Shopian: A 57-year- old man from Pulwama has donated 174 pints of blood to save the lives of people in need of blood.
Abdul Majeed Gamgeen, who lives in Narbal village in Kakpora belt of south Kashmir’s District Pulwama, said that he started donating blood when he was 14 in 1980. That was when an accident took place in his area and many of the passengers were seriously injured and they needed blood.
“Like many people, I rushed to the spot. Many were scared to donate blood and I came forward and donated a pint of blood which inspired many to donate blood as well,” he recalled.
For many years, he didn’t donate blood and when his daughter got ill and required blood, none came forward to help. “I later gave three pints of blood in three months to my daughter but she couldn’t survive. Since then, I decided to donate blood,” he said.
Gamgeen is an employee in the education department’s cultural section besides a poet and has a family of three including two sons and a wife.
“The sole purpose of donating blood is to please Allah and help the needy people,” he said, adding that besides a blood donor he is chairman of a social workers group which has around 900 members and they provide relief during natural calamities and donate blood.
He said that usually people donate blood four times in a year but he has donated seven times in a year since 1997. On 14 June, which is observed as World Donor’s Day, he donated 174th pint of blood at district hospital Pulwama.

Raashid Hassan