Surat’s organ donation crusader Nilesh Mandlewala awarded Padma Shri

Surat : Over the past two decades, 1,366 organ donations in Surat have given life to 1,258 people, thanks to the relentless efforts of Nilesh Mandlewala, who has now been honoured with the Padma Shri, the country's highest civilian award.

Mandlewala's journey began in 1997 when his father lost a kidney, and the family struggled with his health until his father's death in 2011.


Inspired to promote organ donation awareness, he started his campaign in 2005 and facilitated Surat's first kidney donation in 2006. Jagdish Shah, declared brain-dead in Surat, became the first patient whose family Mandlewala convinced to donate organs, allowing Ahmedabad's IKDRC team to perform an inter-city kidney transplant — a first in Gujarat.

He later founded the ‘Donate Life' foundation, through which 1,366 organs and tissues were donated, benefitting 1,258 recipients. These included 551 kidneys, 442 eyes, 240 livers, 57 hearts, 56 lungs, 9 pancreases, 10 hands and 1 small intestine, all donated after Mandlewala persuaded families of brain-dead patients.

In 2020-21, the Gujarat govt appointed him as a member of the state transplant committee. His tireless work has earned him numerous honours and awards, culminating in the Padma Shri recognition.
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