Ranchi to Host Landmark Blindfold Marathon on August 30 to Promote Eye Donation Awareness

*Ranchi, July 16:* A unique *Blindfold Run for Vision 2026, aimed at creating awareness about eye donation and encouraging people to pledge their eyes, will be held in Ranchi on **August 30. The event is being jointly organised by the **Eye Donation Awareness Club, **Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank* and the *National Health Mission (NHM)*.

The campaign was officially launched at a press conference held at the residence of the State Health Minister, who announced NHM's full support for the initiative. He said *Chief Minister Hemant Soren* would be invited as the *Chief Guest, while former Indian cricket captain and former Member of Parliament **Mohammad Azharuddin* will attend as the *Guest of Honour*.

Scheduled to begin at *7 a.m.*, the marathon is one of the country's most distinctive awareness events. Participants will run with blindfolds to experience, even briefly, the challenges faced by visually impaired people. Organisers believe the initiative not only spreads awareness about eye donation but also fosters empathy and social responsibility.

The Health Minister said the *Run for Vision* campaign and the Blindfold Marathon have been organised continuously for the past *20 years*, becoming a powerful public awareness movement. He noted that the campaign demonstrates how sustained efforts can transform a social cause into a people's movement.

Highlighting the contribution of noted ophthalmologists *Dr. Bharti Kashyap* and *Dr. B.P. Kashyap, the minister said their decades-long commitment to eye donation has restored vision to **1,089 people* through corneal transplantation. He recalled that the couple performed Jharkhand's first successful free corneal transplant in *1996* and later strengthened the state's eye banking infrastructure by introducing advanced cornea preservation facilities after specialised training at the *L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad*.

Dr. Bharti Kashyap, Medical Director of Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank, said this year's marathon is being organised during the *41st National Eye Donation Fortnight* and has received valuable support from the National Health Mission, giving the campaign greater reach and impact.

She said one of the most moving features of the event is that hundreds of children participate by running blindfolded while being guided by other children, symbolising compassion, inclusion and hope. The organisers have appealed to educational institutions, social organisations and the general public to participate in the marathon and support the mission of making Jharkhand free from avoidable corneal blindness through eye donation awareness.