Family conducts final rites in Vallabh Vidyanagar after body used for academic study at Indian institute
Vadodara: The family of Prajesh Patel, a 39-year-old NRI, cremated his mortal remains in Vallabh Vidyanagar after donating his body to a medical college for educational purposes last year. Prajesh, who lived in Canada and ran a bakery and pizza outlet, was admitted to a Toronto hospital on April 21, 2024, with vomiting and diarrhoea and passed away due to a sudden drop in blood pressure and oxygen levels. His body was handed over to the G J Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, part of CVM University, where nearly 100 medical students studied anatomy using his remains, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Prajesh Patel’s family expressed that donating his body made his death purposeful, allowing him to contribute to medical education and organ donation awareness
Prajesh, originally from Ode village in Anand district, became part of what authorities believe is likely the first case in India where a body was flown in from abroad solely for academic purposes. His father, Prakash Patel, a trustee of Surat-based Donate Life, emphasized, “My son strongly believed in giving new life to people through organ donation. We wanted to make his death purposeful, so we decided to bring his body to India and donate it for medical education.”
The decision had full support from his wife Sejal, mother Aarti, and in-laws Harish and Kokila. Since no postmortem was conducted in Canada, the body remained intact for study. After completion of academic use, the institute returned the body to the family for the final rites. The cremation was conducted on Wednesday with Vedic rituals in Vallabh Vidyanagar, and flowers from the ceremony were preserved so that Prajesh’s son can perform post-death rituals during his visit to India in December.
