Toran Sheikh is a daily-wage labourer and road worker from West Bengal. One day he decided to donate blood to a needy person purely out of humanity. He had no grand ambition to change the world. It began with an injured colleague who desperately needed help. In 1998, when a fellow worker suffered a serious road accident, Sheikh donated blood to him as it was much-needed to save his friend’s life.Almost 30 years later, Sheikh from Khalipur village in Purba Bardhaman district, has donated blood 105 times. He has also worked to encourage others to do the same and organised blood-donation camps in remote villages.His incredible journey, as reported by The New Indian Express, is a reminder that the desire to help others does not depend on wealth or social standing.An accident that changed his life
Blood donation (PC: Canva)
Sheikh first donated blood when he was only 18. His colleague, who worked alongside him, was injured in an accident. He was in need of blood urgently. Sheikh donated blood and helped his friend. The experience left a lasting impression on him. He realised how something as simple as donating blood could make the difference between life and death.“There is no justification to verify the identity of a distressed person in terms of religion, cast and creed. No difference in colour and religion should be taken into account when someone cries for blood,” Sheikh told The New Indian Express.A daily-wage worker who refuses to give up
Toran Sheikh (PC: New Indian Express)
Sheikh’s commitment is quite inspiring. Now 50, he works repairing roads across Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman and parts of Murshidabad. Employed by contractors working with local administrations, he earns approximately Rs 700-800 a day.He supports his wife, two daughters and son with this income. The family lives in a mud house, and their financial situation becomes more difficult during the monsoon.To supplement his earnings, Sheikh also supplies labourers to contractors in Khalipur and Bamundi. Yet, he continues to devote time to blood donation and community awareness.Taking the message to remote villagesSheikh has also established the Katwa Sub-division Voluntary Blood Donation Forum to organise donation camps in remote villages and motivate residents to participate. His work extends to tribal-dominated areas of Bardhaman.His message is also printed on his business card, which says, “Swechhaay rakto dan karun/manuser mangal korun,” which is an appeal to donate blood voluntarily and work for the good of humanity.Not only this, every year, on World Blood Donor Day on June 14, state government blood banks invite him to speak about voluntary blood donation. This year at the Government Institute of Blood Transfusion Medicine and Immuno Haematology, commonly known as the Central Blood Bank, he brought tribal residents from Ambal village in Purba Bardhaman’s Ketugram II block to donate blood voluntarily.A donation that stood out during Covid
Toran Sheikh getting recognised for his incredible service (PC: New Indian Express)
According to Bengali newspaper Sangbad Pratidin, during the Covid-19 lockdown, an 86-year-old woman named Shobharani Talukdar, a resident of Katwa’s Panuhat, urgently needed blood.Her family struggled to find a donor, and the blood bank reportedly had no blood available. But Sheikh reached Katwa Hospital and donated blood to help her.Recognition for a lifetime of serviceOn October 1, 2026, West Bengal’s Health Minister, Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee, felicitated Sheikh at Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake, recognising both his repeated donations and his efforts to spread awareness among marginalised communities.By October 25, the newspaper reported that he had donated blood 105 times. An earlier report by Sangbad Pratidin, published on October 10, recorded 102 donations.His work offers a simple but powerful reminder of humanity is still alive and you don’t have to be rich to be human and do service.
