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Televised concert raises $1.1 million for Sankara Netralaya

BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Atlanta, GA, January 25, 2023: Semi-classical renditions of devotional songs by renowned singer and music director, Sri Parthu Nemani, Smt Harini Ivaturi and their music team raised USD 1.1 million for Sankara Nethralaya USA  on December 4, 2022. The funds will be used towards restoring vision to 17,000 indigent patients. The event was telecast by major Indian TV channels.

Sankara Nethralaya was founded in 1978 by Padma Bhushan Dr. S.S. Badrinath, inspired from the speech by Pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt.  The sole objective of the organization is to provide world class eye care to the poor, free of cost and at an affordable price to others.

Over the past four decades, Sankara Nethralaya (SN) a not-for-profit charity organization has provided ophthalmic (eye) care throughout India, treating millions of patients.  SN also organizes eye camps, school screenings and has eye banks. One of the unique services includes Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU), only one of its kind approved by the Government of India. These are operation theatres on wheels. MESU consists of two buses serving as operation theatre, go out to remote villages, screen around 1,000 patients and perform cataract surgeries on 150 to 200 patients over a two-week period and return to main campus after post-operative care.

Sankara Nethralaya USA (SN USA), fund-raising arm in USA was established in 1988 with the sole objective of raising funds for SN to provide free services to indigent patients. SN USA is managed by thirty-five honorary trustees spread across fourteen chapters in US and has been raising over a million dollars for the past several years.

President Bala Reddy Indurti along with President Emeritus SV Acharya planned, coordinated, and executed the SN USA 2022-year-end campaign rendering it a grand success.

They thanked the distinguished singers along with the accompanying musicians, Prakash (Keyboard), Srinivas (Flute), Suresh Prasad (Tabala), Swamy (Rhythms), Harmony: Students of Keerthana Academy (Bhuvana Swaraja Challa, Meghana Naidu, Akhil Chandra, Saketh Kommajosyula), Camera & Lights: K. Rama Naidu, Recording & Mixing: Sai ManoharDubbaka, Editing: Srikanth Pudari, Assistant: Amar Reddy, Sound: Keerthana Recording Studios and Video Floor: String Wings.

The fundraising team comprising of Upendra Rachupally, Moorthy Rekapalli, Leela Krishnamoorthy, Banu Ramakrishnan, Dr. Raj Modi, KG Venkatraman, Srini Vangimalla, Shankar Setty, Meher Lanka, Neelima Gaddamanugu, Sowmi Narayan, Shyam Appali, Narayan Indurthi, Vamsi Krishna Eruvaram, Dr. Jagannath Vedula, Raj Aila, Prasad Rani, Ramesh Chaparala, Srinivas Ganagoni, Krishnaraj Bhat, Dr. Madhuri Namuduri, and Jayakiran Pagadala were also recognized for their contributions.

“We are also thankful to Board of Trustees, Volunteers, Philanthropists, and supporters who are working selflessly to restore vision to indigent patients. Thanks are due to Moorthy Rekapalli and Bhaskar Ganti for MESU (Mobile Eye Surgical Unit) project, Dr. Kishore Chivukula for sponsoring a Consultancy room, and the following ADOPT-A-Village donors Shankar Krishnan (California), Dr. Govinda Visvesvara (Atlanta), Leela Krishnamurthy (Houston), Dr. Raghava Reddy Gosala (Philadelphia), Dr. Kishore Rasamallu (Atlanta), Murali Sajja (Atlanta), Subrahmanyam Naidu (Atlanta), Ashok Kanagal (India), Srihari Santhosh (Metro DC), Anand Dasari (Dallas),” Mr. Indurti said.

President of Medical Research Foundation, Dr. Girish Rao thanked the efforts of Sankara Nethralaya USA and the service of NRIs.

Sankara Nethralaya also thanked media partners manaTV, TV5 (Sridhar Chillara), TVAsia (Srinivas Ganagoni), Sakshi TV, US1 (Simhabaludu), TeluguOne (Subbu Kosuri), KIW WORLD TV (Srihari Kommineni) for promoting Sankara Nethralaya virtual streaming concert on Dec 4th, 2022, at different timings to give the flexibility to all viewers in different time zones.

SN USA has maintained a Charity Navigator four-star rating. This overall score of the rating is calculated from multiple beacon scores including accountability, finance, leadership, adaptability, culture & community.Please check www.sankaranethralayausa.org for more details. Tax-Deductible Donation Checks can be mailed to: Sankara Nethralaya USA, 9710 Traville Gateway Drive, No. 392, Rockville, MD 20850; Tax ID number: 52-1611548. For questions, you may contact indurti@snomtrust.org  or Phone: (855) 463-8472.

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