A close look at the inception, growth and 4 decades of service by Sankara Nethralaya would make it apparent that if something has been the consistent moving force for all the above, next only to the blessings of the Kanchi Acharyas, it is the boundless love to mankind, a strong sense of service, a no strings attached generosity and utmost faith in the institution exhibited by its donors and well wishers. It was a beautiful demonstration of this faith that was being showcased on the 20th of September 2018 in the small town of Chetpet in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, as the curtains went up on yet another major step in Sankara Nethralaya’s battle against blindness, in a semi urban area. The day’s proceedings got off with a warm welcome note to the large gathering by the visionary founder and Chairman Emeritus presiding over the inaugural of his institution’s 7th unit in the State and 12th in the country, his passion and involvement in the event taking one back to the day the journey began 4 decades ago. Hailing Chief Donor Shri Surajmal Jain, Philantrophist, Visionary, Educationist and Chairman of Acharya Sri Hasthi Aradhana Foundation (ASHA) a long time friend and well wisher, for his massive social service in the region, he underlined that his philanthropy, vision and persistence in doing good were instrumental in the inception of the new unit. The head of Sankara Nethralaya thanked district collector Shri KS Kandaswamy and Rajayogini B.K. Uma of the Brahma Kumari movement for gracing the function, he reiterated the institution’s avowed principle of dispensing high quality care without disparity to both paying and non paying patients and urged the gathering to make the best use of the facility coming up in their locality and fulfil the dream of the generous donor who had envisaged such a service for them.
A typical trait of all Sankara Nethralaya’s endeavours is the blurring of the line of difference between the beneficiary and benefactor and it was evident in great measure at the inaugural with the involvement and efforts to make it a grand event by Shri Surajmal Jain and his family by attending to every little detail with love and ensuring the comfort of the members of the Sankara Nethralaya family and other invitees.
It was a noble event, with noble people participating in it and noble messages filled the air quite naturally, eminent philanthropist and educationist Shri Surajmal Jain whose contribution of the premises for the institution was instrumental in its formation observed that if DrSS.Badrinath had any commercial motives there would be no Sankara Nethralaya today and his consent to start a unit in Tiruvannamalai came as a boon to the people of all the 6 taluks of the district. Guest of Honour Rajayogini B.K. Uma hailed the unit as a contribution of two great Mahans, Shri Surajmal Jain and Dr SS.Badrinath, she persuaded every individual in the gathering to stop thinking for a minute on how to take or receive and concentrate on how to give back to society, which would be for the spiritual and material well being of the world. The public spirited collector of the district Shri K.S.Kandaswamy presiding as the Chief Guest declared that it was the blessings of his birth that he was sharing the dais with a legend like Dr SS.Badrinath, he thanked Shri Surajmal Jain and Sankara Nthralaya for starting an advanced eye care unit that would serve the paying and non paying patients in his district. The collector joined Rajayogini B.K. Uma in making a passionate plea to set aside something from one’s income to the society, adding that philanthropy was not an exclusive prerogative of the wealthy and everyone should exhibit kindness and the spirit of giving within their capacity. Dr Girish Rao, Medical Director hailed the infrastructure of the new unit as being on par with the main hospital, he had a high word of praise for Shri Surajmal Jain, his wife and sons Shri Kamal and Shri Sunil for their persistence and steadfastness which helped in overcoming several legal and procedural hurdles and made the centre a reality. The crowning glory of the day was the message and blessing by HH Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal, the Pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt, made through a virtual appearance. The Seer explained that it is only by constant pursuit of how, where and when we can be of help and service to fellow human beings that we can fulfil the purpose of our avatar as human beings. He expressed his joy at the opening of a Sankara Nethalaya unit at Tiruvannamalai and blessed the unit for its success and to serve a large number of patients from the region and the noble couple who had contributed to its creation.