Recognising his selfless service of giving new life to thousands through organ donation awareness for more than two decades, the Government of India had announced Nilesh Mandlewala’s name for the Padma Shri award on 26 January 2026. On 25 May 2026, during the first Civil Investiture Ceremony of Padma Awards 2026 held at Ganatantra Mandap, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Hon’ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Shri award upon Nilesh Mandlewala in the presence of Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Home Minister Shri Amit Shah and several other dignitaries for his invaluable contribution in the field of social service and organ donation awareness.
Nileshbhai has also been honoured with more than 70 awards by various national and international organisations, including the prestigious “Gujarat Gaurav Award,” the highest civilian honour of the Government of Gujarat.
Expressing his emotions, Padma Shri Nilesh Mandlewala said, “This honour is not just mine or Donate Life’s honour, but it belongs to the entire city of Surat and the state of Gujarat. This honour belongs to all organ donors and their family members.” He further stated that this recognition also belongs to all doctors and hospitals of Surat and South Gujarat, Surat City Police, Surat Airport Authority, forensic doctors of SMIMER and Civil Hospital, CISF, print media, electronic media, digital media, all volunteers, staff members and trustees of Donate Life. He also dedicated this honour to various social organisations and individuals across the country who are continuously supporting and spreading awareness about organ donation.
Years ago, Nilesh Mandlewala was known as an industrialist and Chamber President, but today he has become a life saver for organ failure patients and is recognised nationwide as the “Organ Man of India.”
Nearly 20 years ago, in 2005, Nileshbhai began a mission to spread awareness about organ donation in Surat. At that time, awareness regarding organ donation was extremely low. Whenever he came to know about a brain-dead patient in any hospital, he would immediately leave his business work and rush to meet the patient’s family members, humbly requesting them to consider organ donation. Many times, he had to face disappointment, rude behaviour, insults and even humiliation, but the determined industrialist never gave up. He continued standing outside ICUs and hospital corridors, trying to convince grieving families about the importance of organ donation.
Working like a one-man army since 2005, Nileshbhai, along with eminent citizens and volunteers, founded the “Donate Life” organisation in 2014.
Through seminars, exhibitions, walkathons, kite festivals, radio talks, television programmes, digital media and social media campaigns, Donate Life has successfully reached more than 100 million people with the message of organ donation and saving lives. The organisation even conducted awareness programmes at crematoriums to spread awareness about organ donation.
Dedicating this prestigious honour to his late parents and Lord Dwarkadhish, he stated, “This recognition will inspire me to move forward with even greater responsibility in the mission of organ donation.”
Nileshbhai has devoted his life to spreading awareness about organ donation. His life mission is that by the year 2047, when India celebrates 100 years of Independence, no person in the country should die due to the non-availability of organs.
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, when organ donation rates had declined significantly across the country, he still managed to facilitate the donation of 203 organs and tissues from Surat alone, giving a new life to 182 organ failure patients.
The pride of Gujarat, Nilesh Mandlewala, through Donate Life, has successfully created massive awareness about organ donation and facilitated more than 1380 organ and tissue donations, helping provide a new life and vision to over 1270 individuals across various states of India and Globe.
Due to his relentless efforts in the field of organ donation for more than two decades, Surat, once known only as the Textile and Diamond City, is now earning recognition as an “Organ Donor City.”
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