Doc gets body donation wish tattooed on arm

On his left forearm are tattooed the words, “Ankhan: Mritak Sharir Daan” (Eyes: Body be donated). “Whenever you talk about death, no one wants to broach the subject. But for me death is an inevitability, which no one can escape. So why have qualms talking about it? When you’re sorted about that the next thing you want to do is ensure that after death your body comes into good use.

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Rituals mean nothing to me,” says 64-year old Dr Surinder Jagat, a retired laparoscopic surgeon who has a penchant for rationality.

“After my death at least someone will notice the words tattooed on my forearm. These words are there precisely for that reason — that my body be donated, not cremated,” explains Dr Jagat.

The 64-year-old retired surgeon, along with his wife, had served the medical profession for over 33 years. Both are retired SMOs. While his wife served as a pathologist, his son is a paediatrician.

However, the family members differ slightly on what to do with their bodies after death. Dr Jagat says, “I am still trying to convince my family. My father died at 95. I tried to convince him to donate his body, but it didn’t work. Though he shared my belief that all those elaborate rituals after one’s death are useless rites.”

“A body decomposes and withers away. People spend a lot of money each year on cremating bodies and pollute environment by burning wood. They incur a lot of expenditure on the dead. Then they hunt for bones and remains of the deceased and immerse these in water, further polluting the environment.

All this is done even as scores of people are in desperate need of organs. Save money and environment — give someone a life. In college, we have sat by corpses for hours — for the purpose of medical study — as students and slept peacefully all night with the bones of a dead man by our pillow. To dissuade people from organ donation, naysayers claim that people turn ghosts if last rites are not performed.”

Although Dr Jagat is yet to convince his wife and son to adopt the same path as his, he does have an inspiration for organ donation in the family. “A cousin died of heart disease years ago and in keeping with his wishes his family donated the body. Even though relatives pressed for cremation, his family stood ground and donated the body to CMC, Ludhiana. That was a huge inspiration for me.”

A member of the Tarksheel Society and a regular at the Beas Dera, Dr Jagat says all enlightened religious and non-religious organisations are trying to shed the taboo behind organ donation. “We are short of corneas and the world needs more organ donors. There is no better and easier way to charity — give life to someone by donating the body,” he added.