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Pune temples making a social difference through healthcare
Temples like Shree Sadguru Shankar Maharaj and Shri Moraya Gosavi’s Sanjeevan Samadhi Temple are making a difference in society by saving hundreds of lives through the blood collected at their blood donation camps
Pune
Temples in Pune are setting up examples for hospitals, blood banks, and other social organisations in the city by conducting successful blood donation camps. Temples like Shree Sadguru Shankar Maharaj and Shri Moraya Gosavi’s Sanjeevan Samadhi Temple are making a difference in society by saving hundreds of lives through the blood collected at their blood donation camps.
Blood has always been in demand due to surgeries, accidents, or other patients who need regular blood transfusions. The Shankar Maharaj Temple trust, Dhankawdi was the first to start the blood donation camp in June 2019, when there was a shortage of blood due to blood donations affected due to covid-19 pandemic.
The idea has now started to become popular and has been replicated by the Shri Moraya Gosavi’s Sanjeevan Samadhi Temple, Chinchwad two months back. The temples are providing the blood collected during the camps to major hospitals like Sassoon Hospitals, Aundh District Hospitals, Sahyadri Hospital, KEM Hospital, Ruby Hall Clinic and Bharati Hospital amongst others. In the next month, the initiative will be also started at the Mahaganpati Temple Trust, Ranjangaon which is one of the Ashtavinayak temples.
Pratap Bhosale, a trustee of Shankar Maharaj Temple Trust, said, “There was a shortage of blood in the city and no blood donation, so we decided to conduct blood donation camps. Later due to requests of the devotees and donors we continue the camps.”
Ram Bangad, a founder of NGO ‘Raktache Nate’, which conducts the awareness programme at the temple and felicitates the donation camps, informed that since the initiative started the Shankar Maharaj Temple trust has collected as many as 7,831 blood bags during the camps.
“On average around 50 to 100 blood bags are collected during a blood donation camp but at this temple, the average has gone up to around 400 blood bags every camp. With thousands of visitors to the temples visiting every Thursday, there is a possibility to convert a large number of potential blood donors through awareness,” he said.
Sandeep More, a donor opined, blood donation is the easiest and most effective act a human could perform to help another.
At Shri Moraya Gosavi’s Sanjeevan Samadhi Temple, the blood donation camps were started two months back. To date, they have collected as many as 397 blood bags.
Ganesh Patil, who has been a regular blood donor said, “What motivates me to donate blood is to know that through this simple act, I can save a life. I am very pleased by the fact that the people that know that I am a voluntary donor become heroes, themselves, saving lives,” he said.
Mandar Maharaj Deo, chief trustee, Chinchwad Devasthan Trust, which heads the Morya Gosavi temple trusts, said the initiative was started as a part of social activity.