BY GIRI KOTAGIRI & MOORTHY REKAPALLI
Atlanta, GA, February 20, 2025: On February 15, 2025, Sankara Nethralaya USA (SN USA) organized a Meet & Greet program in Atlanta to recognize and honor Sri Prasada Reddy Katamreddy for his generous contribution of $500,000 to establish a new Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU) and for sponsoring 11 Adopt-A-Village programs. MESU is a hospital on wheels that covers a 500-kilometer radius. Each MESU consists of two buses—one serving as a preparatory unit and the other as an operating theater—allowing surgeries to be performed in the field. The audience gave a big round of applause and appreciation when Bala Indurti announced the mega donation of $500,000 from Prasada Reddy Garu and Sobha Reddy Garu.
Sankara Nethralaya USA announced Sri Prasada Reddy Katamreddy as a Brand Ambassador of SN USA and felicitated him for his generosity. The felicitation was conducted with sacred mantras by priest Srinivas Sharma from the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, seeking divine blessings.
The success of the event was made possible by the active participation of Atlanta’s renowned classical singers and young, talented students who graced the stage with dance performances. Each singer performed two classical songs dedicated to Lord Shiva, filling the event hall with devotion. The audience applauded the singers, including Phani Dokka, Ram Durvasula, Srinivas Durgam, Sandeep Kowtha, Durga Gora, Srivalli Sridhar, Shilpa Uppuluri, Usha Mocherla, and Janardhan Pannela. These performances will help SN USA reach many satellite chapters through virtual programs.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the academies, Gurus, and students who contributed to making this event a grand success. The evening celebrated not only art but also the spirit of community and giving, with every singer and volunteer playing a vital role in raising funds for those in need.
Throughout the evening, attendees expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the vision of Bala Reddy Indurti, President of SN USA. Under his leadership, significant funds and awareness have been raised for the noble cause of restoring vision for underprivileged patients. Bala’s tireless efforts in leading from the front and inspiring others to join the mission were widely appreciated. SN USA Treasurer Moorthy Rekapalli worked closely with Bala Indurti to ensure the event’s success.
Unconditional support was received from Trustees Srini Vangimalla, Meher Chand Lanka, Raj Aila, Sridhar Julapally, Neelima Gaddamanugu, Dr. Madhuri Namuduri, Sports Committee Chair Ramesh Chaparala, MESU Committee Chair Dr. Kishore Reddy Rasamallu, Atlanta Chapter Vice President Rajesh Tadikamalla, and Chapter Leads Giridhar Kotagiri. Committee members Suresh Vemulamada, Sridhar Julapally, Padmaja Kelam, and Youth Committee members Amsh Gaddamanugu and Charithra Julapally also contributed to making the event a grand success. Food and venue arrangements were handled by Meher Chand Lanka and Neelima Gaddamanugu. Dr. Reddy Urimindi (NRU), a Board of Trustee from Dallas, TX, attended the event and invited the Atlanta community to an SN event he is organizing in Dallas on June 28, 2025.
Due to prior commitments, Honorable Consul General of India Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan could not attend the program. However, he made time to meet SN USA Brand Ambassador Prasada Reddy Katamreddy and SN USA President Bala Reddy Indurti at his office on Monday, February 17, 2025, to express his gratitude for the generous donation that will help thousands in India.
Two MESU teams have been operating for the last 15 years. One unit has been based in Chennai since 2011, while the second has operated in Jharkhand since 2016 with the support of Tata Trust. Recently, Sankara Nethralaya launched a third MESU unit in Hyderabad in 2024, successfully organizing 18 Adopt-A-Village eye camps in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, restoring vision for thousands of patients. Each camp runs for 10 days. A fourth unit will be launched in Puttaparthi in March 2025 to serve areas in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Each unit covers a 500-kilometer radius, collectively reaching approximately one-third of India’s rural villages.
SN USA Founder & President Emeritus SV Acharya, along with the Board of Advisors, Board of Trustees, and Chapter Vice Presidents, conveyed their best wishes for the event.
SN USA President Bala Indurti shared details about upcoming MESU projects, their coverage areas, and the tireless efforts of Trustees and Volunteers working to eradicate preventable blindness in India through fundraising events in different cities. The audience responded with huge applause for SN USA’s efforts in restoring vision for underprivileged patients. Special thanks were given to the SN USA Atlanta team—Moorthy Rekapalli, Neelima Gaddamanugu, Meher Lanka, Srini Reddy Vangimalla, Upendra Rachupally, Dr. Madhuri Namuduri, Rajasekhar Aila, Suresh Vemulamada, Sridhar Rao Julapally, Rajesh Tadikamalla, Ramesh Chaparala, and Dr. Kishore Reddy Rasamallu—for their countless hours of dedication in making this program a success.
The SN USA team felicitated Atlanta singers Phani Dokka (Film Director), Ram Durvasula, Srinivas Durgam, Sandeep Kowtha, Durga Gora, Srivalli Sridhar, Shilpa Uppuluri (MC), Usha Mocherla, and Shanti Medicherla for their continued support in presenting classical light music for virtual TV programs. Additionally, Srinivas Durgam was felicitated for his excellent DJ services, and Venkat Kuttua for video and photography.
The entire program will be telecasted in two parts on mainstream TV channels on Sundays—Part 1 on February 23, and Part 2 on March 2, 2025.
SN USA Treasurer Moorthy Rekapalli highlighted Sankara Nethralaya’s service to the nation, having restored vision for approximately 20 lakh patients since its inception in 1978. He pointed out two key statistics: every third blind person in the world is an Indian, despite India comprising only one-sixth of the global population, and 65% of blindness in India is curable (primarily cataracts and refractive errors). He appealed to the audience to contribute generously to eradicating preventable blindness in India, noting that just $65 can sponsor a cataract surgery and restore vision for a patient. He concluded by giving a vote of thanks to all who contributed to the event’s success. Thanks were also extended to EVP Shyam Appali and Secretary Vamsi Eruvaram, along with Theagarajan and Deena Dayalan, for handling logistics.
Prominent community leaders and MESU Adopt-A-Village sponsors who attended and shared their experiences about Sankara Nethralaya eye camps included: Dr. Veena Bhat, JC Shaker Reddy, Dr. Paul Lopez, Murli Reddy, Bindu Vemyreddy, Winchel Jaffers, Antony Thaliath, Ravi Ponangi, Bob Erramilli, Kris Gadde, Narayana Rekapalli, Vishy Dasari, Swarnim Ramkrishnan, Ravi Kandimalla, Balaram Reddy, Viju Chiluveru, Kodanda Devarapalli, Tiru Chillapalli, Jagadeesh Cheemarla, Adi Chinnatimma, Krishna Evuru, Raj Vuchatu, Srikanth Gongalareddy, Sasikala Penumarthi, Ravi Penumarthi, Jassotha Balasubramanyam, Prabhakar Reddy Eragam, Krishna Reddy Konduru, Kiran Kandula, Jayachandra Reddy, Manjula Malla Reddy, Bhaktavatsal Reddy, Subbarao Vudathu, and Saraswathi.
Photo Gallery: https://sankaranethralayausa.org/snusa-meet-n-greet-with-brand-ambassador-prasad-reddy-katamreddy/index.html
Please contribute generously at SankaraNethralayaUSA.org or SankaraNethralaya.org (for contributions in India) to restore vision for underserved patients.
