The Sydney-based Indian family, that donated the organs of their seven-year-old son about a fortnight ago, drove 3,000 people to pledge their organs on Sunday . The family of Deyaan Udani, who suffered brain death in the city while on a holiday and became Maharashtra's youngest organ donor, will spearhead an international campaign.

Deyaan's elder sister Naisha, 9, addressed a gathering of thousands in Dadar on Sunday , and announced that she would not hesitate to donate her organs if an opportunity presents. “I will donate my organs when I grow up. I am proud to have known my brother,“ she said.Her younger brother's kidneys, heart and liver gave four people a fresh shot at life.

The child recalled how she and her brother had very recently learnt about organ donation at Quakers Hill Public School in Sydney, Australia. “We found that our mother had pledged her organs but our father had not. Deyaan and I had told him that instead of becoming ashes, he could save so many lives,“ Naisha said.

Mayor Snehal Ambekar, filmmaker Shubhash Ghai, police officers and some doctors were present at the event, which also witnessed an union of families who benefitted from the Udanis' gesture.

The recipient of Deyaan's heart was a seven-yearold girl from the city's Goregaon, who is recuperating well post-transplant. “Deyaan came into our lives like an angel and gave us the greatest gift. It is priceless to see your child smile and talk,“ said the mother of the Goregaon girl. She remembered the day doctors had told her that their daughter would not live beyond a week. “I had fallen unconscious,“ she said. The Goregaon family has now decided to devote them selves to the cause of organ donation. “Our family will propagate and donate when the time comes,“ the heart re cipient's mother announced Deyaan's mother Mili suggested that schools could make a huge impact on Indi a's dwindling cadaver dona tion figures. The country's organ donation statistic stands at a dismal 0.50 per sons per million population.