An Angel - Shivade kaku!
Organ Donation came into our life quite unexpectedly. Alongwith it came some souls whom I never expected existed in today's world.
In January 2017, two of us had attended a Club meeting in an upmarket area of the city. The Organ Donation Presentation was the reason for us and the club members gave us an opportunity at 11:00pm. Our impression of that group obviously was strained. In the group we met an old lady. She was all smiles, with an orthodox saree and simple looks, seeming out of place there.
After a month, the same lady came to meet us at our weekly ReBirth meets. With the same enthusiasm as the earlier meet, she expressed her desire to work for Organ Donation awareness. Until then she had got more than 1000 Eye Donations forms filled.
Every meet of ReBirth after that day we experienced that smiling face, never talking much, only validating everything that was happening in the meet.
In 1st October 2017, we had a wonderful Event, Rangathon, at Amanora. It was intriguing to see Shivade kaku manage to attend this fun Event, 20 km away from her home. She had come there on Bus! The only reason for all the effort was Organ Donation!
As time passed, she started giving Presentations on Organ Donation. Over the next one year she carried on this zeal to such a level that wherever and whenever she found some scope of Presentation, she would directly approach the concerned authorities, fixed the date and time, or gave the Presentation then and there. No inhibitions at all. It was unbelievable to see her give Presentations in Banks, Yoga centres, Government offices, and once even to a Dhol-Lejim group during Ganeshotsav.
She, at 75 years of age, was living alone. When you expect at that age for the children to serve their Parents, she brought her married daughter, who was seriously ill, to her house, looked after her for six months and allowed her to go back only after she completely recovered.
In October 2018, both of us had gone to an IT Company for Presentation of Organ Donation. She had no role to play there. But attended only to support me.
Someone in that Company asked me whether she was my mother. This was a moment of joy for both of us. Really, in Organ Donation work, she supported me just like a mother!
She then, during ReBirth meets, started sharing about her career as an officer in Irrigation Department. We came to know that inspite of working in a Goverment department she had successfully been honest and uncorrupted for the entire career.
In May 18th, 2019, I got a call at 1:00pm from Indumati, our volunteer. Shivade kaku and Indumati were scheduled to visit a Hospital for Organ Donation activity at 3:00pm. She was concerned about Shivade kaku, who had confirmed about their 3:00pm meet at 12:00noon, but not answering her call at 1:00pm. Within the next hour we got the information of Shivade kaku passing away due to heart attack. It was a rude shock!
In the next couple of hours, Shivade kaku who had practically worked till her last breath, her eyes were donated and then in another couple of hours, her body to a Medical College.
A week before this incidence, kaku had shared that after all her various medical Operations including a heart Operation, she didn't know how or why she still lived. She had then shared that maybe the reason for her life was the awareness of Organ Donation!
People earn a lot of wealth in their lifetime, others earn Name and Fame. But, everyone fails to take along any of these after they expire. After death, it's called a 'body' and not even with their name.
But Shivade kaku took with her all the wealth of love, empathy, selflessness, discipline and caring. It's a vacuum we can never fill.
An Angel had visited this Earth. We were blessed to experience her. She shared, she laughed, she taught us the way to live life, and she left.
Shivade kaku.... An Angel touching our life!
