Dr S. S. Badrinath: Sankara Nethralaya's visionary founder is no more

This visionary gave vision to many, literally and figuratively. That is what he did in his lifetime. Dr S. S. Badrinath, founder of the renowned eye hospital Sankara Nethralaya, is no more. His passing leaves a huge void in the Indian healthcare space. Sankara Nethralaya is an iconic name in Chennai and has been a destination for many, from within the country and outside, to regain their sight. He not only visualised but also established a truly egalitarian healthcare organisation where the rich and poor get equal access at an affordable cost. Since its inception in 1978, Sankara Nethralaya has remained unchanged in this aspect. Can an organisation be both charitable and efficient in an era where business entities run after profit? Badrinath showed that it was indeed possible. The fact that he managed to keep Sankara Nethralaya a sustainable organisation speaks volumes about the stature of Dr Badrinath in society and in the minds of people.

Badrinath was an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS). He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1996, the Dr. B. C. Roy Award, and a number of other prestigious awards.

Badrinath was born on February 14, 1940, in Triplicane, Chennai, to S. V. Srinivasa Rao and Lakshmi Devi. Badrinath, the youngest of seven siblings, was brought up with middle-class ethics, rooted in the culture and traditions of Bharat. He lost both parents while still in his teens, but was able to complete his medical studies with the life insurance policy money he obtained following the demise of his father.

He could begin his education only at age seven due to some childhood illness. His schooling was done at P.S. High School, Mylapore, and Sri Ramakrishna Mission High School, T. Nagar, Chennai. He completed intermediate collegiate study at Loyola College between 1955 and 1957. From 1957 to 1962, he studied at the Madras Medical College.

Badrinath pursued graduate studies in ophthalmology at Grasslands Hospital, New York, did residency in ophthalmology at the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, and a fellowship with Charles Schepens at the Retina Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts. He passed the examination for the Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada) and the American Board Examination in Ophthalmology in 1969 and 1970, respectively.
He married Dr Vasanthi Iyengar, a board-certified paediatrician and haematologist in Brooklyn, New York, in 1966, and married her on June 3, 1967. They have two sons. Forsaking citizenship and immigration to Canada or the USA, the Badrinaths returned to India, keeping their promise to their guru, Dr Charles L Schepens, after a seven-and-a-half-year stay abroad.

Starting 1970, for six years, Badrinath worked at the Voluntary Health Services, Adyar, as a consultant. He set up private practice in ophthalmology and vitreoretinal surgery at the H.M. Hospital (1970 to 1972) and Vijaya Hospital, Chennai (1973 to 1978).

He was an ardent devotee of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekerendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the 68th Peetathipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. In fact, it was Swamij’s inspiration that propelled him to found the Medical Research Foundation in 1974. Sankara Nethralaya is the hospital unit, a registered society, and a charitable non-profit ophthalmic organisation. The objectives of the foundation are:

• Providing quality care at an affordable cost
• Teaching and training ophthalmologists and paramedical personnel to create an army to combat blindness in India
• Facilitating research in the vision sciences to address the ophthalmic problems specific to India.

Badrinath was a simple person but an extraordinary human being. He always downplayed his own contribution to the institution. So much so that eminent jurist Nani A Palkhivala once described Sankara Nethralaya as “the best-managed charitable organisation in India." Palkhivala bequeathed his property to the institution.
For a man of his credentials and stature, getting a loan would not have been a problem. Then why did he not start off the work with a loan? His wife, Vasanthi, explained this in an interview many years ago. “He (Badrinath) reasoned, if you take a loan, the focus would turn to money, as you would be under pressure to repay it.” The first donation came from another Sankaracharya, that of Sringeri. Soon, support from corporates and donors followed and continues to flow even today.
Conversations with people close to him reveal the selfless, magnanimous, large-hearted, and perfectionist personality of Badrinath. Consider these:

• He sold his big house on Chamiers Road in Chennai and put all the money into Sankara Nethralaya.

• When a programme by former President Abdul Kalam was rescheduled, it was suggested that stickers announcing the change in date be stuck on the printed cards. But Badrinath wouldn't accept. He ensured that fresh cards were printed, revealing the perfectionist in him.

• He had a magnanimous outlook towards his employees and others. So much so that he treated the vendors of Nethralaya as its stakeholders.

• He never sought advertisements. Donors came on their own volition. From H. T. Parikh to Rahul Bajaj, the big names of the city of Chennai liberally supported Sankara Nethralaya. This is despite corporate social responsibility (CSR) not being mandated by regulation in those days. That spoke of the respect and appreciation that Badrinath's work evoked across the industrial spectrum of the country.

• When Dr V. Sankar sold his venture, Crossland Lab, to Ranbaxy, he donated the money to Sankara Nethralaya.

Dr Vasanthi was a pillar of support in his endeavour to establish Sankara Nethralaya as the ultimate eye care specialty hospital. Without her rock-solid support, this would not have been possible. The term 'Corporate Citizen' sits more aptly on the Badrinath-founded Sankara Nethralaya than on anybody else. Today, many, such as Agarwals, Rajans, and Vasans, among others, have followed Sankara Nethralaya to establish eye care centres across Tamil Nadu. Significantly enough, all of them were founded by people who have been Badrinath's proteges for many years. The robust eye care ecosystem in the country today owes much to the visionary ideas of Badrinath and his indomitable spirit of service.

At a personal level, he was a cinema buff and loved food. Badrinath was the architect of the Temple of the Eye. He built it for the people. It remains the destination for all to improve their vision. Sankara Nethralaya is one of those rare public institutions where there is no inequality and everybody — big, small, rich, or poor — gets equal access and treatment sans bias. It’s all about service to humanity. Badrinath may have passed into the pages of history. But he leaves behind a legacy that is difficult to replicate and can at best be followed.