CONTENT

A Leader Challenges Status Quo 1

Celebrate Retina, Celebrate Life 2015 2

Hearing and Speech Loss is no Impediment 3

Bosch and Aravind Eye Care to Start Vision Centres in 50 Places 5

Fundus Camera Launched at Aravind Eye Hospital 7

Aravind Eye Care System Deploys Bosch Solution to Offer Comprehensive

Eye Examination 8

Aravind Eye Care System Deploys Bosch Solution for Comprehensive

Eye Examination 10

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TTD to Provide Land for Rs.100-cr. Eye Hospital 12

How to Cure Blindness around the World 13

Keeping the Faith 16

The Story of Innovation at Aravind Eye Care System 18

60+ Vayadhinile! 19

Kalam Touched Lives Everywhere 24

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Have an Eye on Glaucoma 28

Doctors Take Out Glaucoma Rally 29

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Glaucoma Matters 34

Marathon to Create Awareness about Glaucoma 38

Eye Infections on Rise in City 39

Blindfolded, They Rally for a cause 40

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Healing without Medicines 49

The Artist whom Madurai Forgot 52

A Peoples Painter 56

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Relief Continues to Pour in for Districts Hit by Deluge 63

Giving through Recycling 24

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Musical Celebration of Enga Madurai 67

Jagriti Yatra Arrives in City 70

Taking Eye Care to Every Corner of Rural India 71

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02-10-2015

EADERSHIP TRAITS: G. Srinivasan, president, GOVEL Trust, giving away Dr.G.Venkataswamy Endowment

Oration Award to Allen Foster, Co-Director, International Centre for Eye Health, in Madurai on Thursday. Photo: S. James

Passion, perseverance and enabling people around made one a good leader, said Allen Foster, Co-Director, International Centre for Eye Health, on Thursday.

Delivering the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Endowment Oration on Leadership: relevance to eye health on the birth anniversary of founder of Aravind Eye Hospital here, Dr. Allen listed qualities that made a good leader. Leadership, he said, always had a positive connotation but could also be used for negative outcomes, as in the case of Hitler.

Leadership is not about a few special people as all of us are leaders in our own way, he said. But it depended on how best one was able to harness leadership skills and use them for common good.

Dr. Allen believed that values determined whether ones leadership was good or bad. Coupled with values, a good leader had vision about what he wanted to achieve in a lifetime. A combination of values and vision gave the passion to lead. He looked at challenging status quo as an important trait of a leader.

One had to fight a battle with perseverance while challenging status quo. But good leadership would not be complete without enabling people around to do it with you, he said, while referring to the success of Dr. Venkataswamy as a leader in preventing avoidable blindness.

Dr. Allen, who received the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Memorial Oration Award from G. Srinivasan, president, Govel Trust, and P. Namperumalswamy, chairman emeritus, Aravind Eye Care System, spoke about how Dr. Venkataswamy combined all those qualities to emerge as a leader, though he was not a great speaker or a wealthy person or an imposing personality. R. D. Ravindran, chairman, Aravind Eye Care System, recalled how the Aravind model, evolved by Dr. Venkataswamy, was being replicated in various countries.

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Date: 15th, 16th & 17th May 2015 Venue: Sahara Star Hotel, Mumbai, INDIA Greetings from the Indian World of Retinologist!

t is a momentous occasion in our lives that the three Doyens in the field of Vitreoretinal speciality are reaching a

milestone in their lives the Platinum Jubilee 75 years of their dedicated devoted life to teach and train new generations of Retinologist in this subcontinent. It is to their efforts and commitment that India can boast of the highest quality of retina care comparable to anywhere in the world. As a Guru Shishya Parampara (Teacher Taught Reverence), we the students of such luminant stars in the world of retina have collectively joined hands to CELEBRATE RETINA CELEBRATE LIFE This International meet is a tribute to the trilogy of retina Dr. S. S. Badrinath, Dr. P. Namperumalsamy and Dr. Pran Nagpal.

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Dr. P. Namperumalsamy Dr. P. N. Nagpal

Dr. S.S. Badrinath

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22-12-2015

S. Annamalai

Poornachandran, Senior Technician-cum-Instructor, Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, who has been

conferred the National Award for Outstanding Performance as Role Model among persons with disabilities in the category of hearing impairment.Photo: R. Ashok

Precision and perfection. These are the two words that go to describe 61-year-old S. Poornachandran, Senior Technician-cum-Instructor at Aravind Eye Hospital here. He has trained hundreds of people, including 23 ophthalmologists and eight administrators of big eye hospitals and repaired 55, 808 medical instruments over a quarter century. His trainees speak Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, English, French, Spanish and Swahili. But Mr. Poornachandran does not speak any language as he was not born with the ability to speak and hear.

With an eighth standard qualification while getting general and technical education in a special school for the hearing impaired and a certificate from an Industrial Training Institute in Hyderabad, he has been working as a fitter or welder in small units across the country from 1975 to 1987, when his father, Sundaram, brought him to Aravind Eye Hospital.

After getting trained under V. Srinivasan, former professor of American College in Room 240 of the hospital, Mr. Poornachandran now handles the maintenance of about 900 machines with just nine employees.

An expert trainer in maintenance of medical instruments, Mr. Poornachandran explains through gestures that eye-hand-brain coordination helps him in setting right any equipment. We cannot wait for engineers from far off places to come to Madurai to repair an imported machine. We believe that common sense technology is enough to take care of the problems. Mr. Poornachandran possesses this in abundance, says N. Venkatesh Prajna, Director, Academics, Aravind Eye Care System.

Mr. Poornachandran, who looks at his disability as a challenge, has travelled all over the world, especially African countries, to train people in maintenance of bio-medical instruments. He employs a unique methodology by encouraging participants to observe what he does. He is able to feel the noise emanating from a machine by touch. The touch transmits the status of the machine to my brain, which comes up with a solution, explains Mr. Poornachandran through sign language.

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His activities extend beyond Room 240. He is a consultant for exhibitions organised for and by hearing impaired persons all over the country.

Last week, he was in Coimbatore to organise an exhibition at the 4th Deaf Expo 2015.

On December 3, he received the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities for outstanding performance as role model among persons with disabilities in the category of hearing impairment.

He was given the Best Employee Award of Tamil Nadu Government in 2013. He plays chess and has won prizes in tournaments. Mr. Poornachandrans wife also has hearing and speech disability. But he always wears a smile that does even hint at his disability.

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11-06-2015

echnology comes to the aid: Officials of Bosch Eye Care Business and senior doctors

and executives from Aravind Eye Care System announcing the launch of vision

centres across the State in Madurai; (right) the eye camera.

In an alliance of technology and medicine, Bosch and Aravind Eye Care System have

come together to offer comprehensive eye care solution through vision centres which

would come up across the State in a phased manner.

An attempt to deliver eye care to people without compromise on quality

Announcing the launch at a press conference here on Wednesday, Harsha Ramesh Angeri, Head of Bosch Eye Care Business, and senior doctors and executives from Aravind Eye Care System said that the vision centres would act as a platform for those living in far away places and remote hamlets to utilise the high-end technology and get medical solutions.

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The vision centre would be equipped with an eye camera, the MediBilder software and an automated detection platform. The camera operates on a re-chargeable battery, thus making it lightweight and portable.

The findings from the eye camera can be shared over tele-medicine using the MediBilder software. The automated detection algorithm can detect and mark conditions like diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Thus, a patient need not physically travel all the way from his/her dwelling to the hospital as the vision centre serves the purpose, S. Aravind, Director (Projects), Aravind Eye Care System, said.

There was a need to enhance capability at the primary care level, since, from a quality perspective, it would be important to look beyond cataract and refractive errors, Dr. Aravind said.

Bosch, which is a leading global supplier of technology and services, had made it possible and viable to reach out to more number of people, said R. D. Thulasiraj, Director (Operations), Aravind Eye Care System. This is yet another attempt to deliver eye care solution to people without any compromise on quality, he noted.

The Aravind Eye Hospital, which has been conducting medical camps since its inception in remote hamlets, would now be able to reach out to more number of people through such high-definition technology offered by Bosch, said R. Kim, Chief (Retina Services), Aravind Eye Hospital.

Initially, the vision centres would function at Alanganallur, Usilampatti, T. Kallupatti, Gandhigram, Tiruppuvanam and Kariapatti.

The Aravind Eye Care System plans to open as many as 50 centres in a phased manner.

Nakul Goswami from Bosch and others highlighted the features of the system and handed over the first eye-camera to the team of doctors from Aravind Eye Hospital on the occasion.

Responding to a query, the experts said that it would be ideal to have one vision centre for every 50,000 population, which means, the country may require around 20,000.

Centre to be equipped with an eye camera, MediBilder software and an automated detection platform

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11-06-2015

adurai: Aravind Eye Hospital in

Collaboration with Bosch, a

German engineering and electronics

company, has introduced Fundus

camera which can capture the retina

more easily than other equipment.

Launching the machine at Aravinds

facility in the city on Wednesday, the

company authorities said that the

machine would simplify the

diagnosing process of eye diseases.

The hospital is running vision care

centres to provide eye care to rural

people and services are delivered through telemedicine. Mid-level Ophthalmic

Personnel (MLOP) carry out the diagnosing process with assistance from

ophthalmologists through videoconferencing, R Kim, the hospitals Chief Medical Officer

said addressing media persons here on Wednesday.

With ordinary diagnosing machines, image of retina would not be clear and it becomes

difficult to diagnose eye problems. But with the help of Fundus camera, the imaging

quality would be better that would help in diagnosing the problem easily, said R D

Thulasiraj, Director, Operations, Aravind Eye Care System.

Bosch along with the hospital worked together for about a year to develop the camera.

Since Bosch is a leading technology provider, we gave them inputs of applications

needed in eye care system, said S Aravind, Chief Administrator of the hospital. Though

larger machines are capable of capturing retina, they are expensive. But the Fundus

camera, according to them, costs only Rs 2.5 lakh and is handy. As a pilot project, the

camera was put to use in five vision care centres. As the outcome is convincing, the

hospital has decided to use the camera in all 52 centres.

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11-06-2015

India Infoline News Service

The solution is designed to meet the requirements as defined by international standards, while also being sensitive to the needs of the Indian customer.

osch, a leading global supplier of technology and services, will equip close to 50 centres of Aravind Eye Care System with their Eyecare solution. Making this

announcement at a press conference in Madurai, the end-to-end solution from Bosch integrates the best technology from across the world. The solution is designed to meet the requirements as defined by international standards, while also being sensitive to the needs of the Indian customer. Aravind Eye Care System, a pioneer in Eye Care, creating deep impact in communities in a scalable and sustainable manner, is engaged in a long term association with Bosch to deploy and create 'vision centers of the future. The current solution has shown to create higher detection at the primary care level (vision centres) by up-skilling the current workforce by fitting into existing protocols. Commenting on this occasion, Mr. R D Thulasiraj, Director - Operations, Aravind Eye Care System & Executive Director, LAICO said, As Aravind Eye Care System prepares to respond to the care delivery challenges of the future, it is looking at adopting technology approaches that will enable a high quality of care. Boschs Eyecare Solution is one such technological approach. Being patriotic about the problem while staying democratic about the solution is what drives Bosch to deliver world class solutions at affordable prices. The deployment of the devices post an extended evaluation at Aravinds world class eye care facilities is a testament of our efforts and approach, expressed Harsha Angeri, Head of Bosch Eye Care business & Head Strategy, M&A and New Businesses at Robert Bosch India. Taking that strategy forward is Boschs partnership with Aravind Eye Care System, which is reputed for its pioneering work and for delivering quality and affordable eye care to the masses. Aravind Eye Care Systems vision is to eliminate needless blindness, with both the companies directing their efforts to impact the lower income population, Bosch finds the synergy with Aravind Eye Care System to be both strategic and mutually beneficial. In the future we look to further strengthen our partnership with Aravind Eye Care System by working on technology solutions, such as automated detection algorithm that would help maximize the impact of the solution, and make this a model for others to adopt, elaborated Mr. Angeri. Commenting on this occasion, Dr. S. Aravind, Director Projects, Aravind Eye Care System and Administrator, Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai said, There is a need to up-skill and enhance capability at the Primary Care, as from a quality perspective it is

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important to go beyond cataract and refractive errors to ensure comprehensive eye examinations with appropriate service delivery that includes referral care. Boschs solution has enabled such a capability at the primary care and the MLOPs have adopted the technology with enthusiasm.

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10-06-2015

osch will equip close to 50 centres of Aravind Eye Care System with their Eyecare solution. The eye camera with a MediBilder software and an automated detection

platform is designed to meet the requirements as defined by international standards. The camera operates on a rechargeable battery, thus making it lightweight and portable. The findings from the eye camera can be shared over tele-medicine using the MediBilder software. The automated detection algorithm can detect and mark conditions like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma among other conditions. These features enable offering comprehensive eye screening at primary level screening and ensure better point of care services.

The ophthalmology major is engaged in a long term association with Bosch to deploy and create 'vision centers of the future. The current solution has shown to create higher detection at the primary care level by up-skilling the current workforce by fitting into existing protocols.

According to R D Thulasiraj, director - Operations, Aravind Eye Care System & executive director, LAICO, use of technology will help to respond to the care delivery challenges of the future.

The deployment of the devices post an extended evaluation at Aravinds world class eye care facilities is a testament of our efforts and approach, said Harsha Angeri, head, Bosch Eye Care business & head, Strategy, M&A and New Businesses at Robert Bosch India.

We would look to further strengthen our partnership with Aravind Eye Care System by working on technology solutions, such as automated detection algorithm that would help maximize the impact of the solution, and make this a model for others to adopt, he added.

There is a need to up-skill and enhance capability at the primary care level from a quality perspective. It is also important to go beyond cataract and refractive errors to ensure comprehensive eye examinations with appropriate service delivery that includes referral care. Boschs solution has enabled such a capability at the primary care, said Dr S Aravind, director, Projects, Aravind Eye Care System and administrator, Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai.

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11-06-2015

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28-10-2015

he Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board of trustees which met here on Tuesday resolved to allocate seven acres of land to the Madhurai-based Arvind Eye

Hospital for setting-up its branch at Tirupati.

The land will be alienated to the hospital on an annual rent of Rs. 1 lakh per acre. The hospital which is expected to be constructed at a whopping Rs. 100 crore will be named after the presiding deity as Sri Venkateswara Arvind Eye Care. Free medical services will be extended to the TTD employees at the hospital.

Briefing the deliberations of the marathon meeting the TTD Chairman Ch. Krishna Murthy said that the board also had formally approved the construction of Sri Venkateswara swamy temple at Banjara hills in Hyderabad at a cost of Rs.13.89 crore. The temple which will come up in a sprawling site of 3.5 acres of land will also house the temple of Maha Ganapati.

The management was seriously considering the proposal of making the Rs.300 special entry darshan tickets available at Tirupati for the convenience of the visiting pilgrims.

In reply to a question Mr. Murthy said a nine-member panel with Tirumala based JEO K.S. Srinivasa Raju had been constituted to look into the pros and cons of enhancing the prices of various arjitha seva tickets which have been remained untouched for the past several years, prasadams, tariffs of various cottages and Kalyana Mandapams existing in both the Telugu speaking States and submit a detailed report in a fortnight.

The management which is making elaborate arrangements for the grand conduct of the ten-day Sri Venkateswara Vaibhavotsavams at Delhi scheduled to commence from October 30 also has resolved to distribute over 20,000 remnant CDs of 'Swaralathacharchana' freely among the devout during the period. The board also has given nod for purchase of cardomom, black pepper and toned milk through e-tendering process.

Construction of Venkateswara temple in Hyderabad at a cost of Rs.13.89 crore

Nine-member panel to look into proposal of enhancing prices of arjitha seva tickets

Nod for purchase of cardomom, black pepper and milk through e-tendering process

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05-08-2015

By Thulsi Ravilla

s part of a blog series on Social Entrepreneurs, we spoke to Thulsi Ravilla, Executive Director

of Aravind Eye Care System, about democratizing healthcare and eliminating blindness among the poor. Aravind Eye Care Systems was founded in 1976 as a way of dealing with avoidable blindness in India. Since then the social enterprise, which has been profiled by scholars and researchers looking to understand and replicate its success, has treated millions of patients, largely from rural poor communities. After almost 40 years of operation, what does Aravind Eye Care Systems look like today? Aravind started off small, with a few members of staff and no budget, but a broad purpose to reduce human suffering. What we knew how to do well was eye care, so that became our focus. The market is huge one in four people will at some point require some form of eye care but the penetration is small, perhaps around 15%- 20% in India. Almost all our growth has been organic. Last year we grew by around 7%, and demand keeps on increasing, particularly because we try to reach non-customers poor people not actively seeking care and as the market expands, so too must our capacity. Today we average approximately 12,000-15,000 outpatient visits and 1,500 surgeries each day. Our focus on serving everyone translates into affordable services for all our prices go from negative (where we pay for transport to help patients access care) to zero (for patients who walk into the hospital but cannot afford treatment) to positive (for patients who can afford to pay). When we started, only 30% to 35% of our patients could pay; now were hovering around 45%. Those patient fees allow us to provide the same care to our non-customers for free or at a deeply discounted price. In the 1990s, we advocated for this methodology to become the standard approach in the industry, which it now is, so its not just Aravind that has grown but the sector as a whole. In 1992 there were 800,000 surgeries performed in India; last year there were approximately 6 million. How much of a role has this advocacy side of things played in the growth of your company and the industry as a whole?

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Let me give a couple of examples. In the 1990s, we used funding from the World Health Organization to carry out a population-based study of two types of surgery to treat blindness. We found that after the conventional surgery, 50% of patients remained technically blind. After the second type of surgery which involves implanting a lens inside the eye that figure fell to 5%. We took our findings to decision-makers across government and industry. When they saw the evidence, the health ministry virtually banned the conventional method overnight. We actually had to pull them back a bit and put in place a transitional process so everyone could be trained in the modern procedures. Heres another example. In India, healthcare planning is based on five-year plans, and funding levels increase incrementally from one five-year plan to the next. The governments allocation for eye care in 2002-2007 was equivalent to around $100 million; that would have increased by 10% to around $110,000 million for the next five-year period. We were part of a consortium of eye care providers asked to draft a plan for the 2008-2013 period, and rather than map out what we would do with $110 million, we asked what the eye care needs of the country were as a whole, calculated what was being provided, defined the gap, and estimated what level of government funding and support would be required to bridge that gap. Our calculations showed that we would need $500 million over the five-year period, which the health ministry said it could not provide. But we still presented the plan to the planning commission, and showed them the evidence of how the allocation would be spent and how the targets could be achieved. Ultimately, the funding was approved close to that level. Having said that, a lot of policy-making happens through personal relationships. You need to build trust and to have the right peoples ears at the right time. You also need to have some structure through which people will listen to you. In our case, that structure is a consortium of international funding agencies and national agencies that together provide around 30% to 40 % of eye care services in the country. It is important to have that muscle power to influence policy-making. Your international training centre, the Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology has helped staff at hundreds of other hospitals learn and adopt your methodologies and technologies. Tell us more about that. In the 1980s, I carried out an analysis of eye care services in other hospitals and found they were routinely operating at around 15% to 20% of their maximum capacity, despite constant complaints of inadequate resources. It was this paradox that made me realize Aravind could achieve our mission of eliminating blindness by helping other hospitals match their operating efficiency with their capacity. A training centre was the best way of doing this. We knew the demand was there, because funding agencies had since the beginning been intrigued by our methodology. Our replication efforts are not a way for us to increase revenue. The hospitals we work with dont pay us on the contrary, we pay them to undergo the change processes with funding we raise. But as blindness does not respect geographical borders, the training centre is core to our mission.

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Right now were working with five hospitals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia and Nigeria. Thanks to about $2.5 million from the Hilton Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropy, were able to offer each hospital close to $250,000 to make process improvements and $50,000-$60,000 towards training and technical input such as software. The process improvements will help the hospitals double their output within 18 to 24 months and they should see their cost recovery go from 55% to 90%. And how do you choose what hospitals to work with? We ask international funding agencies to share their partners list. We then speak with the hospitals to establish which ones would make the biggest improvements if they had structured technical guidance. Some funding agencies give us both their list of hospitals and the grant money to work with them. What steps are involved in helping these hospitals adopt your methodologies? Once we decide to work with a hospital, we carry out some research on them and do a site visit. We study the hospitals clinical processes, their administrative processes, their governing structure, and we get a feel for the actual people who are involved and the market dynamics in which they operate. That helps us identify the opportunities and see where the gaps are. We provide this feedback and prepare the entire hospital team for the changes that will take place. Then we invite a team of four people to come from the hospital to our institute in India where we put them through a strategic planning process. Over eight days we teach them the principles of our model and the details of how we operate, and we help them develop their own strategy. We spend a lot of time on pricing and a business plan and we walk them through how to increase their patient volume. If theyre performing 1,000 surgeries, the improvements we put in place will typically allow them to increase that by three or four times. The last step is change management. We hold one-on-one meetings with hospital leadership, as they are key to making these changes happen. We also ask that the four-person team who came to our institute share the strategy with the board members or trustees and hospital staff, and then fine tune the plan. They use our software application so they can base their decision-making on hard evidence, and then they can figure out what will work best in their specific context. The most important thing for us as we replicate our model is that the principles stay the same. The processes adopted must result in positive clinical outcomes and patient experience. And the hospitals must adopt a pricing model that makes their services accessible to all even those who cant afford to pay. Thulsi Ravilla was interviewed by Katherine Milligan, Director and Head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

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19-10-2015

y Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director, LAICO Aravind Eye Care System and guest speaker at London Business Schools Driving Innovation in Healthcare Delivery

conference.

One of the biggest obstacles to successful innovation is not lack of funding, or technology, its knowing how, where and when to scale in short, keeping the faith.

Delivering successful innovation in the healthcare arena is not just about identifying promising improvements. Nor is it simply a question of effective implementation. The challenges of innovating and leading change are numerous.

The problems that arise from scaling advancements that can truly improve the life of our patients are many and varied. But of all the obstacles we come across, the most critical is a lack of faith.

How to Build the Faith

1. Tenacity

Why is faith so important? Because innovation seldom succeeds in the first attempt, yet given the scale and need in global healthcare, we have to succeed. Failure is not an option, and is never an excuse to stop trying. Success happens only through an unwavering focus on purpose, and through relentless perseverance.

2. Purpose

Successful innovations are driven by the right perspective and a clear end goal. Designers of healthcare systems need to focus on the people who could benefit from intervention but may not be able to receive it whether because of access, lack of awareness or cost. This outlook throws up many challenges, but it also opens up a fertile field for innovation.

3. Drive

Youve distilled your purpose. Now what? Healthcare providers must start reaching out and involving local communities which in many cases can reduce costs and effort. Awareness-raising campaigns for example ensure more people turn up to much in demand appointments.

The priority is not to seek ever more clinical solutions, but to build a strong faith within those teams that are involved in implementing, and scaling, innovations.

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Innovating successfully means effectively deploying workable solutions to everyone who will benefit from them. This means that the focus has to be on non-customers those who will benefit from health intervention, but are not seeking it. Thats what working towards universal health is all about.

Are you keeping the faith?

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LARSEN & TOUBRO LTD

Thulasiraj Ravilla

nnovation is inevitable when there is a

relentless focus on purpose and a mind-set to

achieve it with what is available. It is often about

harnessing existing or emerging knowledge,

resources or technology to address the challenges in the journey towards achieving

the purpose. The organizational values or self-imposed non-negotiables which

define the means of achieving the goal, is also a driver of innovations. This also helps

in developing a different and often an effective perspective to a situation, which in

turn results in efficient solutions and approaches. In this paradigm of continuously

experimenting with whatever is necessary to solve the social problem, innovations

are often recognized in hinsight or by people from outside the organization. The

Aravind case study chronicles a series of innovations which helped Aravind grow

from an 11 bed hospital in 1976 to become one of the largest provider of eye care.

If you want to read the full story click the following link

Aravind Story

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24-06-2015

SOMA BASU

Dr. G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, Aravind Eye Hospital. Photo: S. James

DAUGHTER OF THE SOIL: Dr. G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, Aravind Eye Hospital at

Aurofarm. Photo: S. James

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DAUGHTER OF THE SOIL: Premalatha Panneerselvam, Secreatary and Correspondent,

Mahatma Group of Schools. Photo: R. Ashok

agriculture

Ophthalmologist Dr.G. Natchiar and educationist Premalatha Panneerselvam are

less known for their green house revolution.

ome films inspire us to go the distance. The Malayalam movie How Old Are You and its Tamil remake 36 Vayadhinile were liked by people not only because they were

comeback films of Manju Warrier and Jyothika but also because it helped people to change the way they look at things. In the film, the protagonist finds her niche and respect in her family and society after she successfully meets a challenging order of

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supplying organic vegetables to a marriage party. When celebrities on or off screen boost an idea, they inspire people and often set off a transformation.

But for Dr.G.Natchiar, Director Emeritus at Aravind Eye Care Systems and Mrs.Premalatha Panneerselvam, the founder of Mahatma group of schools in Madurai, taking up farming was a dream long nurtured and they would certainly love more people to know and see their lush biodynamic farms a result of sheer passion and labour of years. They are Madurais stars for whom life has come full circle because both belong to agricultural families.

I am back to my roots, you will find me less in the hospital now, laughs Dr.Natchiar, who after many debates with the family earmarked two acres for organic gardening within the Aurolab campus, a state-of-the-art products manufacturing facility of AECS at Veerapanchan. The year was 2005.

I had no scientific training but followed my instincts and interest and started planting a variety of trees, she says. Today, her family, staff, friends and visitors to Aurolab marvel at her blossoming property spread over 70 acres now and buzzing with butterflies and birds.

As we walk around the coconut, banana and mango orchards, the aroma garden with every type of jasmine, the organic garden of champa in 30 different colours and endless fields of vegetables, fruits and grains, Dr.Natchiar shares how creating, running and maintaining a farm is a lifestyle.

Unless she is travelling, Dr.Natchiar, is at the Aurofarm everyday at 8.30 a.m. to oversee the requirements of her plants fondly she calls them babies and the dozen permanent farmers whom she has hired and the other daily wagers who come depending on the load of work. After taking a round, I assign them the days task, she says with pride reflecting her intense love for what she enjoys doing the most -- gardening and farming.

She zips around on her battery-operated two-wheeler and inspects every field personally. Everything produced here is 100 per cent organic and the yield caters to about 40 per cent requirement of our hospital and staff canteens, she informs, and asserts, I am into this not for selling the produce and making money. I want more people to learn about growing strategies and eat organic.

It was only after attending series of workshops, interacting with local farmers and researching on eco-friendly farming techniques that Dr.Natchiar could initiate a system that is regenerative to the soil, flora and fauna that are part of the farm ecosystem and the benefactors of the food grown here. I have learnt from mistakes and now I understand every plants requirements and how and why business models should not be compared to farming models, she says of organic farming still not becoming a financially viable option.

For Dr.Natchiar it is purely a heart warming relationship between her and nature. Farming makes my heart sing and I am focussing all my energy on it now, she says. All you need is planning and hard work, she says.

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Likewise, no matter howsoever much tired she is after the days or weeks work, Premalatha Panneerselvam finds farming cool and spends all her evenings and Sundays in her organic farm adjoining her schools residential campus at Alagar Koil. I find my inner peace here, she says, taking me to her favourite spot under a banyan tree, one of the seven trees that stood tall among the shrubs and bushes on the 50-odd acres she bought a quarter Century ago in Ayathampatti village.

We had to accommodate our growing number of students and planned a residential school for them here at the foothills. The land was strewn with rocks, stones and pebbles tand we had to clear the area to raise our buildings. About 15 acres was set aside for farming and for the past eight years Premalatha has been growing a variety of plants using only organic practices. The monthly yield of fruits and vegetables from the farm not only meets the demand of all the school canteens but also saves her an expense of nearly Rs.One lakh every month. Some produce is also in excess which we sell at a discount to our teachers and other staff or in the market at a nominal rate, she says.

There is an indescribable happiness in seeing your plants grow and flower. To feel the texture of the fruits and vegetables is a different kind of joy, says Premalatha as we walk through her multiple gardens looking at the bounty. Rows of leafy plants growing in orderly abundance reveal the wealth that can only be measured by physical labour of clearing, planting and harvesting and the physical growth of the fauna. Her zero-budget farming with home-grown vermicomposting and bio-pesticides is seductive.

Premalatha has been regularly reading about and practicing G.Nammazhvars agro-techniques. With professionals like us having the wisdom and knowledge base, passion is good enough to turn around such zero-budget farming, she says. She also understands farming, leave alone organic, many not be an easy choice for many. But hopes and advocates that more people get motivated and start doing it within their home compounds, in their small balconies or terraces, kitchen gardens or backyards, sufficient for their familys needs.

Both Dr.Natchiar and Premalatha share a vision for a sustainable food system. That is, the food we eat should be fresh, nutritious and taste delicious and should be grown in harmony with nature. It is this thinking that makes them the true FarmHers belonging to a period when organic farming was hardly considered an option and even less talked about.

Farm facts:

I proved myself as an ophthalmologist but never felt proud as one. But now at my Aurofarm I feel very proud each time my plants produce something. I can show off as a farmer now. Dr.G.Natchiar

At Aurofarm you will find over 10,000 trees including 450 mango trees, 300 coconut trees, tamarind, coriander, curry leaves, timber and almond trees; Vegetables such as ladys finger, brinjal, cluster beans, bitter, bottle and snake gourd, pumpkin, spinach; Fruits such as black and goose berries, sapota, banana; Flowers including jasmine, manoranjitam, mullai, parijatam, bougainvillea, oleander; Paddy fields that yield 200 bags of rice every year. The farm is fenced by mehndi trees about 20 acres are fed by the

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Dewatts system that is 51,000 litres of waste water from the kitchen, staff quarters and washrooms are treated for use in the fields, water from the Aurolab is also recycled besides the usage of ground water. Another highlight at the Aurofarm is the 20 feet deep rain water fed quarry used for fish breeding.

If I had not started a school, I would have surely done farming. I want to turn green ideas into meaningful action for the larger benefit of all. Premalatha Panneerselvam.

The Mahatma-Azhagar campus farm is fenced with teak wood trees all around and has over 200 mango trees, 400 coconut trees besides several other flowering and locally grown trees, banana, papaya, gooseberry, jackfruit, sapota, custard apple, lemon and neem trees. Spinach, tomatoes, brinjal, carrot, drumstick, cluster beans, ladys finger, groundnut, guava, custard apple are grown in abundance. Seed dispersal, multiple-cropping, drip irrigation practiced at the farm that also boasts of a small poultry and six milching cows. Apart from the two-dozen farmers working here, ten labourers are exclusively deployed to clear the land of stones regularly. Given the location of the site at the foothills, every spell of rain leads to soil erosion.

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29-07-2015

S. Poorvaja

taff of Aravind Eye Hospital paying

homage to former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in the city on Tuesday. Photo: S. James

Residents of Madurai were united in their mourning of former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam whom they unequivocally hailed as a source of inspiration and motivator to follow ones dreams.

Members of Meenakshi Mission Auto Drivers Welfare Association wore black badges and pasted posters which stated that Indias Himalayas had fallen, referring to the passing away of Dr. Kalam.

He met all of us when he had come to the hospital for the inauguration of a building. He shook hands with all of us and spoke to us, recounted the association president Mohammed Abu Backer.

Dr. Kalams last visit to Madurai had been 10 days ago, on July 18 for the 90th Anniversary celebrations of the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

When we told him that we were approaching our centenary year and asked for his guidance on the way forward, he gave the body 10 missions, which we had then decided to implement as the Ten Commandments, said S. Rethinavelu, senior president of the Chamber. In February, Dr. Kalam addressed students at Lakshmi School and told them it was a crime to dream small.

He interacted with all of us and took special interest in talking to the teachers, recalled Selvi Santhosham, Administrative Head of Lakshmi Vidya Sangham, TVS Schools.

L. AN. Lindhiya, a Plus Two student who got an opportunity to interact with him during his visit, said that she would never forget his simplicity and interest in talking to the students.

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Doctors at Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre garlanded a portrait of the former President and a prayer meeting was organised at Aravind Eye Hospital where doctors, nurses and the public paid homage to him.

On one of his visits to Madurai, he came to our research facility at 10.30 p.m. to interact with the researchers and young students. Such was his interest and inclination towards interacting with the youth and talking about science, said R. Kim, Chief Medical Officer at Aravind Eye Hospital.

Private schools and colleges remained closed on Tuesday as a mark of respect for the departed soul. Trade bodies which included Sourashtra Chamber of Commerce, Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association Limited and Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association condoled his death and hailed him as a visionary.

Cutting across party lines, members of the DMK, Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and Tamil Maanila Congress and Madurai Bar Association paid tributes to Dr. Kalam at Madurai Reporters Guild.

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10-03-2015

Shastry V. Mallady

he World Glaucoma Week is now on. For seven days from March 8, eye specialists are trying to raise public awareness that glaucoma, if undetected or neglected, could

lead to complete loss of vision.

And, as always, the high risk groups are diabetics, hypertension patients and, more importantly, those with family history of glaucoma.

Ophthalmologists in Madurai have set their sight on persons above 40 years of age to make them go for simple glaucoma test.

This is a disease which damages the optic nerve. First, peripheral vision gets affected and gradually it leads to complete loss of eyesight. Since there are no symptoms at early stage, we advise people to go to an eye specialist for glaucoma test, R. Krishna Das, glaucoma consultant, Aravind Eye Hospital, said on Monday.

Glaucoma was a condition where intra-ocular pressure in the eye increased like blood pressure.

Damages optic nerve

It would damage the optic nerve. Dr. Das said focused screening was essential with priority for those with family history of glaucoma since the risk was 20 times higher for them.

Last year, Aravind Eye Hospital detected 4,000 glaucoma cases and we requested their family members to come for screening on March 8. However, only a few turned up and it is time to create public awareness that optic nerve has to be protected because it cannot regenerate once it is damaged, he says.

M. Veerasamy, national convenor, National Ophthalmic Associate Association, said 80 per cent of patients went for treatment only after the disease reached an advanced stage. If blood pressure rises, we call it hypertension. In the same way, if eye pressure increases we call it glaucoma. Normal pressure in the eye should be 10-20 mm/Hg, he noted.

For this years World Glaucoma Day, the appeal from eye care specialists is that people above 40 years should go for eye test once in a year like how they check sugar level or blood pressure.

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10-03-2015

octors taking out a glaucoma

awarness rally in Palayamkottai on

Monday. Photo: A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN

Doctors, medicos and nursing students took out a rally here on Monday to create awareness of glaucoma among the public.

Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TVMCH) Dean L.D. Thulasiram flagged off the rally at VOC Ground, Palayamkottai. R. Ramakrishnan, Chief Medical Officer, Aravind Eye Hospital, Yogeshwari, Head, Department of Ophthalmology, TVMCH, and others participated in the rally. It culminated at TVMCH.

Dr. Ramakrishnan said that glaucoma, which would lead to permanent loss of vision, had affected 4.50 million people across the globe, including 3.20 million in India, mainly owing to lack of awareness about this ailment.

Hence, those who had crossed the age of 40, members of families having history of glaucoma, diabetics, patients using steroids, those suffering from migraine and obesity should get screened for this problem, which is considered silent thief of vision.

Treatment taken in the preliminary stage may restore vision, he said.

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12-03-2015

The Hindu Much needed service. Photo: S.James

The Hindu Dr. R. Krishnadas. Photo: S.James

From being accidentally pushed into glaucoma training to numero uno glaucoma specialist in Madurai

Dr.R.Krishnadas explains why the challenges in treating the disease remain unchanged

Ignorance is not always bliss. Particularly in matters of health.

o you know what is the most scary thing about glaucoma? That you may be having it but not knowing it! By the time you realise something is wrong in your eye, the

damage is done, says Dr.R.Krishnadas, Consultant Ophthalmologist in Glaucoma at Aravind Eye Hospital.

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It is currently the World Glaucoma Week (March 8 to 14) and the specialist in diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma sits busy than ever in his cubicle examining and explaining to his patients how they can prevent the progression of the disease and also persuading them to get their family members screened.

The symptomless condition that damages the optic nerve and affects mainly the older people has a serious outcome, says Dr.

Krishnadas of glaucoma stated to be the second leading cause of blindness in India. It is estimated that some 12 to 13 million Indians suffer from glaucoma but not even 10 per cent of them know they do. In India, more than a million people are said to be blind from the condition.

But we hear no alarm bells ringing. Glaucoma is somewhat like an orphan disease. Given its asymptomatic status it remains heavily under-diagnosed. After diagnosis, it remains far from cure. The best a doctor can do is to preserve the vision the patient is left with, says Dr. Krishnadas, while the patient has to be equally careful and responsible about continuous care, treatment and follow-up in order to prevent the vision from deteriorating further.

Dr. Krishnadas is serious when he says he is searching for famous people with glaucoma. His uppermost concern is to create more access to people so that they are automatically screened for a silent disease like glaucoma. The problem, he asserts, is people always go for a check up only when they are unwell. There is a need to break the distance barrier and motivate people into check-ups even when they are not ill, he says, citing Amitabh Bachchans famous slogan, Do boond Zindagi ke as one of the possible reasons for the success of pulse polio campaign.

While a set up like his gives him the edge in opportunistic and targeted screening of patients, he rues the dull public response to camps. His staff wrote to 4,000 glaucoma patients who were registered last year to bring their family members above 35 years for free screening on March 8. But only 375 people turned up of whom 125 were already diagnosed glaucoma patients.

Since risk of glaucoma is 20 times higher in people with family history of the disease, chasing the family is one of the focussed approaches of eye specialists, says Dr.Krishnadas. He also adds that the screening of at-risk people, like those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, myopia, is cost-effective than mass screening camps because glaucoma is still not marketable despite the rising numbers.

For instance, cataract, he says, guarantees 99.9 per cent satisfaction and safety after surgery. Cataract is like a curtain blurring a patients vision and forcing people to go for surgery followed by the thrill of vision restoration. But in glaucoma there is no such tangible result. While early detection remains a challenge, there is no perceptible

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change in vision either after treatment. To make it worse, patient has to work on maintenance and failure to do so leads to irreversible blindness.

When majority dont see or hear glaucoma and the specialists are more like the backstage boys to cataract experts, what inspired Dr.Krishnadas to continue to play his important role for over two-and-a-half decades? The soft-spoken doctor smiles: When a personality like Dr.V (Dr. G. Venkataswamy, the founder of Aravind eye hospitals) tells you to do something, can you refuse?

He still remembers the Labour Day of 1990 when he walked into AEH in Madurai as a Consultant after graduating from Kilpauk Medical College and completing his residency at Aravind Hospital, Tirunelveli. It was a hot summer Monday morning and the cataract OP was overflowing with patients. I did not have a seat to myself, recalls Dr.Krishnadas, and the nurses were helping me to shift from one corner to another depending on availability of space.

Seeing him being shunted around, Dr. V held his hand and took him to the relatively empty glaucoma department and asked him if he would like to get trained in glaucoma. No one was privileged like me to straightaway do the additional two-year fellowship training in glaucoma after MS, says Dr. Krishnadas.

It means not every ophthalmologist is a glaucoma specialist and not everyone who claims to be a glaucoma specialist is fellowship trained. This put Dr. Krishnadas at the top as he single-handedly manned the glaucoma department for a decade. I used to get 50-odd patients a day then and now it is not less than 350 a day, he notes. But now he runs a team of eight Consultants and nine Fellows and feels all the eye care professionals put together can have a greater reach in prevention and giving the patients best quality of life.

A devoted and giving ophthalmologist, Dr. Krishnadas is proud of his work at the AEH. I value the much-needed service I am able to give to our patients and I respect the mentors I meet during my continuing trainings, he says.

When he was in class VI, he was fascinated by a story on heart transplant done by Dr. Christiaan Barnard and dreamt of becoming a cardio-thoracic surgeon. When in class X he visited the Sankar Nethralaya with an uncle and returned impressed by the professionalism of the doctors there. I decided to become an eye surgeon, says Dr. Krishnadas known for his affable nature and patience in guiding his patients management of glaucoma.

There is still much more to do in terms of management, he admits, having performed close to 30,000 cataract and glaucoma surgeries so far. But now with additional responsibility as Director Human Resource Development of Aravind Eye Care System, he restricts to 70-odd surgeries a week.

He is hopeful that in the years to come there will be new surgical techniques and drugs, gadgets and tools that will see breakthroughs in glaucoma. But till then this public health issue should not be ignored, he asserts.

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Facts about Glaucoma:

What is glaucoma: Glaucoma occurs when fluid doesnt drain from the eyes properly and builds up the pressure within the eye, above 10-20mm/Hg. It causes damage to the optic nerve. The older you get, glaucoma becomes more common and if not treated in time it can lead to loss of vision

Screening: Basic screening involves measuring the pressure in both the eyes. If glaucoma is suspected, for further screening, eye drops are used to enlarge the pupils for a better inside view of the eye and the optic nerve to check for damage. Visual field tests are conducted for assessing side and peripheral vision lost.

Treatment: Glaucoma surgery focuses on making a new outlet for drainage or doing away with the tissue that causes obstruction to the outflow. It can be managed with drugs depending on the severity.

Prevention: People think glaucoma causes blindness but it actually starts with loss of peripheral vision, which is not easy to diagnose early. But early diagnosis is the key to prevention. Like people go for blood pressure and sugar levels checkup, everybody above the age of 40 should be encouraged to go for regular eye checkup. And if there is a family history of glaucoma, then it is mandatory for those above 35 years.

Glaucoma treatment means living with the disease and managing it with long term commitment on part of both the doctor and the patient. It involves periodic monitoring and necessary follow up care.

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16-03-2015

Aravind Eye Hospital organised a glaucoma

awareness marathon in Salem on Sunday.

PHOTO: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN

o educate the public about glaucoma, a marathon was conducted in the city here on

Sunday.

As part of World Glaucoma Week observations, Aravind Eye Hospital organised the run that was flagged off by City Police Commissioner A. Amalraj at Mahatma Gandhi Stadium.

The run for a cause began at the stadium, passed through Four Road, New Bus Stand and Five Road, before culminating at the starting point. Organisers said that the eye disease damage the optic nerve, which transmits visual information to the brain. They said that symptoms could not be identified until the person begins to lose his eyesight. Hence, regular check-up would solve the issue, they added.

Doctors also said that treatment is available at affordable cost at hospitals where people can get it rectified.

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14-04-2015

By Rajasekaran RK

adurai: With the rising temperature in the temple city, eye care hospitals are

receiving more number of eye infection cases, including acute cataract

conjunctivitis and spring catarrh.

We are receiving at least 10 patients affected with acute cataract conjunctivitis in a day.

The cases may increase as the summer season progresses, said A Kowsalya Thiruvadi,

Senior Consultant, Neuro-Ophthalmology Department, Aravind Eye Hospital. Redness in

eyes with high discharge of rheum are the symptoms of acute cataract conjunctivitis,

which is mainly due to rise in temperature, pollen and smoke found in the air, she

added.

The viral would affect the cornea and would need intervention of Ophthalmologists.

Apart from washing eyes at regular intervals and compressing them with ice cubes,

patients may use eye drops, said Kowsalya.

She also mentioned that cases of spring catarrh, another conjunctivitis, usually reported

during spring are also being reported during summer, especially among children.

Though people may not be able to prevent it, they can contain it without spreading to

others by using separate glasses and towel, added Kowsalya.

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26-08-2015

S. Poorvaja

articipants at a blindfolded rally organised by Aravind Eye Hospital in

Madurai on Tuesday. Photo: S. James

When we stand on the road with our canes, we are always asked and led by people to our destination; but today, for the first time, we got an opportunity to lead people confidently, said R. Prakash, who is visually challenged.

Mr. Prakash, who works at Indian Association for the Blind in Sundararajanpatti near here, was among the visually-challenged persons who led the Blind Walk organised by Aravind Eye Hospital here on Tuesday. Collector L. Subramanian, Chairman of Aravind Eye Care System P. Namperumalsamy, doctors, nurses, researchers and the public were among those who were part of the walk.

Leading the rally

They were led by the four visually challenged volunteers, while blindfolded. They walked from the Anna Bus Stand to the hospital .

S. Aravind, director (projects), Aravind Eye Care System, said the walk was conceived to show the public what it was like to be visually-challenged and create awareness of eye donation.

Corneal blindness is affecting a lot of younger people these days. It affects the rest of their lives and comes in the way of all the opportunities they get. If younger persons affected by corneal blindness stand a chance to get a transplant easily, it will dramatically transform their lives, he said.

Stating that there was a definite increase in awareness of eye donation, given that there were relatively less people who had to wait for a transplant, Dr. Aravind said that the district had a huge potential which could be tapped given that more people were aware of donation.

The stars of the walk however, were the visually-challenged volunteers Mr. Prakash, S. Bala, T. Mukesh and S. Pugazhendi who said that they felt honoured to lead the initiative.

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24-09-2015

MEANINGFUL PRACTICE: The products made by the visually challenged being sold at Aravind Hospital. Photo: S. James

The Hindu Dr. N. Venkatesh Prajna of Aravind Eye Hospital. Photo: R. Ashok

he medical community at Aravind Eye Care Systems is giving a meaningful facelift to the clinical environment

that surrounds the health practitioners today

At the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti, a saying of the Nobel Prize winner for humanitarian work hangs on the walls : I do not know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.

Every heart perhaps hides a streak of altruism. But does everybody have the time, energy, inclination, interest and the willingness to practice it?

This was a thought that nagged Dr. N. Venkatesh Prajna as the Director (Medical Education) in charge of the Residency Programme at the Aravind Eye Care Systems.

The Post-Graduate doctors who come to us from all over the country for a three-year residency programme are always hard pressed for time given the nature of the curriculum, says Dr. Prajna.

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I always felt these young doctors are all the time using their brains, satisfying patients by attending to their medical needs and routinely attending eye-camps. But are they able to touch another life in any other way?

So it was to stoke the hearts of the young medicos that Dr. Prajna devised the Residents Social Responsibility (RSR) Programme.

It was launched six years ago as an experiment to sensitise doctors to the plight of the less fortunate and enable them to heal people in a way beyond mere medicine.

Over the years, says Dr. Prajna, the Programme evolved into a constant feature, running parallel to the academic schedule. But joining it is totally voluntary.

Twenty resident doctors each from the three years of the residency programme are not compelled but given the option of engaging themselves in charitable activities other than those related to eye care.

When you say charity the first thing people do is to donate money, says Dr.Prajna, who instead encourages his students to give their time. He ensures they were allowed to engage themselves in voluntary work strictly during their working hours and not on Sundays or their off-days.

And the work they chose can be just about anything, from feeding the abandoned and the mentally ill on the streets, to giving tuitions to children at the orphanage or preparing them for any talent show or competition, spending time with the senior citizens at old age homes, distributing school uniforms, toys, school bags and notebooks to the underprivileged children, conducting science expos for rural children.

And whatever work they opt for, the resident doctors have to raise the money to fulfil the task, says Dr. Prajna, who then gives an equal contribution matching the donated amount.

He says he has rarely come across a resident bunking these activities. Each of them has found a personal sense of satisfaction and happiness in being able to help, serve or live for others erasing disparities, he says. And he believes when the Residents return to their native places, some per cent of the social work done finds resonance at their respective work places too.

After a couple of visits to these Homes for the aged, mentally challenged, orphaned children and destitute women, the doctors realise it is not their own life and not mine either that they are affecting. It is the joy of enhancing a third persons life totally unknown and who cannot repay, Dr. Prajna adds.

This kind of ethical altruism was visible at the sales of products made by visually challenged people and displayed at the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai on their Founders Day (September 15).

For last three years, all physicians, surgeons, nurses, para-medical and other staff at the Aravind have been observing the day by encouraging the blind people to continue with

50

their hobbies. The products made by women at Trichy-based Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind --- ranging from incense sticks and candles to bed and dining sheets, pillow covers and towels, door and dining mats, cloth napkins and tea coasters, lunch bags and baskets, in-skirts and mittens, cushions and mattresses are brought to AEH, Madurai for sales as one of the activities under the RSR programme. The best part is the resident doctors go behind the sales counters, keeping account of the products sold and money earned while persuading their colleagues to buy more.

There is no better way to commit yourself to service, says Dr. Prajna, than to give your time and help the underprivileged raise money with pride. This year the 30 visually impaired women were able to sell goods worth Rs.1,50,000.

It is the involvement and participation of all that counts most because as doctors we all the time deal with human beings but do we really feel for the people? he adds.

Quote:

The RSR programme hones the resident doctors interpersonal skills, managerial and leadership qualities and sensitises him or her to the stark reality that needy people live in beyond the walls of our hospital Dr.N.Venkatesh Prajna

Global appreciation:

From letters received by Dr. Prajna:

You have developed an innovative program to increase public awareness among Residents. I am not aware of any similar program at an ophthalmology training center in the USA.

I can see the potential impact of a program of this type on doctors in training. Many are focused entirely on themselves and not thinking of what they could do for others.

Dr. Bradley R. Straatsma

Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

*********

This is impressive! I will keep the RSR idea in mind for us as well.

Carolyn Kloek

Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard University

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25-11-2015

Soma Basu

ith a commemorative exhibition in his birth centenary year, the Aravind Eye Care System in

Madurai is helping people to rediscover a great but unnoticed Tamil artist, A. Perumal, who studied and taught at Shantiniketan.

From Perumal ayya, he became the famous Perumalda, the only artist who used the strokes of his brush to take art to the tribals in and around Shantiniketan before independence. But in his home-State (Tamil Nadu) where he spent the last two decades of his life, he remains a non-entity.

(Painting on ceramic tiles. Photo: Special Arrangement)

In an effort to make the locals aware of the life and works of artist A. Perumal, his followers and well-wishers are collaborating on a three day festival this weekend (November 27 to 29) as part of his birth centenary celebrations.

We inherited a treasure from him and are showcasing nearly 200 of his paintings and sketches he donated to us, says Chitra Thulasiraj, In charge Aravind Communications, and adds, His work based on classical Bengal art is very impressive and needs to be seen, understood and appreciated by the people.

If the Aravind group of eye hospitals took care to preserve Perumals paintings since his death in 2004, poet and art critic Indran did the commendable job of publishing a book Taking His Art to Tribals: Art and Life of A.Perumal of Santiniketan in 1999. It remains the only documentation of the life and works of the otherwise reticent artist.

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Teakwood sculpture. Photo:

Special Arrangement

Dr. Allivijayan Valli,

niece of A. Perumal

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I met him first at an exhibition of paintings by Madurai artist M.G. Raffic Ahamed in mid-80s. Sporting a long white beard and a cloth bag on his shoulder, he was looking like a sage. Soft-spoken but with a purpose, there was something different about him, recalls Indran.

When I started talking to him, I was astonished to learn about his stay and experience in Shantiniketan and wondered why the Tamil art world had not recognised him.

It was Indran who brought the artist out of his closet. He stayed with Perumal for a month listening to his life story and going through his each work of art. It was an enormous task to sort out the amazing multi-media works he had done over the decades, transport them all to Chennai and mount them for a retrospective exhibition in collaboration with Lalit Verma of Gallery Aurodhan in Pondicherry, says Indran.

In his lifetime, Perumal neither held an exhibition nor sold a single art piece of his. Known as man of conviction, principles and lofty ideals, Perumal would tell all that his works belong to Shantiniketan and to the people. After the exhibition in Chennai, he insisted everything be brought back to Madurai, and as per his wish were later given away to Aravind Eye Hospital.

It is a priceless gift. All our branches across the State display his works and the remaining have been framed and kept for expos now. We too will not sell anything, says Chitra.

For someone born in a little known place called Ammapatti near village Uthamapalayam in Theni district, the journey to Shantiniketan, arguably the best known University-town of peace and arts in the country, is nothing but a journey of dreams and empowerment.

Having lost his parents early in life, Perumal, when 16, was accidentally sent to Shantiniketan by a freedom fighter from his village. Son of the first woman graduate in the village, Perumal was the brightest boy in the village school and an obvious choice to be bestowed upon this privilege.

And the young lad lived up to it under the tutelage Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and was trained in art by stalwarts of those times, Benode Behari Mukherjee and Nandalal Bose.

Perumal not only lived and worked with the great artists but was also appointed faculty at the Kalabhavan for four decades imbibing the Bengal style of drawing. If Indira Gandhi was his contemporary pursuing a different stream, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Padmashri Kripal Singh Shekhawat who designed and decorated the first copy of the Indian Constitution drafted by B.R.Ambedkar, and Dr.Krishna Reddy the graphic artist who introduced intaglio color printing in graphic art were among his illustrious students at Shantiniketan.

Yet other than his family comprising his younger sister and three nieces and a few of his friends and fans do not know much about him. Says Prof.R.V.Raju, an old neighbour who lived a few houses away in Alagappan Nagar, Perumalda was very humble and self-

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effacing. Socially conscious, he always held a different point of view on almost everything.

He was quite critical of the political and art world and always said art has no boundaries and has to be taken to the masses, adds Prof.Raju, who was instrumental in introducing Perumal to several key people in Madurai when he settled here after retiring from Shantiniketan as the Head of Arts department.

Indeed, it is the people only who have to be the collectors, curator, critics and connoisseurs of art. Only then geniuses like Perumal will not slip into oblivion.

(Painting of A. Perumal on mud wall of Santhal hut. Photo: Special Arrangement)

The Man from Tamil Nadu who trained into an artist in Shantinketan A random sample of the cultural resurgence that took place in Bengal, A.Perumal had one of the best opportunities of sitting with Tagore over three months to verify and catalogue the paintings of the nobel laureate for showcasing them at an exhibition in the U.S. He is a model for all present day artists. It is unfortunate that contemporary artists today are interested only in indigenous style with modern expressions. Art has become elitist and fashionable. But Perumalda would say we should never forget our great values, we either use them or lose them. Extremely skilled in his genre of traditional paintings in classical style, he believed his every creation of art was a bridge between the work and the spectator and not just an exercise satiating his own interest. He was not for self-adulation and never had an exhibition inside a gallery but created what Nandalal Bose called the wayside gallery. Believing in multiculturalism and rooted in the ethnic identity of Indian art, Perumal painted on the mud walls of the tribal huts. Anybody crossing the village of the Santhal tribes could see these paintings. Intelligent and sincere to the core, Perumal was also a multi-linguist who could speak Bangla fluently besides the South Indian languages, Hindi, English and Japanese. He received his Diploma in French from Pt.Jawahar Lal Nehru. Birds, animals and nature attracted him no end as a hobby. He met Dr.Salim Ali and became a life member of the Bombay

(Art critic Indran with A.

Perumal. Photo: Special

Arrangement)

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Natural History Society and regularly attended nature camps. - Poet and art critic, Indran. The Uncle and An Artist My maternal uncle, A.Perumal, was more Bengali than a Tamil. We used to call him the Calcutta Mama. He was a bachelor and would come to our house in Madurai every summer vacation loaded with tins of roshogolla and sandesh. With my parents and two sisters, we would all go on short trips to Kodaikanal, Munnar, Top Slip because he loved nature and photography. He had a very good collection of cameras and was an avid bird watcher too. His library was equally big and for every occasion, whether it was somebodys birthday or marriage, he would only gift books. He would always talk about educating boys and girls and empowering them. He spent both his salary and pension in paying the tuition fee of several children in our native village. He gave monthly pocket money to many children. He was like Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, who enjoyed the company of children and loved to play and talk with them. He always made it a point to visit schools, colleges and orphanages. We all went to Shantiniketan with him for a month in the late 70s. A man of few words, I have always seen him scribbling and drawing either on bits of paper, notepads, old cloth and even vegetables but never seen him sit in front of the artists canvas. He used both ink pen and water colours. -- Dr.Alli Vijaya Valli, Gynaecologist and Niece of A.Perumal. Spectrum of A.Perumals work

(Painting on bottle gourd. Photo: Special Arrangement)

A.Perumal painted and sculpted. His works breathed ethnic and authentic Indian vistas. He was known for capturing landscape, scenery, the wonders of nature and natural objects, portraits, personalities and animal forms with equal deftness and in just about any medium in paint or black ink, on paper, cloth, wood or ceramic tiles. The delightful vignettes of his social world in his every work attest to that. The stamp of Bengal school of art is evident in whatever he did, water colours or the paintings of animals and birds in tempera technique, murals and frescoes, wood or stone sculptures, terracotta figures and carving on clay bricks, panel drawing and scrolls that depicted specific themes and stories, an art that he learnt in Japan.

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02-12-2015

T. Saravanan

three-day exhibition of artist A. Perumals works has initiated an art movement in Madurai. A rooster in full plumage, a group of turkeys with chicks in search of food,

river banks, meadowsLegendary linear artist Perumaldas works highlight the relationship he shared with nature and bird life. Even crows and ducks did not miss his attention. Drawn to detail, the paintings were the subject of discussion at the three-day exhibition of Perumal Ayyas works organised by the Aravind Eye Care System (AECS). Perumalda worked in a poultry farm before he got into Shantiniketan Kala Bhavan. His line drawings of the poultry impressed his teachers and they took him in immediately. Probably, his love for birds would have started from there, says art critic Indran, who wrote a book on the painter. As part of the exhibition, series of lectures from art history to temple paintings to art in everyday life by eminent personalities such as Manohar Devadoss, R. Venkataraman and Trotsky Marudhu were organised. A live demonstration of collage art by M.G. Raffic Ahamed motivated the participants.

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Inspired by the demonstration, P. Vishnu Vardhan, a bio chemistry student of The American College returned with a similar collage art the next day. I was not aware of collage as a painting till Raffic introduced it to us here. The new technique was an eye opener for me to choose colour for the background and to cut the images and arrange them coherently to suit the concept. He also taught us perspective in collage art and how it plays a big role in driving home the message, says Vishnu Vardhan. Many shared that Perumalda was a keen observer and regularly attended the meetings organised by the district painters. N. Sulaiman, retired Regional Assistant Director, Department of Art and Culture, recalls that Perumalda was neither interested in declaring himself as a painter in open forum nor in giving away his paintings. Many times I asked him to preside over functions at the Gandhi Memorial Museum, he says. But AECS plans to make it a permanent affair. We may conduct monthly or fortnightly classes but would like a dedicated art group to take this forward. Our support will always be there, says Chitra Thulasiraj, In charge Aravind Communications. Birder T. Badri Narayanan: I know him since early 1980s when we used to travel together. I remember he had a good knowledge of bird life. We visited Sirumalai and Thekkady for bird watching. At one such expedition at Chakkupallam near Kambam Mettu, we spotted a Malabar Parrot. Generally, bird watchers jot down the name of birds they spot, the body and claws. The artist in him came to the fore when he drew the bird and was so meticulous that he noted the colour of the head, feathers and also the tail. He was well versed with the anatomy of birds. His paintings are scientific in that sense. For his age, Perumalda was very agile and also extremely health conscious. During one of our treks to Noopura Gangai from Alagarkoil, he effortlessly trekked and advised us to take only nuts and dry fruits. He took only light green tea. He used to say people should not live for money and fame alone. Painter Trotsky Marudu: I came to know about Perumalda when I was studying in fifth standard. We had a big library at home and in my fathers collection of books on painting was Theneer Kalai, a translation of Nandalal Boses book on art by Perumalda. I read that book and later when I met him in person after my studies in Chennai College of Fine Arts I was on cloud nine. We both worked together on a project that unfortunately did not take off. As part of the project, we roamed the streets of Madurai and photographed old residential buildings and sculptures. I met him couple of times after that but could not do any creative work with him. If Madurai played a big role in national art movement it was because of Perumalda as he bridged the gap between Bengal School of Art and Madurai. Collage Artist M.G. Raffic Ahamed: I first met Perumalda at the Vaigai Artists Association where eminent artists of Madurai regularly met. He was soft spoken and looked like a Bengali. He had good knowledge about the Indian art scenario and was also adept in traditional colours. I was reading a lot of books on the history of art then and his books were an inspiration for me to write. He had a huge collection of Japanese books and a set of recorded videos of documentaries on nature and birds telecast by the Discovery channel. Perumalda practiced pigeon keeping. He was breeding more than 100 pigeons on the terrace of his house. He was reticent and wanted to know more about modern art. Till his last breath he was reluctant to share his works of art with others. He regularly visited my Art Gallery and is my manaseega guru.

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The Hindu Painter Trotsky Marudu. Photo: S. James

The Hindu P. Vishnu Vardhan with his painting. Photo: T. Saravanan

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Dr. T. Badri Narayanan, birder. Photo: Special Arrangement

The Hindu A PEEP INTO THE ARTISTS' WORLD: At the exhibition. Photo: T. Saravanan

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The Hindu Perumalda's work of art. Photo: T. Saravanan

The Hindu Perumalda's work of art. Photo: T. Saravanan

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Perumalda's drawing during a bird watching trip. Photo: Special Arrangement Perumalda (first row, right extreme) at the meeting of Madurai artists. Photo: Special Arrangement

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29-11-2015

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08-12-2015

adurai: for U Vijayan, a mortuary attender, it would takeone-and-a-half months to

earn Rs.20,000. However, he did not think twice when his daughter advised him

to donate it for flood

victims.

The 59-year-old from

Navinipatti in Melur

taluk is working at

Government Rajaji

Hospital (GRH) for a

salary of Rs.13,000.

He handed over the

cheque to the District

Collector on Monday.

On seeing the tragedy, my daughter wanted to do something good and she immediately

advised me to donate the money, which may help a few victims at least in a little way,

said Vijayan.

A visually-challenged man from Vasantha Nagar came along with his wife to Indian Red

Cross Society office and donated Rs.3,000. The man, who is working as a temporary

employee in a government office, braved the rains to reach our office, said V M Jose,

Vice-Chairman, Madurai IRCS.

Like the duo, many from Madurai made their donations to help the flood victims, who

live in Chennai, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.

A group of youth belonging to the NGO Va Nanba have reached Chennai with relief

materials. we distributed maerials in Kotturpuram, especially in its interior parts

where people did not get assistance as compared to others who live near main road,

said M C Saravanan, secretary.

Meanwhile, Aravind Eye Hospital joined hands with the NGO Green Walk for collecting

relief materials from the public.

They targeted only Cuddalore district We have given advertisements in newspapers to

collect materials from those who do not know how to send material safety to the

victims. We also send messages through social media to reach the donors, said S

Raghunathan coordinator, Green Walk.

M

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Around 50 persons donated relief materials on the first day. They were asked to provide

only materials and not money.

We will collect the materials at the hospital till December 18 and the m