Going beyond Raksha Bandhan: When sisters gift life to their brothers

The tradition of Raksha Bandhan is that the sister shows love for her brother by tying the sacred thread round his wrist, while the brother in turn pledges protection and care. However, sisters today are going far beyond the ritual and gifting their brothers a new lease of life.

Mudasir Ahmad, 25, a computer operator from Ladgoo village near Jammu, suffered from high blood pressure which affected his kidneys. When his condition worsened, his sister Ulfat Jan, 28, came to his rescue by donating her kidney to him and her husband supported her decision. While Ulfat could not be contacted, her proud husband lance naik AB Raouf, an army personnel, shared his views with Hindustan Times.

He said, “Many people were against our decision, even my mother was not happy but the doctor at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) reassured us that no harm would come to my wife and we went ahead with the transplant operation.” While Mudasir’s parents were not medically fit to donate their kidney, Ulfat came forward. Raouf said, “We have two children but Mudasir is unmarried. We want him to have a happy life ahead.”

However, Ulfat’s brother Mudasir said, “Main zindagi bhar unka ehsaan nahi chukka sakta. (I can never repay my sister for what she has done for me).” While they do not celebrate Raksha Bandhan day, he said: “There are a lot of things I wish to do for her. I can’t wait to get fit again.”

Not limited to a day

Amarjit Kaur, 58, from Solan, earned praise all round when she donated her kidney to her younger brother, Rajinder Singh. While she is unmarried, Rajinder Singh is the father of two young boys. She said, “The owner of the school where I teach motivated me. I was even honoured on Organ Donation Day by my school.” Rajinder Singh had been on dialysis for the past two years and it was a torment for the family to see him suffer. While her parents are heart patients and her two other sisters are married, she decided to take this step for her brother. She told HT that her brother was recovering rapidly and she was very happy for him. Amarjit Kaur doesn’t believe in exchanging gifts and tying rakhis to show her love for her brother on a single day.

Bond for life

On the other hand, Kamlesh Kaur from Kurukshetra, 48, can’t wait to celebrate Raksha Bandhan and makes it a point to tie the rakhi to her brother Kamal Singh, 44, who lives in Panchkula, in advance. Kamlesh says that she got complete support from everyone in the family when she donated a kidney to him. She says she’s happy to have helped her brother when he needed it the most. Kamal had high blood pressure and both his kidneys were affected. “Whenever I get a chance, I will definitely stand by my sister just as she has stood by me,” he adds.