Surat – This year’s Raksha Bandhan witnessed an extraordinary and deeply emotional moment that redefined the meaning of relationships, love, and humanity. In a rare and touching gesture, 15-year-old Anamata Ahmed from Mumbai, who had received the donated hand of nine-year-old brain-dead girl Riya Bobby Mistry, travelled to Valsad to tie a rakhi on the wrist of Riya’s brother, Shivam. The occasion became more than just a festival, symbolising an unbreakable bond between two families and bridging two faiths.
In September 2024, Riya from Valsad was declared brain-dead at Surat’s Kiran Hospital. Through the efforts of the organisation Donate Life, her right hand was donated and successfully transplanted by Dr. Nilesh Satbhai to Anamata, a resident of Goregaon in Mumbai. Anamata had lost her right hand in an accident, and the transplant not only restored her physically but also gave her a sister in Riya and a brother in Shivam.
Making the journey from Mumbai to Valsad for the festival, Anamata tied a rakhi to Shivam with the very hand that once belonged to Riya. The emotional significance of the moment moved everyone present to tears.
Riya’s parents, Bobby and Trishna, expressed that it felt as though their daughter had returned to them. They described the rakhi and the touch as a living reminder of Riya, embracing Anamata as if they were holding their daughter once more. An emotional Anamata said she had no words to thank Riya’s family, as Riya’s hand had given her a new beginning in life.
As per agency report, Donate Life president Nilesh Mandlewala described the moment as “the greatest religion of humanity,” proving that love and service transcend all boundaries of faith.
Through Donate Life, a total of 1,336 organs and tissues have been donated so far, including 542 kidneys, 235 livers, 57 hearts, 52 lungs, nine pancreases, eight hands, one small intestine, and 432 eyes. These donations have given new life and vision to 1,232 people in India and abroad, making this Raksha Bandhan a true embodiment of divine compassion and unity.
