Hyderabad, 17th September 2024: In a rare gesture of fostering communal harmony and sending a positive message of inter faith brotherhood, Chilkur Balaji temple head priest Shri. C. S. Rangarajan along with staff of the temple visited and participated in a blood donation drive organized by Health Care NGO, Helping Hand Foundation at Masjid-E-Muhammed Hussain, in Rajendranagar on the occasion of Milad Un Nabi.
The Blood donation drive is being organized to mobilize blood for Children suffering from Cancer at State MNJ Cancer Hospital. As per data from MNJ Cancer Hospital nearly 100 Units of Blood are required in the hospital daily, where nearly 2500 major and 4000 minor surgeries are done in a year. and patients need blood transfusion during the course of treatment. Children with Cancer mostly Acute Leukemia (Blood Cancer) need regular transfusions while undergoing chemotherapy.
HHF & Chilkur Balaji temple have been working for the past 5 years in promoting inter faith dialogue, communal harmony and peace at a time when increasing polarization between the majority Hindu community and the principal minority community are frosty and at its lowest ebb.
Both the social reformers Priest Rangarajan & HHF founder Mujtaba Askari are Engineering batchmates from OU & got connected to each other in a case involving a Dalit woman who had tied Rakhi to the priest and who was in need of hearing aids, which were sponsored by HHF way back in 2019.
Ever since then the duo has been working on various social and welfare programs through very thoughtful but spontaneous actions for disadvantaged sections regardless of faith.
Shri Rangarajan appreciated the efforts of Muslim brothers and said their blood donation will go a long way in saving lives and what better day than the birth anniversary of the prophet of Islam whose teachings stood for supreme human values and kindness, he further said, he was highly inspired to see Hindus also come forward from the neighborhood and donate blood in this camp.
HHF has been working in MNJ Cancer hospital for the last 10 years and there is a high load on the hospital & its blood bank, which compels people to fetch blood from outside. We are aiming to donate at least 200 Units of blood for Child Cancer patients today & this will be given free to all patients by the hospital said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation.