Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Siblings Turn Kidney Donors to Save One Another
Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrating the love between brothers and sisters.
Usually, sisters tie a thread called a rakhi on their brothers’ wrists.
Brothers traditionally promise to protect their sisters.
In these stories, sisters and other relatives protected their family members by donating kidneys.
Vanya gave a kidney to her brother Varad when their mother was not a match.
Shalini donated to her brother Arunesh after both of his kidneys stopped working.
Rajesh gave a kidney to his cousin Shivani, and Rita gave one to her brother Pancham.
The families said these donations helped their loved ones live.
Vanya Tiwari donated a kidney to her brother Varad in 2023 after their mother was not a match.
Shalini Pandey donated a kidney to her brother Arunesh Singh Tiwari after both of his kidneys failed.
Rajesh Kumar Gupta donated a kidney to his cousin Shivani Manju in July 2024 at Bansal Hospital in Bhopal.
Rita Saini donated a kidney to her younger brother Pancham Singh after hypertension caused his kidney failure.
The donors and recipients described their surgeries as powerful examples of Raksha Bandhan’s promise of family protection.
- Who
- Four sibling or cousin pairs from Madhya Pradesh: Vanya and Varad Tiwari, Shalini Pandey and Arunesh Singh Tiwari, Rajesh Kumar Gupta and Shivani Manju, and Rita Saini and Pancham Singh.
- What
- Relatives donated kidneys to family members whose kidneys had failed or were failing.
- When
- The donations and transplants occurred between 2023 and the month before the article’s publication; Shivani’s transplant was in July 2024 and Rita’s was in November of the previous year.
- Where
- The people came from places including Jabalpur, Rewa and Sidhi; Shivani’s transplant took place at Bansal Hospital in Bhopal.
- Why
- The donors came forward because their relatives needed kidney transplants, while other potential donors were either not a medical match or were medically ineligible.
- Featured occasion
- Raksha Bandhan
- Vanya Tiwari’s donation
- She donated one kidney to her brother Varad in 2023.
- Arunesh Singh Tiwari’s transplant
- His sister Shalini Pandey donated a kidney after both of his kidneys failed.
- Shivani Manju’s transplant
- Her cousin Rajesh Kumar Gupta donated a kidney in July 2024 at Bansal Hospital, Bhopal.
- Rita Saini’s donation
- She donated a kidney to her younger brother Pancham Singh in November of the previous year.
- Reported medical causes
- Varad had chronic kidney failure, Arunesh had failure of both kidneys, and Pancham’s kidney failure was attributed to hypertension.