At The Registration Desk- Ms. Nithya

At the entrance of the stadium sat a few of our volunteers all ready to start!. We were all ready with bags and tags for doctors, patients, sponsors and volunteers neatly arranged on two tables. Those were probably the only few minutes that we  sat idle. Never did we realize that at sharp at 9.00am we would have a crowd before us, all wanting to get at the same time. Very soon on one side, we were giving away receipts along with the nametags and kitbags to the patients, and on the other side answering their queries about the schedule for the two days of the games. I enjoyed hearing our volunteersusing their multilingustic skills to all those who had come from different states and countries. In between all the announcements, I could see them trying hard to concentrate and speak patiently to all the participants. Each and everyone who came to the desk cooperated with us. There were about 200 patients and families who registered themselves. Along with the patients, we also took the registrations for the colleges and organizations that  wanted to participate in the awareness walk. We were happy too see the enthusiasm amongst the youngsters to spread the message of organ donation. Not realizing how time had flown, by noon we were quite relaxed since the games had already begun and we could see about 2000 people standing at the starting point holding their placards and banners for the awareness walk.

The registration desk was functioning on the second day also - but more relaxed. It surprised me to see so many people from  different walks of life  just wanting to be a part a the games. I could see the spirit of “Back to Life” in their eyes.  I will always treasure  my memories of the transplant games and I thank  all the participants and organisers for teaching me  a vey valuable lesson in life that “Together Everyone Achieves More”.

 Organ Donation Awareness Walk-  Mr.L G Ravi

December 13, 2003 was an unforgettable day for me because I was among 2000 and odd crowd that participate in the “Organ Donation Awareness Walk”. Though i was informed of the walk in advance I never imagined  it would be such a  big gathering  and also the distance. The walk began exactly on time at 1.00pm wiith transplant patients, doctors, trainees from police academy, college students and members of various clubs and organisations and volunteers.  The participants walked with vigour and keen interest. Particiapants  carried placards and banners, which had different  messages about organ donation on them.  The walk commenced at the Rajratnam stadium and proceeded through Pantheon and Monthieth road and finally back at the stadium at 3.30 pm.  There were a large number of onlookers, right  from politicians, police personnel, tourists and general public whi watched us from the museum, hotels and shopping malls on tje way.

Thank to the lovely climate, none of the participants had any complaints. We were all served a drink nof Milo and snacks after the completion of the walk. I am sure that Chennaites would have got the message on Organ Donation from the awareness walk as it would have registered in their mind as a rare  procession - silent  with a purpose.

 My experience in holding a sporting event - ms Stella

 When I heard the dates for the transplant  games were fixed for December 2003, I joined  MOHAN Foundation  again to be on part of their team and to help them with the sporting events and awareness talk. I took it up as a challenge, as these games were of a unique kind, and never before held in Chennai. I am very indebted to Dr.Sunil Shroff and Mrs Shaila  for putting their full trust in me and encouraging me all along. The first thing I did was to get the cooperation of all the colleges as we decided to target the students for the awareness walk. The first college I went along with Suman, our  D G Vaishnav college. The spantaneousresponse from Prof.B.Krishnan (principal) and Dr.K.Moorthy (Physical education Director) was overwhelming. I felt so motivated that the rest just fell into place. It was a very tedious and backbreaking job, but with the help of two committed individuals my job looked like it would be smooth sailing. My special gratitude to  Dr. Moorthy and his team of dedicated officials and my wholehearted thanks to Mr. Ganesh, a NSS Volunteer from D.G.Vaishnava College. He was with me throught and pitched in wherever help was required. their untiring support. My special thanks to Dr. P. Mahalingam (coordinator NSS) for taking a personal interest and making sure that the entire NSS of Chennai came for the event.  Special thanks for the Lions and Rotary clubs who supported the cause of organ donation.  Because of all these people the awareness talk was a tremendous success. It was easier for me to get sponsors, than  to get the field and  torch burner ready.

The best part was when everyone came and asked when the next event is. Our vote for the best athlete goes to T. Balakumar from Coimbatore who showed immense initiative and enthusiasm and participated in the maximum  number of events in the games. I think this made my day as the cause was understood and the awareness on organ donation had spread on.

 Indoor Games - Ms. Rajalakshmi Ravi

As part of the VIII All India Transplant Games, a number of indoor games were held for the participants to prove their mettle. These included badminton, table tennis and swimming. The venue was University Union Grands at Chetpet. I was entrusted with the job of transporting the participants to the venue, and conducting the games and bringing them back to the stadium safely. The minibus of Ramachandra  Medical College was put at our disposal. We had to make three trips to the venue.  The participants were from Nepal, Sri Lanka and various states from India. Dr.Moorthy, Physical education Director  of DG Vaishanav College helped me in many ways. He had requested referees of international repute to conduct the games for us. There were about 14 participants for badminton (male) and four female participants for badminton, all in the age group of 19-40 yrs. It was decided to conduct for donor and recipients for table tennis. The Nepaliese participants, had come, it seemed, all prepared to fight a battle a sorts.

 At the badminton court, the participants were two female donors and two recipients.  They played against each other and the settled the first and second prize.  In the men’s section there was only a single donor, and the rest were recipients. Since I felt that it was not fair to make recipients play against donors, the donor was given the prize in his category - a walkover in a manner of speaking! In the reciepient category, the matches were conducted without a hitch.There was a tough final match between Sri Lanka and India. Both Played extremely well/ The referees were fair and conducted the games in a highly competent manner.

For Swimming , the venue was Hotel Taj Connemara. The volunteer in-charge was Mrs.Madhu. There were four male participants in the 19-40 age group and only one above 40 tears. Hence with the consent of the latter all five of them were asked to swim together prizes were given appropriately.  

 The indoor games gave me an insight into the minds of the recipients and established to me that even after a transplant  people could lead a  very normal life if they could take care of themselves  by doing physical exercises daily.  My sincere congratulations to the winners and best wishes to the participants. My prayers to all of them to have a long and healthy life.

 Fun games - Ms Suman

As the name suggests, the games were real fun, for one and all including parents. Apart from the track and field events the fun games were a  major attraction.

We had many games; The prominent ones were Brick Game, 7 up & 7 down, hoopla, lucky draw, pyramid etc.  All the games were thoroughly enjoyed.  The brick game was  the most challenging among all. The participants had to hold the brick had been dipped in water for a long time it had become heavier than what it had been originally. It was a real challenge to hold it for a minute. Hoopla and lucky draw were the most rewarding games a many won prizes for it. There were young participants who won more than 10 prizes. The cheerful smiles they had were unforgettable. Teh fun games were played in joyful spirit by all the participants because of which we decided to continue it for the second day too.

 The cultural Night – Mrs. Vasanthi

The hosting of the VIII All India Transplant and SAARC Games was indeed an important milestone in the history of MOHAN Foundation since its inception. On 13 December 2003 evening a cultural program has been arranged for the entertainment of the transplant patients and their escorts at Rama Kalyana Mandapam.

the programme was compeered by Mr. Nilu of Even Talk. There was light music by the Friends Orchestra who gave a truly cosmopolitan fare for the benefits of the delegates who had come from all parts of Inia and also from Sri Lanka and Nepal.  Hindi film songs that were hits of yesteryears filled the air with nostalgic memories and Tamil hits of recent times made the audience tap. A malayalam song was also sung by one of the group members. 

A singhlese song was sung by a delegate from Sri LSnka and Ms.Rama a kidney transplant patient and a medical college student sang a carnatic music song.

To crown it all, there was a dance performance  in Kuchipudi style by Vempathi Ravi Shankar, son and disciple of  Vempathi Chinna Sathyam.  Ravi, a kidney recipient gave a grace and energetic performance. His actions would have motivated many participants to do better for themselves.  The other recitals included a Bharatnatyam performance, devotional and folk dance.

One of the trustees of Tanker Foundation Mr.Suresh Balaji's son, Master Suraj was called on stage and introduced as an upcoming and promising child artiste in Indian Cinema.

An audio and video show was arranged at the entrance so that as the audience could view all the events that had taken place that day, including the Awareness walk, the lighting of the torch and so on. Cine Actor Madhavan’s message was also flashed on the screen for all to see and hear, as he could not personally attend the function.

The caterers of Sri Ramachandra Medical College canteen served a good buffet dinner.

The most fitting finale to the evening’s programme was the surprise cake for Dr. Sunil Shroff and family. Dr.Shroff in turn surprised us by dedicating the evening to all volunteers of MOHAN Foundation.

 Transport and accomodation - Mr Shiva

The intention of the transplant games was to go beyond the cause of organ donation and create awareness that a healthy life with sports and other activities is possible after organ transplantation. MOHAN Foundation, Chennai geared up for the event. Invitations were sent to all the organ recipients throughout India and SAARC countries.  The list of willing  participants were confirmed  and arrangements were made for their  stay at Chennai.

On arrival the of the participants, two vans, two cars and a bus, which had been engaged by the Foundation were pressed into service, to transport the participants from the station/airport to their rooms. The participants were housed in Budget star hotels and Guest houses according to their needs and budgets. On the evening of the first day after registration and inaugural function, a cultural programme was arranged followed by a dinner, for which the participants were transported to and from the kalyana mandabam, the venue of the cultural programme. Each and every detail including food was looked into with great care till the end of the event. The sports events went off successfully with the participants being finally transported from their accomodation to the station/airport where they were seen off individually.

The total responsibily of the transport for the transplant games partocipants from their accomodation to the venue of games and cultural events and on the final day to the station/airport was taken care of meticulously  to the last detail.

 Food - Bon appetit - Ms Uma.

A sports meet of any kind immediately brings to mind refreshment for the athletes, the right kind of food and drink to replenish and rejuvenate the participants. The transplant games while celebrating the return of normalcy of the transplant recipients and also brought to focus the  need to eat and drink right to continue to be healthy. The participants were not only recipients but also donor,  patients on dialysis  with myriad  health issues catering to  these diverse diets was a challenge indeed.  While special diets diabetic and other diet packets were  made available to those who needed them, for others  good quality  vegetarian food was served to all volunteers, visitors and others. A token system ensured that all the participants got the required refreshments. Aavin had a special booth to dispense milk to all participants. Cookie man has everyone chomping and chewing on their freshly baked cookies. On 14th December, Mrs. Radha  Venkataclam, CEO Sri Ramachandra Medical College sponsored lunch not only for the participants, but also for  all the volunteers and visitors, in memory of Sri Ramaswamy Wodeyar, Founder  Chancellor of Sri  Ramachandra Medical College, Chennai. Jaya  and I were overwhelmed by the positive response from the participants  with regards to the taste and quality of food.

 Ringside view - Dr George Kurian

I am not a sportsman and have rarely taken part in competitive sports. One can put it down to laziness and lack of discipline. I am the 1st person in the world who would venture to be a part of any sporting activity. Yet I was persuaded to spend two days being a volunteer to the games Dr. Sunil Shroff organised in Chennai. I was there with my colleague, Mr. Tamil Maran, Transplant coordinators at CMC Hospital, Vellore.

Sunil is the livewire behind and organization called the MOHAN of which I am a proud member. He has almost singlehandedly been responsible for all its activities. It encourages the sharing and utilisation of cadaver organs. It has served a s a model for other networks and i get the impression that the concept of sharing   is spreading is because of this. Therefore despite my inward reluctance, I forced myself to participate.

On the day prior to the games there was a meeting t MOHAN office.  Sunil had requisitioned hs family and friends to work at the preparations and the office turned into a beehive of activity.  The next day the stadium wore the look of a  regular sports meet with flags and banners. There was no dearth of volunteers. It made me feel redundant. There were large contingents of recipients from Nepal and Sri Lanka against whom my group from Vellore seemed a paltry number.  Many of these were veteran sportsmen and women who had been practicing and preparing for the event. Not all of them were 100% weel, they bore scars  of infections and some had acne and florid looks due t steroids. However there were many young children who looked healthy as any other child.  Perhaps we have cyclosporine to thank for.  What was most impressive was  the lively spirit among these courageous people.

The programme began with a walk led by a little lad Sankeeth from Bangalore and Aarthi from Delhi.  The marchers attracted a lot f gawking and attention from the public.  I wonder how many understood the message that life after transplant can be a full one.  It got through to me. I had recently made the journey into liver transplantation. The two patients who were under my care were very well, but I had thought they were just lucky aberrations to the general rule that following  transplantations, life was restricted.  Therefore it was enlightening to meet a young man from Hyderabad who played  a full game of tennis everyday and another from Coimbatore participated in more than one event. One of my patients, who does door to door saree selling to make a living, participated in the running event.  I imagined he would win the race since he seemed to be bursting with health; it was an eye opener to find him trailing in the fifth place.

Sunil had also got senior officials, the media and some university students. The students had their own races. One group came from SRM engineering college, I think it was because of the encouragement of a student Swami Narayan, whose mother Ms. Lalitha  Raghuram is a Transplant coordinator at Global Hospital, Hyderabad. Tragically this young man lost his life and his mother in a demonstration of quiet integrity donated his organs to saves lives of others.

The celebrations were over  by the evening of the next day. The chief guests of the closing ceremony were Mrs. Anju  Bobby George and Mr. Bobby George. The final meeting was a time of reflection. I had seen so much, met many new people including the founder of Transplantation Games of India  Mr. RVS Yadav; Dr. Georgi of TANKER Foundation and Dr. Subba Rao of  Apollo Hospital were present.  There seemed to be a sense of camaraderie among our different hospitals and places of work. It was very encouraging.

 Memories… Mrs Madhu B Seth

Two most memorable days of my 42 years of existence.  At the onset I thank God for giving us the beautiful weather and the opportunity to show to the world our motto for the games “Back to life’.  The very air around us seem to say “Devil, please forgive us - we are not gone yet , we are strong  as you are  in will and in health”. In our quest for life we forget that when God closes a door on some he opens a window somewhere.  That is what is precisely  seen in this mega event where people from far off places  like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Seychelles came in good numbers  to show off their might, undeterred by the illness and transplantations they had undergone.  So what if they lived on borrowed organs, their hearts and minds had readily accepted this because they wnted to spiring back to life.

I was fortunate to interact with four such transplanted patients coming from  different walks of life, the single most important common factor  being  the zest with which  they exhibited their might at the swimming  competition held at the Taj Connemara, Chennai the essence and vigour with which they  competed  with each other only proved  the essence of the games. Unspoken words were written largely on their actions.  The fear seen on the face of the hotel manager  vanished when  he saw their ability and vigour.  No matter how much I tried to dispel his fears , he was very nervous  about the swimming competition and I thought  he would be the one in need of a doctor than anybody else!

It seems to be embedded in one’s mind that if a man due to destiny  is to suffer from life threatening problems like organ failure, he is written off. That mindset has to be broken and this was the precise essence of the games. I pray that God bestows on us many more such moments so that we can make this world a better place to live in. 

 TANKER Foundation- Ms Lavanya

It was a privilege and honour for us at TANKER Foundation to assist MOHAN Foundation in this yeoman effort.  This event over two days,13th & 14th December 2003, brought together people from as far as the north east states to celebrate life after transplant.

Helping at the registration desk in the morning I was amazed at the turnout. Each one who had registered was given  a sports kit. In their tracksuits they were athletes and the term patient seemed passé.  There were special games for the donors and plenty of indoor and fun games for those who did not op for the track. 

Out of the hospital environment and without their white coats, the doctors had taken time off to have fun time with their patients. While watching the patients receive their prizes and mementoes one could feel that this interaction was twice blessed - like doctors grateful for the knowledge and skill and the patients- for the new lease in life.  It was a true celebration of human spirit. 

 All for a noble cause – Mr. K. Ganesh, DG Vaishnav College 

I enjoyed being a part of the VIII All India & SAARC Transplant Games and feel happy to have contributed my service to society. On the first day of the program, the organ donation awareness walk saw the participation of more than 1500 NSS volunteers from various colleges to make it a grand success. They covered a total of almost 2.5 kms. The sports event included track events, indoor sports like badminton, table tennis  etc and rejuvenated  and delighted the patients of all ages. I thank my principal Prof. B. Krishnan and Physical Director Dr. K. Moorthy who let me be a part of this great event.  In those two days i was really moved and regard them as special days of my life.  I sincerely hope to serve MOHAN in future and assure that i shall try to motivate all people towards the noble cause of organ donation.