Every day we wake up to news of our leaders consistently indulging in politics of opportunism and betraying our interests, displaying in the process an alarming lack of conscience.
Bombarded by the unprecedented media coverage given to their selfishness, we tend to lose confidence in our own natures, suspecting our fellow citizens and arriving at the dangerous generalization that we are the same as our politicians, that in the rat race of a material planet, self-centeredness is the only option. But a recent incident changed all that!
It is the story of 22 year old Manikanta, that we are all familiar with now! Thota Manikanta, a 22-year-old car driver, was a resident of Ramavarrapadu in Vijayawada. On the night of March 3, he was driving back home when a vehicle crashed into his car on the Ring Road in Vijayawada. Manikanta suffered severe head injuries and was rushed to Metro Hospital at Vijayawada in a critical condition.
A team of surgeons tried in vain to save his life. He was declared brain dead after a few hours. It was doctors at the hospital who suggested to his family that his organs could save many lives. His sister, Siva Nagajyothi, who works as a nurse, gave her consent and the family of Manikanta approved of the decision.
Manikanta will continue to live in eight others after his death. His vital organs are set to give a new life to patients at hospitals in Chennai, Hyderabad and Guntur.
Manikanta’s heart will be transplanted in a patient in Chennai. His lungs will go to another in the City. A patient in Hyderabad will get his liver and two patients in Guntur his kidneys. His eyes will offer a vision to two patients at Sankara Eye Hospitals, Guntur.
As the ambulance carrying the organs of Manikanta made its way to the airport at Gannavaram, people along the way showered it with flowers. A big thank you to you and your family Manikanta! You are a huge source of pride to the Telugu people! Thank you for reinforcing our faith in humanity!
