Ahmedabad: As the jawans manned the crucial India-Pakistan border in Gujarat, in Kutch and Banaskantha, during Operation Sindoor, citizens across the state gave their blood for the nation. In a matter of five days, from May 8 to 12, the state collected over 25,000 units in response to calls from blood banks and NGOs.According to experts, this is two to three times the normal volume.According to figures from the Gujarat State Council for Blood Transfusion (GSCBT), the nodal agency for blood donation and blood banks in the state, about 25,000 units were collected at an average of 5,000 units daily. The drive reached its peak on May 11, the day of intense drone warfare by Pakistan, when Gujaratis donated 9,439 units.General estimates suggest that the average daily blood donation from Gujarat is about 2,200 units, which decreases to about 1,200 to 1,500 units during the summer period. Thus, the donation over five days was two to three times more.Dr Kartik Shah, director of GSCBT, said that the record blood donation reflects the feeling of Gujaratis towards the call for the country's cause."The overwhelming donation is important for two aspects – one, summer time is generally the period with the least blood donation due to intense heat and vacation period; and two,voluntary blood donationis relatively higher in urban areas due to organised activities. But this time, camps at even public and community health centres (PHCs and CHCs) in districts also recorded a good turnout," Dr Shah, said. The donation has not stopped despite a ceasefire being declared.In the border district of Banaskantha, Pathu Rathod, a resident of Tharad, led an initiative by convincing friends and relatives to donate blood. "We organised the drive in preparation for any possible war-related casualties.Although a ceasefire has now been announced, the donated blood will still be used for patients in need," said Rathod, a local farmer. "There is always a shortage of blood during the summer months. Banaskantha sees many patients from both Gujarat and Rajasthan, so this donation will not go to waste."Mulji Rathod, a school teacher from Bhabhar in Banaskantha, also donated blood at Tharad Referral Hospital. "In war, people shed blood. We believe in donating blood to save lives," he said.Dr Vishwas Amin, director of Red Cross Blood Bank in Ahmedabad, said that after the start of Operation Sindoor, the blood bank collected more than 1,000 units in various camps organised where MLAs to doctors donated blood. "The maximum blood donation took place from May 9 to 11 when we collected an average of 300 units each day, which is about three times the normal average for May in previous years," he said."It is truly heartening to see the response to the calls for blood donation in case our jawans need the blood in an emergency. The positive effect of the initiative is that now the blood banks would not have to go from pillar to post during the summers to get the required blood for patients," said Dr Ripal Shah, director of Prathma Blood Bank. "We collected about 700 units in five days after the start of Operation Sindoor."