Tanuj Goyal – A 20-time Blood Donor, Famous As Blood-Man

Tanuj Goyal – 23-Year Old Change-Maker, Famous As Blood-Man

An IAS Aspirant Wants To Serve The Society As a Dedicated Public Servant

We have heard that serving humanity is the most extraordinary form of service. However, in an age of performative social activism, only a handful of us engage in the betterment of society.

Teenage is that transitional phase in which teenagers are often undecided on their life choices. Yet, some highly mindful individuals have already zeroed down on a goal. This story is a kind, one such individual who is willing to serve humanity with the priceless gift of life. In times of feeding on social media validation, this young man creates a massive network of blood donors and saves invaluable lives!

Coming from the north Indian state of Haryana is the life story of 23-year old Tanuj Goyal. Born and raised in the small town of Haryana, Tohana, Tanuj was always determined to work in the sphere of social service. When kids his age were engrossed in fun and play, he had already set his heart on working for his country.

It runs in the family.

Tanuj’s father, Sat Bhushan Goyal, a professional journalist, is also an active blood donor. He has donated blood 98 times! Father’s distinguished act cast a lasting impression on him, and Tanuj was keen on doing his bit as well. However, he also knew that alone would be as insignificant as a drop in the ocean. To make his effort count, he had to galvanize the masses in supporting him in his mission.

Deeply impacted by the fragility of life, Tanuj was also moved to the core when he learned of people succumbing to illnesses because of lack of blood. He would also get calls from people asking for fresh blood. At that time, regional organizations were working for blood donation. However, no one in the family knew much about emergency blood donations. Hence, Tanuj spun a plan and thought to do something that no one had done before.

Friends 2 Help

On July 15, 2015, at the age of 17 and a half, Tanuj founded Friends 2 Help, a country-wide network of blood donors. The organization’s sole purpose was to provide blood to cater to urgent needs. What started as a local WhatsApp group with friends now snowballed into a large group of lifesavers. Within a short period, the organization had crossed domestic borders and reached the neighboring states.

Talking about the working of his organization, Tanuj says that ‘Friends 2 Help’ is a network of blood donors and blood donees in India and neighboring countries. There are efficient coordinators stationed in every state and a well-established arrangement that answers the donee’s call within minutes.

The Organisation

Over five years, the Friends 2 Help organization has already donated 1.25 Lacs units of blood. Eminent personalities like Bollywood celebrity-turned-politician Kirron Kher, Sardar Paramveer Singh (Former Agriculture Minister), Prof. Bhim Singh (Chief Patron, Jammu And Kashmir National Panthers Party), R. C. Sethi (Retd. IG Punjab Police), Manoj K. Channan (Former Lieutenant Colonel), and IPS Shashank Aanand have also contacted Friends 2 Help for blood donations. Widely known as the Blood Man, Tanuj himself is a 20-time blood donor in times of an emergency.

He has been conscious of the existing class disparity in Indian society since a tender age. He also believes that one can only change the system by being a part of it. Tanuj is also an IAS Aspirant and dreams of becoming a Public Servant one day. By following his dream of becoming an IAS, Tanuj also expresses his desire to spread awareness about Fundamental Duties. According to him, the masses are aware of their Fundamental Rights but not the Fundamental Duties. The young visionary is currently pursuing LL.B. from NM Law PG College, Hanumangarh MGSU, Bikaner, Rajasthan.

Story of Tanuj Goyal: Awards and Recognition 

Tanuj’s honorable deeds have brought him recognition from far and wide. His alma mater of Panjab University awarded the ‘Roll of Honour’ for his work in blood donation in 2019.

In addition, the Department of Elections, Haryana appointed Tanuj as the ‘District Sweep Brand Ambassador 2019’ of Fatehabad District when they learned about his work. iCONGO, in partnership with the United Nations, facilitated Tanuj with ‘The Campus Connect – Rex Karamveer Global Young Leaders Fellowship & Karamveer Chakra Award 2019’ at IIT Delhi. With an abundance of certificates of appreciation, letters, and honors, Tanuj’s work has also won him a gamut of appreciation and accolades from all across the country.

 

Sharing his journey so far, Tanuj recalls an experience that gave a new life to a police officer. On June 15, 2020, Munshi Sitaram got injured. Then the caretakers of the field present with an illegal skimmer gun in a police Balero. As guards got down from the car, the sudden gunshot injured Sitaram. The bullet passes by his feet. He shifted to Sapra Hospital, Hisar. Mohit Kumar, son of SHO’s driver Mahinder Singh, was posted at Ratia police station. He requested Tanuj to arrange for AB+ blood. Tanuj immediately got in touch with Friends 2 Help and floated the urgent blood requirement on social media accounts. With the kind help of Hisar’s Sumit Aggarwal, Sitaram breathed a new life.

Motivational Talks

Along with being on his toes for donating blood, one can also spot Tanuj at various events and gatherings. Several government departments invited Tanuj has to deliver motivational talks, inspire the youth and share valuable learnings from his enriching journey.

One can also gauge Tanuj’s understanding of the various issues prevailing in Indian society reading his profound poetry. Using the power of a pen to the fullest, Tanuj weaves reality into his poems. His recent compilation on Indian laborers raises some pressing questions on the impact of the current Lockdown on daily wage laborers. An ardent follower of Swami Vivekananda, Tanuj’s team, had led a campaign against road safety. Joining hands with Haryana Police, the team gave flowers and helped the defaulters understand the importance of abiding by traffic rules.

Inspiring the surroundings

Being extremely grateful to his father for being a driving force of his son’s noble acts, Tanuj also draws inspiration from a range of people. State Secretary, Scouts & Guides, Haryana, L S Verma, had conferred him with the State’s Best Rover Award. These include Tanuj’s Best friends – Haneesh Saini, Saurav Sharma & Ashish Kaushik, and Scout Master Balwan Singh Chauhan. State Liaison Officer, NSS Chandigarh, Bikram Singh Rana; Indian Air Force Captain M R Pandya, IAS Ajit Balaji Joshi, IAS J. K. Abhir & Dr. Shiv Sachdeva (Tohana Ratan), and many more eminent personalities have praised his work.

In the current times, life-threatening circumstances are grappling us, and any positivity is the energy that keeps us going. In this quest, Friends 2 Help work is the silver lining. Tanuj is also a leader with wisdom stretching far into India’s future. To serve humanity, Tanuj is also on a mission to spread awareness of human welfare. Tanuj’s story is worth emulating by today’s youth as working for the betterment of our people is the ultimate goal of human existence.

Our Storyteller 

Kavya Mukhija is a psychology student, a writer, a calligraphy artist, and a creative content creator. She loves traveling and exploring new places. Always dressed with a smile, she considers spreading happiness a good deed. Lastly, she is a woman with a ‘special ability who believes that more than the ‘special ability,’ the negative perception towards ‘disability’ is disabling. Reach her at Kavya Mukhija.

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