The death of Indian actor Puneeth Rajkumar has prompted commitments to turn a blind eye Art and Culture News

Doctors say more than 7,000 people have been committed to making eye donations after the month since the Kannada star died.

Fans of mourning for beloved Indian film star Puneeth Rajkumar pledge to leave their eyes after the actor’s untimely death focused on the post-mortem donation of his organs.

The “Powerstar” – as he is called for his tumultuous action role – died of a heart attack in Bangalore last month at the age of 46, embracing thousands of grieving admirers, crying and pitying through the city’s streets.

The news of the next few days revealed that Rajkumar wanted to donate his eyes, saving enough tissue from his eyes to restore the sight of the four people.

The tradition lies in the actor’s family. Her two parents made the same commitment before she died and doctors now say the example has actually been taken around Bangalore.

“It kind of reminded people that you have to give them eyes … instead of burning or burying them,” said Rekha Gyanchand, medical director at Lions International Eye Bank.

“We see a lot of people approaching us to make a donation,” he added. “Awareness has really increased.”

At the nearby Narayana Nethralaya Hospital, vinyl posters and pamphlets showed Rajkumar’s smiling face, along with a message asking potential donors to give him sight.

A Narayana Nethralaya volunteer shows an eye donor card at an event in memory of Puneeth Rajkumar in Bangalore [Manjunath Kiran/AFP]

A queue of young people waited in front of a pole to talk to staff and fill out commitment sheets.

Since Rajkumar’s death, more than 7,000 members have pledged to give self-mortem eyes, the clinic’s managing director, K Bhujang Shetty, said.

“In the days following Puneeth’s death, we have collected 112 eyes” from the new deceased after relatives accepted the transplants, he added.

‘Someone will benefit’

Among those who donated was Subramani, a driver who lost his job after losing his sight but received a transplant just two weeks ago. He was offering the eyes of his recently deceased brother.

“We didn’t want to waste his eyes, and we wanted to give it to someone like the person who gave me his eyes,” he said.

An employee of Narayana Nethralaya organizes pamphlets and brochures in memory of Puneeth Rajkumar in Bangalore at an eye donation ceremony. [Manjunath Kiran/AFP]

Rajkumar made his name as a child actor and starred in about 30 films, with the action-comedy film Appu being one of the biggest hits.

Kannada was established as one of the most popular stars in the language film industry, whose focus was on Bangalore, which is known in the world as India’s leading technology hub.

The news of his death shocked the city, as a crowd was carrying an ambulance carrying his body from the hospital, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the loss as a “cruel twist of fate”.

Rajkumar is survived by his wife Ashwini Revanth and two children.

Among his avid fans is Bangalore housewife Uma Aravind Kumar, who has decided to give her eyes.

“After Puneeth (the example), our son commanded his eyes without us knowing,” he said. “I liked it and I also wanted to make a donation. Someone will benefit from this. ‘