In Memoriam
Manashi Chakrabarti Foundation
A tribute to the life, spirit, and enduring legacy of Manashi Chakrabarti — whose memory inspires our mission of research and care for children with life-threatening blood disorders.
Her Story
The Life of Manashi Chakrabarti
Born as the first child to Ganendranath Chakrabarti and Uma Devi in 1939, Manashi was very special to her parents. Her father, an eminent pathologist, noted some rare talents in the young girl – a mind that could perceive the abstract and express it through her paintings and sketches. As is the story of many such families of her time, Manashi's talents were suffocated by the existence of a middle class family that found painting to be an unnecessary pastime.
At the age of 20, Manashi got married to Bimalangshu. Bimalangshu hailed from a family in Rajshahi, a part of East Bengal that became East Pakistan in 1947. Bimalangshu, a bright medical student at that time, joined the army and became a distinguished soldier and anaesthetist. Manashi adapted to living in a large joint family, but, the promise and talents were submerged in her chores. She raised two children, Mousumi and Suparno. In 1974, she lost her younger brother at the age of 21. This changed her life forever. She started to seek the truth about this world and the hereafter.
Ganendranath had retired as a frustrated academic pathologist, getting little recognition for his brilliance. This pained Manashi. She felt that her children must fulfil the academic promise that she and her father were not allowed to express. Suparno went abroad to earn further expertise in medicine, promising to come back to her side and fulfil the family's mission of research in medicine.
On 13th June 2005, Bimalangshu was admitted to the hospital intensive care with a chest infection. Manashi was by his side for the next few days. On 17th June, she suffered a massive heart attack, which she had smilingly defeated when only a few days old, to grace this world with all her talents.
Death could not have taken Manashi's legacy away from us. It will live on with this charity founded by her children to fulfil the family's mission of research in medicine and the care of children with life-threatening blood disorders.
'It's time to say good-bye
But, please don't cry.
When I have left for a different shore,
Just gently shut the door.
Yet let the memories stay,
Bright as the sunshine may.
Then, every drop of rain you'll find,
Leaves a rainbow behind.'
Manashi Chakrabarti Foundation
Research Activities
Supporting the cause of children suffering from blood disorders
Blood cancers account for half of childhood malignancies. They are broad of two types, myeloid and lymphoid. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL account for 90% of blood cancers between the ages of 1-16 years. Diligent research and exhaustive clinical trials have now made it one of the most curable cancers. In the western world, 80% of children diagnosed with ALL get cured with chemotherapy alone. Of the other 20% which relapse, 50-60% are cured with further treatment including a bone marrow transplantation.
In developing countries including India, the majority of children with ALL fail to access proper healthcare facilities and even if they do so, a large number of the default treatment due to logistic and financial constraints.
Our endeavor is to provide awareness, access, and support to all such children who could lead a happy and healthy life and productively contribute to the development of the society. Thus, the journey does not end with successful treatment. That is the beginning of a long and productive life through proper guidance and support for educational and psychological rehabilitation.
The success in treatment of cancer depends on the understanding and amalgamation of individual biology and the environment we live in. The factors predisposing to childhood cancers are poorly understood. In a country where air and water pollution is on the rise and many carcinogenic substances are used in daily life without regulation, we need to know the cause of blood cancers in our children.
Disease biology differs from geographical and ethnic variations. Little do we know if the biology of childhood leukemia in India is different from that in the west. Uncompromised research on each of these areas is the need of the hour. Our organization is striving to gather the infrastructure and human resources to start answering these questions. We invite all interested researchers, collaborators, philanthropists to join us in this endeavor.
Research on Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) in Children
BMT from a donor or Allogeneic BMT is often the only curative treatment for advanced blood cancers. If a matched donor is not available in the family, the patient can go for a transplant from an unrelated donor.
We inherit half of our HLA genes from each parent and pass it on likewise to our children. Thus, HLA or tissue type is 50% matched between the children and their parents. This is called a Haploidentical match.
We were the first in the world to point out that this approach for children was wrought with high risks of rejection and Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD). Through years of diligent clinical research, we have now developed the most effective way of transplanting such children from a parent or a haploidentical donor. This discovery has changed the lives of many such children. Our organization has provided expertise and logistic support for such research activities over the last decade.
Surviving after Blood Cancer
Following the ordeal of going through treatment for blood cancer, the biggest challenge lies in rehabilitation and long-term surveillance. Growth and mental development of the survivors of childhood cancer is of paramount importance.
In addition, cancer drugs can also have an effect on the heart and the lungs and need regular monitoring. Society at large should take the responsibility of rehabilitating the survivors of childhood cancer, so that they can take up a lead role in society in future.
A life free of Thalassemia
β-Thalassemia Major is the commonest genetic disorder in India. About 10,000 children with thalassemia are born every year. Despite the improvement in supportive care, the long-term outcome of children with transfusion-dependent β thalassemia in developing countries is disappointing.
Recent data from WHO confirms that about 12% of children born with transfusion-dependent β thalassemia are actually transfused, and less than 5% receive adequate iron chelation. BMT from a matched sibling donor was established as a curative treatment for this condition in the early eighties. However, only 10-20% of thalassemia sufferers find a matched family donor.
Our endeavor is to develop facilities for transfusion and chelation for children under the optimum guidance of pediatric hematologists. We also provide expertise in curative treatment for this condition.