Photo: LB Thapa

DONATE BLOOD AND SAVE LIVES

By LB Thapa

"If cycling is my passion, then blood donation is my religion," says Tirtha Raj Awashti, founding president of the Nepal Voluntary Blood Donors' Society, Kaski (NVBDS) and currently the secretary of the NVBDS central committee, in Kathmandu, Nepal. To date, he has already donated his blood for 75 times. His entire life revolves around blood donation. He is always on his toes. He visits various organizations, including private offices and schools, and encourages them to donate blood. He always tells the youth to celebrate their 18th birthday by donating blood. 

Photo: Read 2B Happy.

"Whenever I get a little time off from my pharmacy, I waste no time and immediately mount on my mountain bike to find potential blood donors. I make a list of private and government organizations and visit them regularly. I try my best to convince them about blood donation, and most of the time I succeed. Many times it happened when they refused, but after a few days they called back and showed willingness for blood donation," said Awasthi proudly. 

He does not only encourage others to make blood donations; he has been regularly donating blood for the last ten years. It is his strong desire to donate blood until he breathes his last. "For blood donation, I am inspired by Prem Sagar Karmacharya. He is the central-level president of the Nepal Voluntary Blood Donors' Society (NVBDS). Karmacharya is the first person in Nepal to have donated blood multiple times. He has been doing all this with a sense of benevolence. This very character of his has kindled a desire in my heart to follow him," added Awasthi. 

also read: Full interview with Tirtha Awasthi

also read: Cycling for Indo-Nepal friendship

When asked how he fell in love with mountain biking, first he smiled mysteriously, then spoke wisely, "My bicycle is my girlfriend, and this has been a long affair now. I always wanted to find new ways to motivate people to donate blood. I have followed all known ways to persuade people to donate blood. I was thinking of a new way to attract people's attention to blood donation. Then I chose a bicycle, a sure way to attract people's attention. It has been ten years since I have always had my bicycle. Wherever I go, my bicycle will always be with me. Except for emergency cases, I always travel on my bicycle." 

Awasthi can be seen paddling on his bicycle with a white T-shirt with a message printed on the front and back. "I have many white T-shirts with a message printed on them. The purpose of these messages is to inspire and encourage people to make blood donations. I feel proud when people around me read the message and talk with me about blood donation. My T-shirts do play a very effective role in spreading the message of blood donation. This has made my work much easier and more effective. Would this be possible if I was on the motorcycle?" he asked. 

Photo: Read 2B Happy

When Awashthi met Puskar Shah, the legendary bicycle rider, for the first time, his life took a U-turn. "It was Pushkar Shah who encouraged me to paddle for long distances and take risks. Before I met him, I had no confidence in myself for long-distance cycling, and that too alone. Frankly speaking, I was scared of the thought of paddling alone. I was not as brave as Pushkar Shah, but Pushkar Shah told me that we are weak or strong only by our thoughts. 'Always think like a winner' he confided in me". 

If he had not met Pushkar Shah, then it was sure Awashthi would have never taken such a giant leap to paddle from Mahakali to Mechi on his bicycle all alone. "There was a complete transformation in me after meeting with Pushkar Shah. I was no longer an ordinary bicyclist anymore. At least I began to feel that way. To test my courage, I decided to paddle from Mahakali to Mechi on my bicycle (a mountain bike). I started my journey right from Pokhara and reached Kathmandu in two days. There was a small program in Kathmandu, and soon I was seen off by my friends, colleagues, and well-wishers." 

No doubt, paddling for long distances does entail an extreme degree of physical stamina; besides that, one should have mental toughness. For Awashthi, it was time to prove both physical toughness and mental toughness. " I set out from Thamel. I paddled well on the winding roads of the Thankot slope and advanced along the Trishuli River. My first stay was in Kurintar, and my second was in Kawasoti, a little before Butwal. On the fourth day, I was riding uphill at Daune. Meanwhile, I saw two girls on a scooter passing by. They looked at me and smiled, and I reciprocated in the same manner. But to my surprise, after a little while, those two girls returned with some food in a bag, and they also gave me one thousand rupees. I was simply speechless. I had no words for their generosity. They told me that they liked my mission, and they wished me all the success." 

Awashti did not meet only good people on his way from Mahakali to Mechi; he also met some bad guys. After all, this world is full of good and bad guys. While riding on a deserted highway, he was followed by two men. Their intention was not good. They wanted to take away his mountain bike and rob him of his money. "I remembered God and asked him to protect me from those goons. Then a miracle happened. Within a few minutes, a police van appeared, and they asked me if I wanted any help. I saw those two bad guys vanish, leaving no trace behind." 

While passing through the Kanipokhari forest in Itahari, Awashti was scared for his life. This time he was not scared of bad guys, but of the wild animals in the forest. He had to cross that area, and it was already evening. He paddled as fast as he could and finally reached the safe place after covering nearly 20km. Later, the hotel owner told him that only a day ago, a tiger had mauled a woman on the same road. This was his second lucky escape, and it seemed that God was on his side. 

"I spent little time at the Koshi barrage. In the past, I had heard much about the Koshi barrage, and on that day, I had the opportunity to spend some time at the barrage with my bicycle. That evening, I reached Kakatbhitta. The next morning, I set out for Damak and Birtamod. This way, after having several sweet and sour experiences, I reached Mechi Bridge at Kakadbhitta, the final destination of my cycling. It took 12 days to complete my journey from Mahakali to Mechi," concluded Awashthi. 

All photos: provided by Tirtha Awasthi

Awashthi is now married, but he still has not changed his lifestyle. "The kind of life I have chosen is now my destination. My every effort will be to collect a single drop of blood and save the lives of those who would otherwise die without blood." 

Soon after having completed the Mahakali to Mechi tour on his mountain bike, Awashthi had the opportunity to meet Pushkar Shah in Pokhara. Pushkar Shah himself was available in Pokhara to congratulate Awashti. Awashthi said that the day he received congratulations from none other than the legendary Pushkar Shah was a precious moment of his life. 

Awasthi freaked out when Pushkar Shah asked Awashthi to sit at the gate of Bhatbhateni (Pokhara) and sell his books, as he wanted to donate the money to Resham Thapa Magar, a tattoo artist. Magar is a popular Nepali tattoo artist, but due to a paralytic attack, he is now unable to use his right hand to make tattoos. Pushkar Shah and Awashthi sat at the gate of Bhatbhateni, sold books till dusk, and collected Rs. 18,000 rupees. Pushkar Shah donated all that money to Resham Thapa Magar. "I knew Pushkar Shah was a very brave and resolute man, but on that day I knew he was also a very kind man. I have realized that there are many things that one can learn from Pushkar Shah. He is an ideal man of few words," opined Awashthi, and I saw him talking with the young people around him and encouraging them to donate blood.

LB Thapa is the publisher and editor of The Hemingway Post, a literary magazine. Photo: Tirtha Awasthi

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