The Sound of Hope

It is a golden, wintery January morning of 2020. Green T-shirts stand as a human chain in a famous by-lane of Pune. With the kumkum and aarti performed, the countdown to creating another history has begun… On cue, motorbikes roar to life.
10…
9…
The excitement in the atmosphere surges in tandem with the revving bikes.
8…
7…
6…
With sweaty palms and ice-cold finger tips, about 40 ReBirth volunteers cheer while counting down.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…

GO!

A customised motorbike is flagged off grandly and blessed sincerely. The sound of powerful bike engines pulsate not just through an otherwise lazy morning but also echo the belief each volunteer holds vis-à-vis B.O.Y. 2.0. ReBirth Foundation, the NGO working on organ donation awareness, has set a mightier target. ReBirth’s Bharat Organ Yatra – B.O.Y. 2.0 – has commenced on January 18 th , 2020 from Pune! What better than it also being ZTCC Pune’s Donors’ Day Programme.

Just like ReBirth, there are other NGOs and organisations dedicatedly working to improve the statistics and conversion of organ donations in India. ZTCC, ROTTO-SOTTO, and PNB Housing Finance Ltd. have joined hands with ReBirth for B.O.Y. 2.0. A hardcore biking group – Mileage Munchers – is working in close association for the success of the 17500 kms long bike ride of B.O.Y. 2.0. Ms Arti Gokhale (Central Coordinator, ZTCC Pune), Marathi actor Ms Sukanya Kulkarni-Mone, Ms Ashaji Bhutada, Mr Ratanji Rathi, Mr Ravindraji Navlakha, and Mr Ajay Irabatti (Regional Head, PNB  Housing Finance Ltd.) have enthusiastically showed their support and belief in the campaign. We
also extend our special thanks to Dr F. F. Wadia (Chairman, ZTCC Pune) and Dr Abhay Huprikar (Vice Chairman, ZTCC Pune).

ReBirth volunteers – wearing green T-shirts embodying the essence of life – ensure, again, that a plan on paper sees the light of the day!

A convoy of bikers – with padded leg and elbow guards, heads secured in helmets, and jackets flashing emblems of various brotherhood – trails Kaka to bid goodbye as he embarks on B.O.Y. 2.0’s solo biking expedition to spread word about organ donation…

Day 001
(Pune to Kolhapur | 235 kms)

– Juhi Kothari / Shetty