Times of India
15 October 2010
By Umesh Isalkar
Pune, India

Songs and students to boost eye donation in state
Project Hopes To Get More People To Pledge Their Eyes
The state government, which is pushing eye donation through information, communication and education, has designed a new project called Roshni Zindagi Main.

The health department has used songs and music to create awareness about eye donation and will rope in students to work as voluntary counselors at hospitals to convince people.

"The project has been submitted to the union government of health and family welfare for approval. The aim is to raise the state’s contribution to the country’s cornea collection," Ashok Potdar, joint director of National Programme for Control of Blindness, told TOI on Thursday. "A troupe of musicians will go around spreading the message through songs and music to drive home the idea of pledging eyes after death.

The songs and music bring out the emotions of a visually–impaired person about how they see the world and what light means to them," he added. Stalls would be installed outside the venue of the musical programme to convince people about pledging their eyes. Since transport, expenses of troupe members and booking of halls are involved, financial assistance will be needed. Hence the project has been submitted to the union government for approval, added Potdar.

Students will work as voluntary counsellors at trauma and casualty departments of hospitals. "The idea is to convince relatives of the dead to donate the eyes. These students will be given identity cards by the state government so that they can have access to hospitals," said Potdar. According to old estimates, there are about 9 lakh visually challenged people in Maharashtra.