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 Young
Professionals for Resurgent India (YPRI) - A Partner in Sankara's
Mission for Vision 2020 |
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YPRI - Bangalore comprises
professionals from various companies in and around Bangalore who are
eager to work on charitable projects. YPRI began active participation
in Sankara’s cause in August 2005, through the initiative of Vibhu
Pratap, one of SEF’s leaders who is also himself a YPRI member.
Spearheading the YPRI effort in Bangalore is Srimanto Bhattacharya.
Under his direction, YPRI has formed a partnership with the Sankara
Eye Society, to assist in the following: Below is the latest update from India from the desk of Srimanto Bhattacharya. ------------------------------------------------------------- November 18, 2005 YPRI-Bangalore is really proud to complete a full circle when it comes to a project implementation. Upon receiving a mail from Vibhu Pratap (YPRI member in US) indicating his support to the Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) in the US and its affiliate the Sankara Eye Society (SES) in India, and requesting us (YPRI-Bangalore) for support in this cause of eradicating curable blindness from India, we started Project Sankara – Bangalore.  In India, there are 12 million people who are visually blind and 45 million who are unnecessarily visually handicapped. The vision of the Sankara Family is to eradicate curable blindness from India by the Year 2020. Project Sankara- Bangalore is another significant step towards that vision. For your reminder, the Sankara Eye Hospital (SEH)- Coimbatore, is one of the three Sankara Eye Hospitals. SEH Coimbatore was set up in 1977. The 3 hospitals combined today perform close to 70,000 free cataract surgeries a year!...I guess this would be a Guinness record in itself. Two teams of YPRI members visited SEH Coimbatore to get a first hand view of the charitable work. The most recent visit was in October 2005. Dr. Ramani, the Managing Trustee and the founder of SES; also the only man to receive the “Role Model of India” award from the Prime Minister of India for his services of providing vision to the poor and needy, extended a warm welcome to us. A day spent at SEH Coimbatore was an eye opener and heartfelt experience. People from villages far and near who could gain their eyesight by simple corrective surgery were brought to the main centre by Sankara’s buses and at no cost. Even the food, which is very hygienic, medicines and follow-up given at their respective villages, is free. Mass operations were being conducted (200+ surgeries everyday), with counseling before and after the operation being given to these poor people at the facility. SES is replicating its success in Coimbatore and Guntur at another new eye care hospital in Bangalore (“SEH Bangalore”). The Bhoomi Pooja, the 1st step towards the actualization of the vision, was held on October 28, 2005. YPRI identified various institutions/ individuals who could make a difference to this cause of Sankara and invited them for the occasion solemnized by the presence of the Governor of Karnataka Shri T. N. Chaturvedi. YPRI sent personal invitations to the ‘Who's Who” in Bangalore and made it a point for  them to attend the
same. It was a great achievement for us when One of the YPRI invitees agreed to donate US $50,000 for setting up Superspecialty Training Center, which is going to be integral with SEH Bangalore, the day of Bhoomi Pooja itself. Two teams of YPRI members comprising five each are taking care of recruitment and fundraising for SEH Bangalore. The recruitment drive especially targets the downtrodden who are badly in need of jobs. YPRI members started visiting colleges that are being run by the state government, to put up posters there. We also visited the Employment Exchange in Bangalore and nearly 400 post cards were sent to people informing them to attend a written test and interview on the November 8, 2005. The venue would be the location of SEH Bangalore itself. From 7am students from all walks of life and educational backgrounds came for interviews which were suppose to start at 10 am. Registration of the students, conducting tests, correcting them, the first round of interviews and then another round of interviews ith Dr. Ramani was a continuous sight that day. The written test, invigilation, examining answer sheets, interviewing all the students who took the tests was all done by YPRI members. Dr. Ramani came for an hour and interviewed the short listed candidates and finally selected 53 students from the batch. A humbling experience it was that day to see many a student who wanted to do something with their lives despite the difficulties they faced. Students from small, unheard of villages were all there. Equally sad it was to see the students who just due to the lack of their ability to speak English could not get jobs elsewhere in today’s world. As YPRI members, we realized that day that we urbanites live in a world, which is like “The Frog in the Well,” that does not know what is beyond its confines. There is so much of impoverishment and tremendous unemployment in the country – which we got to see firsthand.  A revelation it was for all of us of YPRI- not just emotionally but by getting in touch with reality at the grass root level. Parents who accompanied their children (as most of them are girls) touched our feet and thanked us for providing them employment in a Healthcare institution! I have only written an anecdote, but what we learnt and experienced during the entire exercise with SES will stay with us for rest of our lives. It will help motivate us to work towards improving the life for those less privileged. For YPRI Bangalore-and SES, it is almost like a full time assignment. All YPRI members and associates, I salute your commitment to this noble cause. Today, every day we communicate with Dr. Ramani in Coimbatore. YPRI is a partner of the Sankara family. Even during the Press meet Dr. Ramani announced that YPRI is partnering with Sankara in this noble cause. Thanks YPRI Bangalore members for all your support. I am proud of your commitment. -- Srimanto Bhattacharya 91 80 25527710 / 25527542 (Office) 91 98451 92465 (Hand Phone) |
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