Bhopal girl lights hope in death, family makes midnight call to donate her eyes

BHOPAL: Six-year-old Asmi died on Wednesday after slipping off the balcony of her fourth-floor apartment in the city. But in death, she lit a flame of hope, gave vision to the blind. Asmi's eyes were donated just hours before her cremation.
Grappling with tragedy, Asmi's father displayed rare courage and philanthropy, making a midnight call to the collector to expedite the organ donation process.
Anil Bharadwaj and wife Manisha wanted to immortalise their daughter's memory. They wanted to donate all her organs, but since she was too young, only her eyes were sent to the organ bank.
"It was a joint decision by my daughter, Manisha and her husband Anil. They wished that Asmi should live on in even in death. In the hour of tragedy, it was unthinkable for us to take such a decision. Asmi was their only child," said Satyadeo Katare, former home minister of the state.
Mother Manisha was inconsolable on Friday. The family was in mourning. Uncle Hemant Katare said, "Asmi's father wanted to donate all her organs to help someone in need, but only her eyes could be donated as she was too young." Katare also described his grand-daughter as a girl brimming with life, very intelligent and sharp for a six-year old.
"She secured admission in Sanskriti School, New Delhi, on merit and without her parents being interviewed," said another family member. She was the apple of the eye of the entire family. Six-year old When Asmi fell off the balcony, only her mother Manisha was present at home. On hearing the news, her father, an Indian Revenue Service officer, posted in Gujarat, called the Bhopal collector, Nishant Warwade, and expressed his wish to donate Asmi's organs.
Speaking to TOI, chief medical head officer, Bhopal, Dr Pankaj Shukla said, "On the collector's order, we sent a team around 2 am to the Bharadwaj residence to collect Asmi's corneas as the organs have to be collected within 6 hours of death." It was only after the surgical procedure, were her last rites were performed.