The Seer and his entourage were received reverentially at the entrance of the Kamalnayan Research Building with Purna Kumbham to the accompaniment of mangala geetham by Dr SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Dr Vasanthi Badrinath, Director, Clinical Services, and Dr.S.Bhaskaran, Chairman, Sankara Nethralaya. The swamiji was escorted to the 5th floor of the building where he inaugurated the newly named Shri R.S Mehta Jain Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology after which he gave darshan to the gathering from the dais of the Sri VD.Swami Auditorium
Dr S.Meenakshi, Director, Academics got the proceedings started with a soul stirring invocation song and extended her reverential welcome to the Sage on behalf of the entire Sankara Nethralaya family after which the entire gathering stood in respectful obeisance to the chanting of the Veda Goshams. A visibly moved Dr SS.Badrinath expressed his deep gratitude to the Swamiji for placing his golden feet at the Sankara Nethralaya premises and blessing its members and the institution. He explained in an emotion filled voice that it was the grace, blessings and seed capital received from His Holiness Abhinava Theertha Swamigal of the Sharadha Peetham that saw the inception of Sankara Nethralaya. He humbly traced the growth of the institution to a 1,300 strong eye care centre with a high reputation for service, Medicare, Research and Teaching &Training and sought the Swami’s blessing for all round progress in every one of these branches.
Dr. SS.Badrinath announced the renaming of the Cell biology and Bio-chemistry department after Shri R.S Mehta in deference to the wishes of Shri Ashok Mehta a long time friend, well-wisher, donor, board member of the Medical Research Foundation and the Chairman of Jain Housing, who had made a large contribution to the department. He presented a set of photographs of the Puri Jagannath Temple taken by Professor Maiji to the Sankaracharya. Dr SS.Badrinath explained the proposed Sri A.Sivsailam block and had the plans of the same blessed by the Seer. This was followed by Shri Ashok Mehta and Shrimathi Ashok Mehta paying their respect to the Seer and presenting him with a cheque for Sankara Nethralaya and receiving his blessings.
The Swamiji delivered a very simple but in depth Anugraha Bhashanam for the benefit of the gathering, he recalled that Sankara Nethralaya was started with the blessings of Adi Sankara and he was very touched by Dr SS.Badrinath’s recollection of the help and grace that he received from the 35th Pontiff of the Sharadha Peetham Shri Abhinava teertha Swamigal. He exhorted that everyone should do some form of paropakaram within his capacity during his life time and those who do not have the capacity to do so on their own could join service oriented organizations like Sankara Nethralaya to do so. He reminded that such paropakaram should be done selflessly and without expecting anything in return and with the firm realization that it is Easwara who has blessed us to do such paropakara. On the other hand he explained that the simple way of refraining from doing pavam or sin is by not causing or meaning any harm to fellow human beings. The Seer observed that becoming a ‘Mahan’ is not the reserve of a select few and anyone who followed the above tenets could be called a ‘Mahan’
The Pontiff of the Shringeri Madam closed his speech with the observation that Dr SS.Badrinath is a true epitome of Seva and Sacrifice and he would pray to God to bless him to do even more service, he concluded that Sankara Nethralaya is a result of the labour of many hands and would grow to great heights
The momentous function came to an end with the distribution of Prasadam to the gathering.
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