A post on Twitter took people, especially those who were active on social media, by storm on Friday. Posted by @BloodDonorsIn with #Hyderabad, it sought O+ blood for a 3-year-old child at a corporate hospital in Madhapur.
On the face of it, nothing seems odd. But what was extremely wrong to which people responded with indignation was the four opening words of this terse appeal. The tweet started with ‘ONLY Kamma Caste Donors’, referring to the fact that the suffering child belonged to the dominant community in Telugu-speaking States.
No doubt there were days when people preferred to die rather than taking blood from persons who did not belong to their caste. However, a consistent drive and campaigns by National Blood Transfusion Council and others have seen things improve to a large extent. Cutting across caste and States, the tweet attracted an outrage from citizens who asked if blood had caste. Blood they say is thicker than water but the way the caste factor is dominating even in this day and age sure takes the cake!
