Three individuals from Gaya and Aurangabad, Niraj Kumar, Balbir Chandrawanshi, and Navin Singh, united by their passion for saving lives, have formed a formidable blood donor group. Niraj, a recipient of the Good Samaritan Award, has inspired his friends to join his mission. Together, these ‘raktveers’ regularly organize camps, contributing significantly to blood banks and dispelling myths surrounding blood donation.
Gaya: Niraj Kumar, Balbir Chandrawanshi and Navin—all residents of Gaya and Aurangabad districts—have different blood groups. Whereas Navin has got ‘B positive’ blood group, Balbir Chandrawanshi and Navin are with ‘O negative’ and ‘O positive’ groups respectively.
But they have one thing in common—the passion to save lives, mostly lives of unknown people of different religions, castes and regions.An average human body contains approximately five litres of blood. Niraj, a resident of Sagahi Khap village under Sherghati block, has already donated 18.5 litres of blood split over 57 donations.Niraj (34) has the ambition to donate blood 151 times in his lifetime. He is scheduled to donate another unit of blood on April 20.Niraj’s blood donation journey began 14 years back after his sister’s death due to blood loss aroused the Good Samaritan in him. Niraj has donated blood in different places including Delhi, Kolkata, Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad.He has also been organising camps to create awareness and dispel myths about the belief that donating blood weakens the donor’s body.In acknowledgement of his work, the then President Ramnath Kovind bestowed him with the Good Samaritan Award from Gaya.
Niraj has pledged his body to a Patna-based organisation engaged in facilitating organ transplant.Not satisfied just with personal blood donation, Niraj also persuaded his two other friends Balbir Chandrawanshi and Navin Kumar, reluctant donors in the beginning, to acquire the same missionary zeal. Balbir Chandrawanshi, who made the first blood donation in 2018, has so far donated blood 23 times and counting.Navin Singh was the third to join the group during the Coronavirus period to save the life of his friend. He has so far donated blood 13 times.The trio has now created a well-knit group of blood warriors which they call ‘raktveers’ under the banner of ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh Raktdan’. The organisation regularly organises blood donation camps and makes deposits in different blood banks.A fourth ‘raktveer’, Pravesh Kumar, an ex-Army man and a resident of Dariyapur village, too has joined the club. Post retirement he joined the life saving group of donors and he has donated blood 17 times till date.
