Collective Kindness: when families are committed to saving lives through blood donation

In 29-year-old, George Town resident Shaikh Shamsudeen’s mind is lodged a memory that time cannot bleed away. Back in 2016, that memorable day arrived unbidden, and when it ended, a desire Shamsudeen had nursed for years had been fulfilled; the desire to follow in his father Shaikh Sadaqathullah’s footsteps as a selfless blood donor. New College has always had a strong culture of blood donation, supporting government hospitals particularly Royapettah GH. And on that day ten years ago, an urgent request for AB Negative blood rolled into the open doors of Shamsudeen’s classroom in New College; it was required for someone undergoing treatment at Cancer Institute. In a fraction of a second, Shamsudeen’s hand went up. 

That hand would keep going up with the same eagerness over the years whenever a need for AB Negative showed up on the horizon. Shamsudeen has registered with Madras Voluntary Blood Bureau (MVBB), based in Gopalapuram and run by TTK Group as a service to society, and whenever he receives a call-up from them, he is in attendance at that address the next moment. In April this year, MVBB celebrated its Golden Jubilee.

Shamsudeen elaborates: “As I have a rare blood type, I do not donate blood once in three to four months as many donors do, but donate when there is an emergency, an urgent need for AB Negative. MVBB keeps a record of when I donated blood, and in an emergency, they would call me if I am within the date for donating blood again.”

Bookmark this thought: irrespective of whether one’s blood group is rare or common, one would do well to be attached to a blood donation organisation so that one gets tuned in to the idea of donating blood as often as they can by virtue of getting timely reminders and urgent call-ups.

Shamsudeen’s blood donation tally stands at 22. 

As he desired, Shamsudeen’s journey as a blood donor has followed the same trajectory as his father’s.

(Before proceeding with the how of it, a snapshot of a recent honour to the father-son duo. Last month, on World Blood Donors Day, Crescent Blood Donors honoured Shaikh Sadaqathullah and his son Shaikh Shamsudeen for their commitment to blood donation at an event organised at Kavikko Convention Centre in Mylapore. The award was jointly presented by noted film director Ameer Sultan and Ahmed Buhari, trustee of B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology) 

Besides the commitment to donating blood as often they can and the choice to be attached to MVBB, father and son share their blood type, AB Negative. The blood donation tally of Shaikh Sadaqathullah, 56 years old, stands at 53. As Sadaqathullah notes, a tinge of disappointment slipping into his voice for a fleeting moment, he stopped donating blood due to health concerns. 

(A trivia: Sadaqathullah is an amateur radio operator and his call sign is VU2SDU)

‘Sadaqathullah’s blood donation journey was initiated at the Perambur Railway Hospital in 1993 where he donated blood responding to a friend’s call. “It was then I realised that my blood group was rare. Any negative blood type is considered rare, and AB Negative is rare even among the negative blood types. Globally, 2 per cent of the population has this blood type. Given this, I have not donated at blood donation camps, only when there was an emergency need for AB Negative, and MVBB would call him.”

The interviews were with the father and son duo were conducted separately, and what struck was the similarity not only in the language they used, but also the sentiments they expressed.

There is a lesson there, and probably hope too, for blood donation champions such as Srivatsa Vema from the Federation of Indian Blood Donors Organisation (FIBDO) who has expressed concern over a decreasing number of blood donors.

Bookmark this thought too: if you gripped by a mission to increase the numbers of blood donors, but do not know where to begin, begin at home. Have conversations with your children about your blood donation journey. It sure works: ask the Shaikhs.

A family tradition

Nanganallur resident R. Ravikumar would not skip certain schedules, some day-based and others occurring every few months, not for all the tea in China. These schedules largely relate to his passion for cycling, running and donating blood. The unwavering commitment to blood donation has put an enviable tally against his name: 106 blood donations, the last donation made on March 17, 2026 at Sunrays Hospital in Ashok Nagar.

Ravikumar, a retired manager from the Oriental Insurance Company Limited, has never viewed blood donation as a mere act of charity. It has been a family legacy, a service that brings him closer to his father’s memory: his father was a blood donor, having donated over 50 times in his lifetime. And Ravikumar traces his iron-clad commitment to blood donation to his late father S. Rengarajan’s example as well as simple philosophy, which drives his world view. “Even if we cannot help someone financially, we can always serve the society through our actions without expecting anything in return,” his father would often say. Inspired by those words, Ravikumar (whose blood type is B Positive) began donating blood at the age of 23 in 1984, the first donation aimed at helping a colleague’s wife who was undergoing surgery. To continue this service, Ravikumar has made staying healthy his top priority through regular marathon runs and long distance cycling, believing physical fitness is the reason that he is still able to answer every call for blood.

Since the age of 56, he has participated in numerous endurance events, earning 85 medals. He is also an active member of several blood donation groups in Chennai, continuing to respond to urgent need for donors. 

Among the 106 donations, one will always remain etched in his memory. In 2019, after donating blood for a six-year-old cancer patient from Odisha, the child’s parents insisted on meeting him. “I told them I had done nothing special, but they still wanted to thank me,” he recalls. The scene that followed will make anyone go teary-eyed. They bowed in gratitude, a gesture that deeply moved him and reaffirmed his belief that compassion knows no language. 

While Ravikumar’s father donated blood over 50 times, and today his brother R. Ramesh has crossed 60 donations. 

What began as one man’s quiet belief in selfless service has now grown into a powerful family tradition. 

The list of hospitals Ravikumar has donated blood to include Apollo Hospital in Greams Road, Nandanam Apollo Cancer Speciality Hospital, Vijaya Hospital, Miot Hospital, Egmore Children’s Hospital, Adyar Cancer Institute, VHS Blood Bank, various Rotary Club camps, Railway Hospital in Perambur, Sevalaya in Thirunindravoor, SIMS Hospital, Chrompet Government Hospital, Rajaji Government Hospital, Sunrays Hospital and WCCG blood donation camps.

Ravikumar is 65 years old now, usually considered the maximum age at which one could donate blood. Exceptions to that rule do exist; and Ravikumar seems set to be an exception.