India, Oct. 23 -- In a couple of days, Tanmay Shinde, 17, will walk out of hospital with a second chance at life - thanks to his new heart.

Tanmay's surgery - Mumbai's first-ever paediatric heart transplant in a public charitable hospital - was performed at the Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Parel. While the hospital has been undertaking paediatric renal and liver transplants, this is its first heart transplant since it received its cardiac transplant licence in 2024.

The son of a BEST bus conductor, Tanmay was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure, a condition where the heart muscle is enlarged and weakens, reducing its ability to pump blood effectively. After being diagnosed in December 2015, he had...