A Tale of ‘Communal’ Kidney

A noble act, for which even the divines would transcend to earth to acknowledge, has earned showers of abuses for Lekha Namboothiri, from none other than the Muslim she helped come back to life.

When 31 year old Lekha donated one of her kidneys to 35 year old Shafi, free of cost, overlooking other colossal offers of lakhs that came by, surpassing barriers of religion, little did she realize that one day even organs would have the tag of religion attached!
Lekha, a native of Mavelikkara spurned offers mounting upto 15 lakhs, overlooked her own poverty stricken background and went head in donating one of her kidneys to Shafi Navaz, a Muslim hailing from Pattambi.  Shafi was on deathbed and claimed to be from a poor family himself.

He now heaps showers of abuses on his benefactor, for the sole reason that his kidney came from a Hindu! Lekha’s case is that of having interacted with the most thankless person, who instead of being grateful for having saved his life without accepting the silver, now cribs and insults her because the world has come to know of her noble deed.
Lekha lives in a rented house and has been battling waning financial conditions. Her husband Sajan is a patient himself, with his treatment having drained Lekha financially. The couple has two sons, studying in class 8 and 10.It is in spite of these circumstances that she decided to go ahead with the organ donation, free of cost. There were many who offered her upto Rs 15 lakhs, which she rejected.

The transplant took place in 2012. However it was not covered by media then. The matter surfaced to light recently and Lekha was showered with praises. But this incurred the wrath of Shafi and his family, who were suddenly seized by a bout of communal sentiment.

According to Lekha, Shafi is said to have spoken to her in a denigrating manner, after he claimed to have been taunted by his relatives, friends and others in his community for having accepted a kidney from a Namboothiri woman.

Lekha’s children attend RSS shakha and she says that it is to inculculate patriotic feelings to Kids, But Jihadi media couldn’t digest it and is now running stories to prove that Lekha’s family have no relation with RSS!

Lekha’s case has now been taken up by Human Rights Protection Council. An account has been opened in her name in SBT, in the Harippad branch (A/c 67286750448; IFC code 0000440). HK appeal to readers to come forward and help this lady who is the epitome of selfless service and lives with the motto “Manava Seva is Madhava Seva”

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