A Personal Experience of the SEE Project
Mr C.V.K. Maithreya, President of the TOS, Chennai Region, and Dr Sunita Maithreya, a General Medical Practitioner and life member of the TOS, invited me on behalf of the TOS England to preside at the opening of a Medical Eye Camp* held at the Palandiamman Temple, Triplicane, Chennai on Sunday February 3, 2008. Triplicane has some very impoverished areas and this kind of service would not be available to the people were it not for the TOS.
Physical therapist, Dr P. Nagaraj, and Mr Amudanathan, also life members of the TOS Chennai, organised the Eye Camp in collaboration with the UDHI Eye Hospitals under the project name ‘Seeing Eyes For Everyone’. On that day, 250 people were tested by a team of volunteer professionals. Where necessary, they were given a prescription for spectacles or were referred for operations at the UDHI Eye Hospitals. The TOS Chennai covered the cost of the glasses, operations and medication.
I was particularly happy to attend for a personal reason: my mother had sight in only one eye and had it not been for advances in medical science she would probably have lost her sight altogether. I was most impressed by the work carried out. The event took place within the compounds of a small but beautiful temple. An exception was made and I was allowed within the inner sanctum of the temple. I received a blessing and felt quite humble to see all the activity going on outside and around me. It was a revelation to see the altruism of professional Indians towards their underprivileged brothers and sisters. Although India's economy is growing and she is becoming commercially more successful, there is still great poverty despite the government doing its utmost to provide social services. It is therefore the responsibility of people like us who live privileged lives in materialistic countries to help TOS volunteers like these to help their poor.
Further Eye Camps will take place throughout the year. In addition to this new large scale collaboration with the UDHI Hospitals, other free medical camps are regularly organised by the TOS Chennai in the fields of paediatrics, physiotherapy, dentistry, diabetes, dermatology and gynaecology. At the Social Welfare Centre in Adyar, Dr Sunita Maithreya and Dr Revathy, as General Practitioners, see patients every Sunday morning. Every alternate Sunday a team of specialists participates.
These members of the Theosophical Order of Service ‘walk the talk’. This is truly Theosophy in action and we have the opportunity of helping them as much as we can. I can vouch that there is no money wasted on administrative costs. To help, contact C.V.K. Maithreya for information on how to send your donations: cvkm@satyam.net.in
* In India the word ‘camp’ is used for a clinic set up for work of short duration.
CORNELIA CROWTHER
TOS member, United Kingdom