Can God have a human face? 

Kiran Verma, a social activist, is revered as the human god by many for his activism to raise awareness of blood donation and begin a 21000 kilometers walk. This 37-year-old social worker left his high-paying job and started to impact society through blood donation. His sole mission in life is to make sure that no one dies waiting for blood in India after Dec 31, 2025.

He says, "This walk is going to be the longest blood awareness campaign ever by an individual; in the world." He is so committed to his goal that he only wears T-shirts with the 'Simply Blood' logo, which he pairs with denim or trousers or shorts. 

Verma started his challenge of 21,000 km from Thiruvananthapuram in December 2021. He reached Tiruchi and crossed several other cities like Thrissur, Waynad, and other parts of Tamilnadu. He left his job in 2016 after a tragic incident happened in his life that compelled him to stand for the right of poor people. On Dec 26, 2016, one phone call changed Verma's entire world and strengthened his will to do something for the people of India. He received a call from a person who informed him about a low-income family needing blood. Kiran went to help the family and donated his blood to help the family.

As per the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC): "A person who gives blood, plasma or cellular components of their own free will and receives no payment, either in the form of cash or in-kind which is considered a substitute for money. This would include time off work other than that reasonably needed for donation and travel. Small tokens, refreshments, and reimbursements of direct travel costs are compatible with a voluntary, non-remunerated donation."

But to his ignorance, the person who called him to donate blood compelled the patient's family to pay Rs.1500. Kiran learned from the woman of the patient family that she had to take up a prostitution job to pay up bills for his blood and other medical expenditures. This incident profoundly impacted our modern-day messiah, and he founded 'Change with One Nation' and launched two other programs under it, namely 'Simply Blood' and 'Change with One Meal.'

Sad but true, around 12 thousand people breathe their last every day due to a lack of blood donation. This humanitarian worker expressed his grievance about the massive deficit of blood requirements. In India, only 11 million units of blood are collected, whereas the necessity is about 15 million units. Unfortunately, more than 40 Indian districts have no blood bank, making it difficult for the people in need. 

He began his journey in southern India because the weather in this location is more suited to walking in the winter. The various educational and religious organizations that host medical aid camps show that giving blood is equivalent to giving blood. He isn't a fan of the 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' milestones many people aspire for, so he calculated 21,000 kilometers after looking at an Indian road map. He claims that traveling from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is insufficient to appreciate our country's diversity and terrain. So he picked the roads and major cities on the map for his journey.

Delhi-based social activist Verma launched India's first virtual blood donation App. He reiterated that he's on a mission to end any death due to blood donation in India and will do anything to help resolve this problem through his organization 'Simply Blood.' Verma's App alerts over 50,000 registered people across a large area when a 'blood request' is made within a 5km radius. If a potential donor accepts the request, the App publishes both parties' contact information, including phone numbers and home and hospital addresses. 

We all know that buying and selling blood has been prohibited in India since 2005. But the country's blood black marketing network is thriving day by day. He introduced transparency in donor-recipient profiles through his App to combat the ongoing problem. With his App, one can utilize the data to identify, blocklist, and ban 'professional blood donors,' or those who sell their blood, make false requests, or sell the blood of others.

The program 'Simply Blood' is also linked to data.gov.in, which lists government-approved legal blood banks. When the government dismisses a blood bank's license, it is automatically updated on Verma's App. His 'Change with One Foundation' helped him conduct 76 free blood donation drives across India. He partnered with Indian Red Cross and Armed Forces Transfusion Centre for blood collection in his greater mission. 

Every noble task comes with challenges, and Verma's mission is not exceptional. Verma is currently facing financial hurdles and is solely dependent on his wife's income to run the house. To lessen the burden from his wife's shoulder, he took another profit-making enterprise initiative that eliminates the intermediary for buying produce directly from farmers and selling those in Delhi. 

Another difficulty that he faced was ugly-class-consciousness. For example, in some places of India, he witnessed people from the Brahmin community who wanted to receive blood from only another Brahmin doner, which is nearly impossible. Surprisingly, the Government of India had campaigned lots of programs on cultural equity from the time the country got freedom. But at the root of the society is still some fanatics creating a disturbance and keep living on superstitions. 

Another thing he pointed out about his App is that it is beyond its capacity to identify HIV+ or Hepatitis C donors. The hospital authority should check the blood samples and verify the donor's history. To Verma, his prime goal is to motivate people not to be part of the blood mafia chain. He pledged people not to become any replacement doners, and if they wanted to donate must donate free of cost. Any donor who donates blood to his acquaintances, Verma wants to inspire them to donate to the hospitals and blood banks directly. 

Despite many hurdles, Verma is advancing towards his goals and helping countless people in dire need of blood. 

Also Read: What Happened To Johnny Depp And Amber Heard’s Relationship?