Fans of late Indian film star Puneeth Rajkumar set sights on postmortem eye donations
- The ‘Powerstar’, so named for his boisterous action roles, died of a heart attack in Bangalore last month at 46
- News reports in the days after revealed that Rajkumar had willed the donation of his eyes, with enough ocular tissue salvaged to restore sight for four people
Mourning fans of beloved Indian film star Puneeth Rajkumar are pledging to give up their eyes after the actor’s untimely death brought his postmortem organ donation into focus.
The “Powerstar” – so named for his boisterous action roles – died of a heart attack in Bangalore last month at 46, with thousands of grief-stricken admirers thronging the city’s streets to hug, cry and commiserate.
News reports in the days after revealed that Rajkumar had willed the donation of his eyes, with enough ocular tissue salvaged to restore sight for four people.
The tradition runs in the actor’s family – both his parents made the same pledge before their deaths – and doctors say the example has now been taken up in earnest around Bangalore.
“He sort of reminded people that you should donate eyes … instead of burning or burying them,” said Rekha Gyanchand, medical director at the Lions International Eye Bank.
“We see a lot of people coming forward to donate,” she added. “The awareness has really increased.”
At the nearby Narayana Nethralaya hospital, vinyl posters and pamphlets showed Rajkumar’s smiling visage, along with a message urging prospective donors to give the gift of sight.