Surat: Nilesh Mandalewala, who has been continuously working in the field of organ donation awareness for the past two decades, has been awarded the 'Padma Shri' honor by the Government of India. Known as the 'Organ Man of India' and the founder of Donate Life, Nilesh Mandalewala was honored by President Droupadi Murmu at the Padma Awards 2026 ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The event was attended by several dignitaries including Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah.
In recognition of his invaluable contributions to social service and organ donation, the Government of India announced his name for the Padma Shri award on January 26, 2026. After receiving the honor, an emotional Nilesh Mandalewala stated that this recognition is not just for him or the Donate Life organization, but for the entire city of Surat, the state of Gujarat, all organ donors, their families, and everyone associated with the organ donation campaign. He dedicated this award to his late parents and Lord Dwarkadhish.
Nilesh Mandalewala mentioned that the success of the organ donation campaign has been significantly supported by doctors, hospitals, Surat City Police, Airport Authority, the forensic department of the civil hospital, CISF, media organizations, volunteers, and social organizations in Surat and South Gujarat. He expressed that this honor would inspire him to advance the organ donation awareness campaign with even greater responsibility. It is noteworthy that Nilesh Mandalewala started the organ donation awareness campaign in Surat in 2005.
In the initial phase, there was a significant lack of awareness among people, but he did not give up. He spent hours standing outside hospital ICUs, explaining organ donation to the families of brain-dead patients. He faced opposition, humiliation, and difficult situations multiple times, but he continued his mission.
In 2014, he established the 'Donate Life' organization, through which extensive awareness about organ donation has been spread across the country via seminars, walkathons, exhibitions, radio-TV programs, and digital and social media campaigns. The organization has reached over 100 million people so far. Thanks to the efforts of Nilesh Mandalewala and his organization, over 1380 organs and tissues have been donated, giving new life and hope to more than 1270 people both domestically and internationally.
During the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a crucial role in donating 203 organs and tissues from Surat, providing new life to 182 patients. For his contributions in the field of organ donation, he has received over 70 awards from various organizations in India and abroad, including the highest civilian award from the Gujarat government, the 'Gujarat Garima Award'. Today, the city of Surat, recognized as a textile and diamond city, has also made a distinct identity in the field of organ donation awareness, largely credited to Padma Shri Nilesh Mandalewala and his organization Donate Life.
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