29-06-2025
Head constable goes the extra mile
A young recruit at the Tamil Nadu Special Police battalion, K. Madhan Kumar first donated blood when he was in his early 20s. A colleague's relative was in need of blood and Madhan volunteered. 'When I returned to resume my work I was told to take two days' rest on account of the blood donation. It surprised me because we rarely get to go home otherwise,' recalls Madhan.
Since then Madhan, who is currently posted as head constable at Shastri Nagar police station in Adyar, has made blood donation a habit. 'My dad, who was also an active donor, encouraged me to donate blood for the benefit of individuals who are in utmost need of it,' says Madhan, adding that he resumes work immediately after donating blood. Over the last five to six years, in addition to blood donation, Madhan has been donating plasma and platelets. He has made these donations 92 times, with blood donation accounting for 60 of them.
Voluntary Health Services in Taramani is where he has donated platelets the maximum number of times to help children undergoing treatment for cancer.
As admin of seven police groups, Madhan plays a crucial role in verifying and circulating messages on 'blood needed' among his circles.
'I have a simple form that I ask people to fill to make communication easier. I also make it a point to make the donation near my place of work or my home,' says this resident of Maduravoyal.
Madhan also engages actively with other social initiatives such as 'Udhavum Karangal 2003'.
'Whenever a colleague dies we pool in money to get an insurance cover for the family. This was started by the 2003 batch of the Tamil Nadu police and has now extended to other batches as well. Two years ago, Vikatan gave us an award for this work,' he says.
'Kings of West Traffic' is another initiative running since June 2014 where Madhan along with other police personnel do charity work such as paying fees for underprivileged children, contributing to the families of deceased police personnel, supporting families affected by cyclones, helping auto drivers during the pandemic, and funding treatment for police personnel and their families.
