Nilesh Mandlewala

Nilesh Mandlewala has spent two decades persuading grieving families to give the gift of organs. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of social work, from Gujarat ^[1].

A father on dialysis

Mandlewala was born on 19 April 1965 ^[2]. His father had kidney failure and needed dialysis twice a week ^[2]. Watching him suffer, Mandlewala realised how many families in India face the same struggle because there are too few organs for transplant ^[2].

Donate Life

In 2005, when organ donation was little understood in India, he began an awareness campaign, and in 2006 started promoting the donation of kidneys from brain-dead donors ^[2]. His organisation, Donate Life, later took up the donation of livers, hearts, lungs, hands, bones and other tissues ^[2].

He counsels families of brain-dead patients, explains what brain death means, and works with doctors and hospitals to make donation possible ^[2]. He wrote a song and produced a short film, Kaaya, to spread the message ^[2]. His work helped Surat become known as an “organ donor city” ^[2].

According to his citation, his efforts have led to 1,371 organ and tissue donations, giving new life to 1,263 recipients, including patients from abroad ^[2]. More than 200 of these took place during the Covid-19 pandemic ^[2]. He served on Gujarat’s state advisory committee on organ transplantation from 2019 to 2021 ^[2].