Muslim Teen Ties Rakhi to Hindu Donor’s Brother Months After Life-Changing Transplant

Mumbai, August 10, 2025: Months after a hand transplant transformed her life, 16-year-old Anamta Ahmed from Mumbai travelled to Valsad, Gujarat, to tie a rakhi to Shivam Mistry — the brother of her Hindu donor.

Dressed in a pink salwar suit with lace detailing, Anamta gently tied the rakhi around Shivam’s wrist as the room erupted into applause. Some guests had tears in their eyes, while others hummed along to the iconic Raksha Bandhan song “Behna ne bhai ki kalaai pe pyaar baandha hai”.

The moment carried deep emotional weight. One of the hands Anamta now uses belonged to Shivam’s younger sister, Riya, who passed away aged nine in September 2024. With the support of Surat-based NGO Donate Life, Riya’s right hand — amputated from the shoulder — was transplanted onto Anamta in Mumbai, 180 kilometres away.

“We touched Anamta’s hand and it felt like Riya’s. She was the only girl in our entire family. We felt as if our daughter was still alive,” said an emotional Bobby Mistry, Riya and Shivam’s father.

Anamta’s ordeal began in November 2022 when, during a visit to her relatives in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, she accidentally touched a high-tension electric wire while playing on a terrace. She was rendered unconscious and rushed to hospital. Her right arm had to be amputated at the shoulder, and her left arm retained only 20% function. Despite her injury and with her Class 10 Board exams approaching, she began a painstaking recovery — exercising daily, relearning to write, and eventually scoring an impressive 92% in 2023.

Meanwhile, in September 2024, Riya fell suddenly ill in Valsad, vomiting and complaining of severe headaches. After multiple hospital visits, she was admitted to Surat’s Kiran Hospital, where a CT scan revealed brain death caused by a haemorrhage. Donate Life counselled the family, who consented to donate her organs. Her hand was matched to Anamta via Maharashtra’s State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), and the transplant was performed on 17 September. According to Donate Life president Nilesh Mandlewala, it made Anamta the youngest person in the world to undergo a shoulder-level hand transplant.

This Raksha Bandhan, the Ahmed family travelled to Valsad at the NGO’s request. Bobby, unaware of the plan, was deeply moved when Anamta tied a rakhi to his son. “It was a memorable moment for us,” he said.

Now a Class 12 student at Mithibai College, Anamta uses her platform to inspire others through social media, podcasts, and even TEDx talks — encouraging people to face adversity with courage.

Source: Indian Express

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