Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Jain community in the UK partners with NHS blood and transplant to promote organ donation

THE Jain community in the UK has partnered with the NHS blood and transplant (NHSBT) to promote organ donation during the religion's annual festival Paryushan this year.

A special film, produced with NHSBT, to highlight the Jain message on organ donation will be launched on 15 August 2020, the first day of Paryushan, and will be shared extensively within the community.


“Organ donation is possibly the biggest act of compassion we can perform. Giving someone else a part of your body is to make them more complete and to have a more fulfilling life," said Nemubhai Chandaria OBE, co-ordinator of OneJAIN.

The law on organ donation after death changed in England from 20 May 2020 to 'opt out'. Now, all adults will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have registered a decision not to donate or are in an excluded group.

In March 2019, there were 1,006 Asians waiting for an organ transplant and in the year 2018-19, there were only 56 Asians who donated their organs after death. Asians on the organ donor register, on average, have to wait longer to receive a transplant and regrettably many people die while waiting for an organ donation.

“Jains view donation as an act of willingly parting with their organs to help others. Paryushan is a period of compassion towards all living beings and a time to donate to save lives (Jiv Daya)," said Manharbhai Mehta, chairman of Vanik Council UK.

"In the context of the changein law on organ donation in England this year, it is important to record your positive wishes to register to donate organs and to tell your family.”

Organisations like Vanik Council UK, Oshwal Association UK, Jain Network UK and Veerayatan UK are campaigning to increase the awareness about organ donation within the Jain community.

Hiren Vora, president of Jain Samaj Manchester, said, "Organ donors exemplify unconditional love towards another. A donor's impact is felt for many years and also helps to follow the virtue of Aparigraha - non possessiveness in Jainism. Be someone’s guardian angel today”

The Paryushan is eight days of repentance for the acts of the previous year to shed one's accumulated Karmas.

For more details- www.organdonation.nhs.uk or phone 0300 303 2094.

More For You

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

FILE PHOTO: A mother and daughter sit atop the Covid memorial wall on September 9, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

THE Covid inquiry has started examining how the pandemic affected care services for older and disabled people, with families describing the crisis as one of the worst failures of the pandemic.

Nearly 46,000 care home residents died with Covid in England and Wales between March 2020 and January 2022, with many deaths happening in the first weeks of the outbreak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media during a visit to RAF Valley, on Anglesey in north-west Wales, on June 27, 2025. PAUL CURRIE/Pool via REUTERS

Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday (29) they were appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.

During their show on Saturday (28), the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defense Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan floods

A flooded street near Station Road after heavy rainfall in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 27, 2025.

Getty

Pakistan reports 45 deaths from flash floods and rain in monsoon onset

AT LEAST 45 people have died in Pakistan over the past few days due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to disaster management officials on Sunday.

The highest number of deaths was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. There, 21 people were killed, including 10 children.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK Weather Alert: June Heatwave to Hit 34°C, Breaking Records

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record

iStock

UK set for one of the hottest June days with highs of 34°C

Key points

  • Temperatures may hit 34°C in Greater London and Bedfordshire
  • Amber alert in place across five regions due to health risks
  • Wimbledon’s opening day to be hottest on record
  • Risk of wildfires in London labelled “severe”
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler

Hottest June day in years expected as second UK heatwave peaks

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C on Monday (30 June). The ongoing heatwave, now in its fourth day, is most intense across the South and East of England, particularly in Greater London and Bedfordshire.

Although there is a small chance of temperatures hitting 35°C, they are unlikely to surpass the all-time June record of 35.6°C set in 1976.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Probing all angles in Air India crash, including sabotage: Minister

INDIA’s junior civil aviation minister said on Sunday that all possible angles, including sabotage, were being looked into as part of the investigation into the Air India crash.

All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground. However, a police source told AFP after the crash that the death toll on the ground was 38.

Keep ReadingShow less