It was day of fulfillment for 8 years of dedicated labour, fulfillment for an institution in the forefront of leveraging technology and finding new methods and measures to detect, diagnose and interpret diagnostic intricacies. The occasion was the book launch of the ‘Atlas of Imaging in Ophthalmology’ co-authored by Dr S.Ambika,Director, Neuro-Ophthalmology Department, Vision Research Foundation, Dr.Veena Noronha, Consultant Radiologist and Dr. Padmaja Minakshisundaram, Neuro-Ophthalmologist at the Sri VD.Swami Auditorium, Sankara Nethralaya, Main campus.
Extending a warm welcome to the Chief Guest of the day Dr G.Arjundas, Professor Emeritus, Madras Medical College and the other eminent Neuro- surgeons Dr Suresh Bapu, Dr. Balamurugan, Apollo Specialty Hospital, Chennai, Dr Siddharth Ghosh, Oncologist from Kharaghpur, Dr Smitha Vittal the day’s presenter explained that the book is a work on Ophthalmology, Oncology and Radiology and a product of 8 years of painstaking study. She had a high word of praise for Dr. Arjundas and Dr Suresh Bapu for their inputs and guidance in the preparation of the book, she also acknowledged the help from Shri Srikant, Neuro- Radiologist, Dr. Swathe Halde, Neurologist, Dr. Namitha, Deputy Director, Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Government Ophthalmic Hospital. Describing the book as a rich repertoire of cases compiled from year 2002 which would throw light on the interpretation of diseases by imaging technology, she added that the highlight of the book was its foreword by Professor Neil Miller, Chief, Neuro-ophthalmology Division at the Wilmer Eye Institute at the famous ‘The John Hopkins School of Medicine’, Baltimore, USA.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Veena Noronha thanked the Senior Management team of Dr SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Dr TS.Surendran, Vice Chairman, Dr Lingam Gopal, former Chairman, Sankara Nethralaya and Senior Consultants and Heads of Department Dr. Munna Bhende, Dr. Shikha Talwar Bhassi, Dr L.Vijaya and her co-authors Dr. S.Ambika and Dr. Padmaja Minakshisundaram for the support and encouragement which made the book a reality, she had a thoughtful word of appreciation and acknowledgement for Shri Deenadayalan and Shri Mohan from the Multimedia department for their immense contribution towards converting a large number of ordinary images into digital images. Dr. Ambika observed that Orbit and Neuro- imaging have brought revolutionary changes in ophthalmic imaging and the book containing 10 sections of CT&MRI imaging and a compilation of common and rare cases of Neuro, ophthalmic and oncology would be highly useful to both Medical practitioners and students.
Veteran Neuro- Surgeon and physician Dr S.Arjundas, the Chief Guest of the day released the first copy of the book and the same was proudly received by a beaming Dr SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya, while the old student in him, in a touching demonstration of India’s 5000 years old unbroken Guru-Sishya Parampara, most devotedly touched his Guru’s feet and seeked his continued blessings for himself and the institution. Delivering the Chief guest’s address Dr. Arjundas started his talk on a lighter note on how the young Badri whom he knew as a student back in 1957 stood before him today as ‘Leading Indian Living Legend’ and the institution which he recalled as a small set up at the Vijaya Hospital has grown in leaps and bounds both in quality and the quantity of Medicare delivered, the inception of the Department of Neuro -Ophthalmology he added seemed so recent but today there has been so much specialization and here he is today releasing a book on the findings of the department. He had a high word of praise for Dr SS.Badrinath’s dedication to his cause, adding that while it was difficult to build, it was even more difficult to maintain and grow and this is where Dr.Badrinath has proved his perseverance and dedication. Dr Arjundas observed that it must surely be the blessings and goodwill of the poor people that it serves that keeps Sankara Nethralaya going. Underlining the importance of recording in research and health care practice, he expressed that a good lot of vital and critical data is lost since Indians lack the quality of prompt recording, he lauded the sincere efforts of the team which had most painstakingly recorded huge data adding that the book was not only a monumental recording of imaging techniques and methods but a recording of real time experiences from the ward and the laboratory spanning 10 years.
Dr SS.Badrinath thanked the Chief Guest for his presense and the senior Neurology professionals on the stage for their support and encouragement and described the book as a result of 8 years of hard toil. He thanked Dr. Arjundas for his role in introducing many well wishers and corporate houses like Hindustan Petroleum which contributed to Sankara Nethralaya’s community services. He wanted his gesture of respecting his Guru to be a message to the large gathering of students assembled at the venue and underlined that the blessings and support of the Guru are most important to a student at every point of his life, he explained to them that when he welcomed the delegates from the University of Melbourne and the Indian Institute of Science in the morning he started his talk with the verse ‘Athiti Devo Bhava’ which means ‘Our Guest is our God’ and now in the presence of his Guru he wanted to underline the verse ‘Guru Devo Bhava’ which means ‘Guru is our God’. The interesting launch function came to an end with a surprise gift to Co-authors Dr S.Ambika and Dr. Veena Noronha by the esteemed Chief Guest.