The Dr. S. S. Badrinath Campus at Sankara Nethralaya was abuzz with excitement as the 78^th Independence Day was celebrated with a special awards ceremony recognizing the outstanding contributions of its staff. The event, held at 7:45 AM, was graced by the presence of Dr. V. Thiruppugazh IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Secretary NDMA and Chairman, Advisory Committee for Mitigation of Floods in Chennai, as the chief guest, who also hoisted the flag.

The following awards were presented during the celebration:

Outstanding Performances: Women
Gold Medal: Ms. Kavitha B, Manager, Fund Raising
Silver Medal: Dr. Rashima A, Incharge, Occupational Optometry Services

Outstanding Performances: Men
Gold Medal: Mr. Arumugam D, Incharge, Transport Department
Silver Medal: Mr. Hajakamal Y, Junior Executive, Civil & Electrical Services Department

Best Department Awards
Gold Award: Civil & Electrical Services Department
Silver Award: Department of Biomedical Engineering

Special recognition was given to Dr. Bhaskaran from Internal Medicine, who has been with Sankara Nethralaya for an extraordinary 45 years.

Long service awards were presented to several dedicated employees:

35 Years: Dr. Vijaya L (Glaucoma), Ms. Usha V (Medical Transcription), Mr. Krupanandam A (Outpatient Services)

30 Years: Dr. Lingam Gopal (Vitreoretina), Dr. Muna Bhende (Vitreoretina), Ms. Sreedevi C G (Academics), Ms. Vijayalakshmi A (General Optometry), Ms. Mahalakshmi Saravanavelu (Operation Theatre), Ms. Revathi Selvam (Operation Theatre), Ms. Sasikala S (Operation Theatre), Ms. Uma Maheswari T J (Operation Theatre), Ms. Sharmila O V (Operation Theatre)

Additionally, 37 employees were honored for 25 years of service, 6 for 20 years, 17 for 15 years, and 14 for 10 years.

The Circle of Excellence Award was presented to the Patient Services Department, a recognition instituted by Ms. Sita Mittal, a SWAN volunteer.

A total of 62 employees received rank awards, and 14 children of Sankara Nethralaya employees were presented with merit awards, highlighting the institution’s commitment to nurturing talent both within and beyond the workplace.

The event was a celebration of the tireless efforts and dedication of the entire Sankara Nethralaya team, with Dr. Thiruppugazh’s presence and speech inspiring the attendees.