Man breaks Ramzan fast to donate blood

Twenty-six-year-old Mohammed Panaulla Ahmed was resting after his “sehri” or pre-dawn meal on Wednesday morning, the second day of the month-long Ramzan fast, when he noticed his roommate Tapash Bhagawati was upset.

Sehari is consumed before sunrise by the people who observe Roza or the day-long fast during Ramzan, a month of special prayers for Muslims across the world. Bhagawati, a member of Team Humanity, a group of voluntary blood donors, had got a call the previous night about a patient needing two units of O-positive blood.

“I asked him what the problem was and immediately offered to donate my blood,” said Ahmed, a ward boy at a private hospital in Guwahati. The two share a rented accommodation in Guwahati.

“I had got negative responses from many before Ahmed offered to donate his blood. I was happy, but didn’t want him to break his fast. But he was adamant,” said Bhagawati. The two friends rushed to the hospital where Ranjan Gogoi, a businessman, was about to undergo a surgery for the removal of two tumours in his stomach. Doctors removed both the tumours from Gogoi’s stomach.“We are very thankful for Ahmed’s gesture...,” said Binod Baishya, Gogoi’s brother-in-law.

First Published: May 10, 2019 23:56 IST