India, April 16 -- Six months ago, 57-year-old Shirish Bengeri from Pune was at death's door. His heart had failed, his liver was shutting down, and doctors feared he wouldn't make it. Today, he is walking again, rediscovering music and rebuilding his life-thanks to Mumbai's first successful simultaneous heart-and-liver transplant performed at the Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital in Girgaon.

Bengeri is also likely the first person in India to survive a "supra-urgent" dual-organ transplant-a feat considered exceptional even by global standards.

"When I left the hospital, I weighed just 46 or 47 kg. Now I am 59," says Bengeri, smiling. "This weight gain shows that my body is accepting my new heart and liver. It was difficult initially...