In a heartwarming display of generosity and compassion, former Indian cricketer and T20 Indian Cricket Team Coach VVS Laxman, alongside players Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rituraj Gaikwad, Tilak Verma, Sitanshu Kotak, and Washington Sundar, participated in the Gift of Life Ceremony at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in Nava Raipur.
The ceremony witnessed the cricketers presenting the ‘Gifts of Life’ to nine children from Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Expressing deep gratitude, parents of these children, born with heart diseases, moved the cricketers with their heartfelt emotions.
The cricketers were visibly touched and inspired by the dedicated service of the hospital, which provides complex pediatric cardiac care without charging any fees. This unique initiative by Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani has prevented parents from facing financial hardships, sparing them from selling their lands or falling into perpetual debt.
The ‘Janmotsav’ Certificates were also awarded to mothers Ishwari Bharadwaj and Tikeshwari Maheshwari from Raipur. Furthermore, VVS Laxman honored Dr. Pratik Pandey with the Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Certificate for his outstanding achievement of completing 480 pediatric cardiac surgeries in one year.
During the ceremony, VVS Laxman expressed his gratitude for the blessings received from Shri Sathya Sai Baba and highlighted the exceptional service provided by Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani, completing a remarkable 28,500 totally free surgeries. Laxman emphasized that the cricketers, often treated as Demi Gods in the country, pale in comparison to the Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Teams, who save lives of children daily with love and compassion.
The program concluded on a vibrant note with the national anthem, and Dr. C Sreenivas, acknowledging the cricketers’ participation, thanked Laxman and the players, wishing them success in their future endeavors.