JEDDAH — Dozens of Indians came forward to donate blood Monday at Jeddah's King Fahd Hospital to mark the Kingdom's 83rd National Day celebrations. Dr. Jamal Mohammed Mabrouki, director of Blood Bank at the hospital, inaugurated the Blood Donation Campaign. Several other senior officials of the hospital were also present on the occasion. The campaign was organized by the Jeddah Chapter of Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC), which is the largest Keralite organization in the Gulf. "In the second phase of the campaign, which is organized to emphasize our commitment for this great nation, 100 KMCC members will donate blood at King Fahd Hospital on Friday," said E.P. Ubaidulla, secretary of Jeddah KMCC. "We organized this campaign with a symbolic connotation of our readiness to give lifeblood to this great nation, which is our second homeland and it feeds us and thus our families back in India. We sincerely express our solidarity with Saudi Arabia and pledge to strive for the progress and prosperity of this nation," he said, adding that many Saudi youths also joined the campaign. P.T. Mohammed, acting President of KMCC National Committee, E.P. Ubaidulla, K.V.A. Gafoor, P.M.A. Jaleel, Nizam Mampad, Sahal Thangal, Ali Akbar, Majeed Pukayoor, Naser Edavanakkad, Ismail Mundakkulam, and C.K.Shakir spoke on the occasion. Ahmed Palayat, president of Jeddah KMCC, presided over the function, Aboobaker Arimbra welcomed the gathering and Anvar Cherangai proposed the vote of thanks. — SG
