Meet Atul Arjun who has saved countless lives by donating blood

You don’t have to be a doctor to save lives, as you can do that just by donating blood. A young inspiring man, Atul Arjun who has saved countless lives by donating blood, understands this very well.

Every drop of blood is precious. You can confirm that truth by asking those who need blood to stay alive.

Blood donation is the act of giving blood to someone who needs it. It is not just about giving blood, but it is an act of kindness that saves the lives of hundreds of people. This will take just 15 minutes from your busy schedule and these Fifteen Minutes Of Your Life Can Save Someone’s Entire family. We, at Storyofsouls, feel that this is the best gift or a habit that parents can develop among their kids. Until and unless humanity rises, we cannot rise and live with peace, happiness and abundance. Connecting such thoughts, we have today’s story with us of Atul Arjun.

MEET ATUL ARJUN

Meet the inspiring youth – Atul Arjun, who does blood donation at 24 years, from Delhi. This Indian is setting ideal examples and is achieving milestones for his humanity concerns. An IT engineer by profession and coming from a “typical” Indian family, this person has goals set for his future. His community service work has made him a role model for many young people and has given him many awards and recognition.

HIS EFFORTS FOR THE SOCIETY

Looking at the need & importance of sanitation during the COVID-19 crisis, Atul Arjun from Indraprastha Engineering College Ghaziabad voluntarily conducted sanitation work on his own and ended up wearing PPE Kits and spraying 250 huts in the slums of Noida. He told us in our interview that “Nobody was paying any attention to these areas. Just because they are lower-class people, no one thinks of them as humans. Only because they don’t know what’s going around them doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve equal rights. They were facing a lot of trouble because of the spread of Coronavirus. Somebody had to take the initiative for them so I thought why not me!”. They have sanitized areas in Sector 64, 65, and 70 using a diluted solution of Sodium Hypochlorite. He further quoted that “I realized these people are most vulnerable to the spread of disease and I must do something for them. So I and my friend sanitized their homes. Initially, we started with only sanitizing the slums, but now we also help them with basic medicines and some food,” says Atul.

WHAT OTHER INSPIRATIONAL WORK DOES ATUL DO?

“Blood donation has been done by me 22 times and that too in 11 different states in India. I have created a record for donating blood in the maximum states of India. I’ve been donating blood since I was 18 years old and it’s my dream to donate blood in all states of India so that I can save as many lives as possible.” He further says, “I have set my goal that by the year 2025 I have to donate this much blood that nobody should die because of the scarcity of blood. I used to go to AIIMS, New Delhi in every 3 months to donate blood because I don’t want anyone to lose their life because of lack of blood”.

IS THAT IT? HAS HE DONE ANYTHING FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS?

Where everyone shows sympathy for the lower class, Atul Kumar believes in showing empathy and finally doing something for those who are in need. When asked, he replied, “I come from Gorakhpur and I did my engineering from New Delhi and there is a slum near my college. In my free time, I used to go there and talk to kids. I believe that education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. Some thoughts used to my mind that if I could get them educated then they could become something and the upcoming generations would not suffer like this.”

Then?

That’s when he thought that why not he puts them into school and they will not wander for labour work like their parents. A simple but powerful reminder of the positive domino effect a wonderful education can have on many aspects of a person’s life and outlook.

What did he do then?

He put 30 underprivileged kids from the Ghaziabad area and the rest 30 from Purvanchal in school by collecting funds from those who had the same mentality as his. Speaking about this, he says, “I think I can improve the family condition of these kids and they should not wander around looking for food barefoot. They had dreams to study. I shall fulfill their dreams.”

BLOOD DONATION – but WHY?

Blood donation regularly has proved beneficial not only for the recipient but also for the donor. It is helpful for the vital organs, and it reduces the risk for chronic diseases such as cancer and stroke.

For certain treatments like chemotherapy, blood is required daily, whereas victims of accidents may require up to 100 units of blood transfusion. In India, blood shortage is over 2 million print and counting. Safe blood saves lives. A decision to donate your blood can save a life, or even several, if your blood is separated into its components.

How do you get the inspiration?

When asked, he explained, “My friend’s mother needed blood urgently. She was admitted to ICU in a hospital in Dilshad Garden, Delhi. I had already donated in a blood camp and it felt good, so I went to donate my blood for her in a hope that it could save her life. But unfortunately, she died after 3 days of blood transfusion.” He further said, “I thought to myself one died in front of my eyes because of lack of blood. Thousands like her must die in India because of the scarcity of blood.” And that’s how Atul Arjun started this initiative “Rakthabhiyan” and opened his foundation “Parnav Foundation”.

What about his foundation?

He started this NGO 4 years ago and has a team of 200 engineers who are educating 60 kids. “Donating blood and helping people is my goal. I have donated blood 22 times in 11 different states and have traveled over 12,000 Km for the same. My target is to donate blood in all the states and Union territories. I have collaborated with various blood banks in different states. So, if anybody needs blood, I arrange blood for them through these banks.” he said.

DID HE FACE ANY STRUGGLES?

It is rightly said that “Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds and all life’s demands struggle. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today”.

What was your parent’s reaction?

On being asked, he replied, “I never told my parents for a long time that I used to donate blood. You know the Indian ‘typical’ mindset, right? I would go sit at the station at 3 in the morning and would wait for the train for 5-6 hours to save money.”. He further quoted “ Once I went to donate blood but my blood pressure was low and I had to wait 3 months to donate blood and the meantime I worked out so that I can be healthy and my blood can save millions out there”.

Who is your inspiration?

When asked about his inspiration, Atul proudly replied, “My mother, Mrs Shail Kumari Singh, gave me the strength to make this change. My life would’ve been different if she didn’t give me the right path and direction.”

What do I believe as a writer?

I, as a writer, believe that to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life. The equal right of all citizens to health, education, work, food, security, culture, science, and wellbeing, the same rights we proclaimed when we began our struggle, besides those which emerge from our dreams of justice and equality for all inhabitants of our world. In the end, he just said “Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win”.

Atul’s Plans for life

Speaking on his plans for life, Atul said, “Right now I am trying to be in a place of calm, a place where I can chill out and then handle the chaos of life better. You don’t just get it overnight; Work at it. It’s a daily struggle.”

CONCLUSION

A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit. Also, the one who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people. A hero to me is someone who saves people and who deeply cares. Day after day, ordinary people become heroes through extraordinary and selfless actions to help their neighbours. For me, Atul Arjun is a hero who did what he had to do. Despite his struggles, he did blood donation and saved lives.

If our communities and our country truly want to keep our citizens healthy and safe. We must invest in a resilient, and diverse healthcare workforce. This reality has been made abundantly clear by selflessness. They’re around-the-clock contributions of the doctors, nurses, and long-term care workers during the COVID-19 crisis. As they are the ones who do some selfless service for people who are in need. Look at the complete picture, not just our little selves. We all must gear-up up for blood donation!

He concluded by saying, “Dream, struggle, create, prevail. Be daring, brave, loving, compassionate, strong, brilliant, and beautiful”.