Durga Padhi : Mission "Tyaga"

India is today running 10% short of its total blood requirement. In absolute terms this shortfall is over 12 lakh units a year. This deficit is surprising even when the eligible donor population of India is more than 512 million. But way back 1982 a visionary of Odisha foresee the shortage of blood supply which our nation was heading for. At individual level he took the initiative to create the public awareness for doing blood donations.

In the year 1986 he setup a society by the name Tyaga to meet the need of acute shortage of blood for the sick and the injured persons across Western Odisha. The man behind this great cause is the visionary and the philanthropist Durga Padhi. Despite being a lawyer by  vocation during mid 80’s of the last Century he able to foresee a burning issue which even no doctor or any physician of Odisha able to sense.

It is worth to note how Durga Padhi was at all inspired to undertake such a great cause to pursue as an ambition for this life of His. He recalls an event of his college life. It was the year 1982 then he was a student of Intermediate (10^th+2). He got to know that a relative of his barber was sick and with urgency seek infusion of blood. He along with one of his friend by the name took the bold step. Without telling their parents they went to the District Head Quarter Hospital at Sambalpur to donate blood. They fear to talk about it because donating blood was considered to be a social taboo. On donating blood Durga Padhi got a whole spoon of glucose powder that was provided by the hospital authority. He was happy to swallow the sweet powder at one go.  But while returning home both friends had a sense of accomplishment. They reached home and went up stair to chitchat in his room. In the mean while Durga Padhi heard the entrance gate of his house banged. When he looked outside the window he saw his father was furiously shouting, Where is Durga? His father was a  man of anger and strict discipline. His friend hide beneath the bed. His father reached his room with a stick. He asked only one question, did you went to hospital to donate blood? When Durga lowered his head, his father started beating rampantly all over his body. Durga started sobbing with pain on his abdomen, thigh, buttock and the chest. His mother rushed to rescue her son from the wrath of his father.

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Next day after college both friends went to hospital to meet the patient. Durga felt serene when he saw smile in the face of the patient. But unfortunately the recipient of the blood could not survive. His friends taunted at them saying their blood is bad, that is why the patient expired. This event made a deep impact in the life of Durga Padhi. He set a clear goal to live a meaningful life.   

 

For these long 31 years Durga Padhi is working relentlessly to generate public awareness to donate blood. Until now his society Tyaga has organized six national workshops for Voluntary Blood Donors Organizations. That apart Tyaga has organized several State level workshops on the burning issue of shortage of blood and to recruit blood donors. It has also successfully organized Western Odisha’s 1st ever mega blood donation camp where a record number of 952 units were collected in a single day under one roof. Former Chief Minsiter Hemanada Biswal attended this event as the Chief Guest.

[Durga Padhi could be seen standing at the centre on the left it was Hemanada Biswal and on the rright its poet Padmashree Haldhar Nag]

Besides this red revolution in the liquid form mentioned above, Tyaga has provided succour to the poor and destitute people during the time of their treatment at Veer Surendra Sai Medical College and Hospital. At many instances of calamities it has rendered rescue and relief operations as well.

On individual capacity he lay 93 times on hospital bed to donate blood.  One who works for the society without any selfish motive sooner or later ought to be recognized. In the year 2008 Tyaga has been felicitated with the Governor’s Award and in the year 2016 it bagged State Award.

Related topic : http://barpalidays.blogspot.com/2018/01/life-line-barpali-drop-of-nectar.html

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E.Kiran Mohan(The writer)  
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