health official as quoted by the IANS. The little boy, who had complained of weakness and uneasiness, required immediate blood transfusion. His father, who had travelled some 200 kms from the Kuchaikote area, was losing hope as his son’s condition deteriorated.
On seeing Kumar’s condition, Anwar Hussain, the sweeper and cleaner at Sadar hospital where he was admitted, requested his friend Alam to help. “When my friend Anwar requested me to donate blood to a seriously ill thalassemia patient, I politely informed him that I was observing Ramzan fast. But he convinced me to arrive and consulted doctors. At first even the doctors refused my offer as I was fasting,” he said. But after he broke his fast, consumed fruit juice and some solids, the doctors allowed him to donate blood. “My religion teaches me to help a fellow human first, so I broke my fast and donated blood to save little Rajesh. Islam preaches that humanity is bigger than everything,” said Alam.
Another story of Arif Khan, a man from Dehradun, who donated his blood to save the life of 20-year-old Ajay Bijlawan by breaking his Ramadan fast, also amassed attention widely in the recent past.
