The Gift

At sixty, Kochouseph Chittilappilly was already a successful industrialist and one of Kerala's best-known figures in business and philanthropy. Then he made a choice that many found strange and some found controversial. Moved by the suffering of a close relative, he decided to donate one of his kidneys to a poor truck driver he had never met.

In The Gift he explains why he decided to do it and describes the road to that goal. He faced objections from family, business associates and society at large. He also had to pass the medical and ethical checks required of a donor. In the end he felt deep satisfaction, and his act helped begin a wave of voluntary organ donation in the state.

The book also shows how little people in India understand organ donation. It gives readers a clear look at the personal, medical and legal sides of becoming a donor, in plain language and with an inspiring tone.