In India, an accident takes place every minute and every 7.5 minutes someone loses his life. The siblings along with friends in Solan started an NGO, Aware, which is distributing body bags to hospitals.

“The culture of body bags has not yet caught on in India. After any accident, the sight of dead bodies can be heart-wrenching,” said Anurag Sharma, a former journalist.

The NGO has donated 110 body bags to the trauma centre of the All India Institute of Medical Science, 175 to CATS ambulances and another 50 to the Sushruta Trauma Centre.

“The AIIMS trauma centre requires 1100 bags and the Sushruta Trauma Centre needs at least 200-300 such bags each year. We are hoping to give away body bags in the coming years too, although at present we are short of funds,” Sharma added.

The NGO has also donated body bags to hospitals in Shimla. As a part of this philanthropic initiative, activists of the NGO had on Friday distributed 150 body bags at National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Trauma Care Centres along the National Highway-1 (GT Road).

Each year more than 1,000 people lose their lives on the National Highway-1.

Dr M C Misra, who heads the AIIMs Trauma Centre, said, “This is a great gesture by the NGO that is doing noble work.” He added that while the AIIMS Trauma Centre needs around 1,100 bags annually, “if the NGO can supply us more, it will be very helpful.”