Every human being has the power to make a difference. 'Living Beyond Life' started with one such thought. It is a project to get the option of organ donation introduced on Driving License (DL) cards.

When I first saw my brother’s US driving license, I found organ donation option mentioned in it. I too wanted to pledge my organs but did not know how. I took this up as a project, to get organ donation introduced as an option on DLs.

I approached Transport Commissioner Sham Bhatt who was very supportive of the initiative. Hemanth Kumar L, Joint Commissioner of Transport, says that this programme is necessary and that it can be implemented after working out logistics and amending legislation. Once the project is implemented, Karnataka will be a model for other states.

While researching for my project I came across Gift Your Organ Foundation (GYOF), an NGO that works to create awareness on organ donation.

GYOF team - (from left to right) Raj Sethia, Priyanka Shylendra, Reshma Budhia and Sameer Dua - who are working on the project. Pic: GYOF

The Founder Sameer Dua is very dedicated to the vision of GYOF, that no person in India should die due to unavailability of organs for transplant. The whole team of GYOF is now driving my project. I am now a part of the NGO as Bangalore co-ordinator.  

We met Governor H R Bhardwaj who was very supportive of GYOF. Along with GYOF, I have the opportunity to conduct awareness programmes on organ donation in malls, apartment complexes, MNCs, colleges etc.

We organised a three-day awareness programme starting from November 27th - which is celebrated as International Organ Donation Day - in Mantri Mall, Malleswaram. The programme included an emcee event and a live radio show sponsored by FM 92.7.

On November 27th we also held a celebrity 'Walk the green carpet with pride' event at Le Meridien. City Police Commisioner B G Jyothiprakash Mirji, Joint Commissioner of Police B N S Reddy, Kannada film actress Meghana Mudiyam and fashion designer Manoviraj Khosla were among those who participated.

The next step is to have more meetings with the Health Secretary, Transport Commissioner, ZCCK, Ambulance Association of India, Red Cross, private hospitals etc.

What drives me to do this project and make sure of its completion, is my wish to do something that will live even after I die. This is the first of many projects that I plan to do to make a difference.

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Priyanka Shylendra is an Assistant Professor in Forensic Science at Jain University. She started the project as part of Self Expression and Leadership Programme (SELP) at Landmark Education.

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