BENGALURU: It was 2015, and the moment city-based radio personality Anil Srivatsa (55), had been preparing for the past 27 years had arrived. Amid trepidation and fear, Anil donated one of his kidneys to his elder brother and neurosurgeon Dr Arjun Srivatsa (56), who had been suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) – an affliction that leads to gradual loss of kidney function.
Now, eight years later, the brothers are prepping for the World Transplant Games to be held in Perth, Australia in early April.
The first time the duo participated in the games was in 2019 in Newcastle. This four years after going under the knife. And much to their surprise, they took home gold medals in cricket ball throw and golf.
“I had chosen the 100-metre sprint, one of the most physically-taxing events in the games. But I had prepared well and was confident. However, I was shocked to find out that there weren’t any age limits, so I was thrashed by a 28-year-old. Meanwhile, participants were required to sign up for two events each, and I had also chosen the cricket ball throw, almost as an afterthought. Yet I managed to secure gold with a world record of 54 metres,” shares Anil.
Endorsed by the Olympic Association, the games are meant to normalise organ donation, with both donors and recipients from over 60 countries taking part in various categories of athletic events. Ahead of the 2023 edition of the games, Anil and Arjun are looking forward to defending their gold.
“With golf, fitness is crucial. I’ve been practising and working out, but Australia is going to be tough, unlike the last time in England. They are a sporting country, with great infrastructure and good players. I look forward to keeping my gold medal, but it’s definitely going to be much harder,” says Arjun.
Having formerly served as the CEO of Kings XI Punjab, Anil has also become a leading voice post donating his kidney, advocating organ donation, and undertaking various initiatives to raise awareness about the positives of donation.
“People are afraid of organ donation and that fear allows their own family members, people, who they say they love, to die. That’s unfortunate because those deaths are easily preventable if not for the fear,” he shares. “Eight years ago, I couldn’t find any stories that could have helped alleviate my fears. And that’s why I set out to start telling those stories and spread more awareness because fear comes from an unanswered question. So if I can give those answers, and be that vehicle for people to look at and say, ‘Hey, this guy is living his life, and seems like he’s a normal guy’, then it may not seem so scary.”
Just six months after the transplant, the brothers undertook an ambitious ‘adventure’, cycling through mountainous terrain in Spain to normalise organ donation. The following year, Anil journeyed from Bengaluru to Scotland, giving lectures and sharing his personal experiences to raise awareness. Having reached over 1.5 lakh people in 57 countries, Anil hopes to keep going as long as possible and eventually reach over a million people across the world.
“My journey was like that of Forrest Gump, but I drove instead of running. I found that I could reach smaller communities that way,” he concludes.