In most parts of India, young couples were deliberating on what to eat and where to go on Valentine’s Day. In Mizoram, many of them celebrated by donating blood. This year, the Valentine’s Day coincided with a blood donation drive in Mizoram. The event was held across many venues across the state and was organized by Aizawl-based Association for Voluntary Blood Donation (AVBD). Their theme of the blood donation drive was ‘Show Love, Give Blood’.
According to ABVD, 900 youths across the state, most of them accompanied by their partners, came for the mass voluntary blood donation drives organised for the needy.
Mizoram’s health minister Lal Thangliana told The Northeast Today,
“It is a glorious sight to see voluntary participants flocking in from the morning till afternoon. It makes me proud to be a Mizo and it is fortunate that we have associations with such interest.”
Started by local television personality Zikpuii Pachuau, donating blood on the occasion of Valentine’s Day has become a tradition since 2010. In the first year, 146 people donated blood in honour of their lovers and the number doubled the next year. So far, more than 5,700 units of blood have been donated on the occasion of Valentine’s Day since 2010, according to AVBD.
Here’s how people on social media reacted on Valentine’s Day:
