ISSN: 2578-465X
Authors: Suresh K. Pandey
The passing of Dr. Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath (on November 21, 2023, marked the profound loss of an extraordinary educator, a true visionary, and a pioneer ophthalmologist who founded Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai. He is survived by his wife, Dr Vasanthi Iyengar, and their two sons, Ananth and Seshu Badrinath. His departure from this world leaves a void that can never be filled, but his remarkable contributions and the lives he touched will remain etched in our hearts and minds forever. Dr. Badrinath led an extraordinary life dedicated to service, visionary leadership, and the advancement of ophthalmology, and training young ophthalmologists by establishing Sankara Nethralaya at Chennai. As a visionary ophthalmologist, he trained thousands of fellows in retinal surgery [1,2]. As an educator, he selflessly imparted knowledge to numerous ophthalmologists (visited from India and various other countries) who would become renowned ophthalmologists/ retinal specialists themselves. As a humanitarian, he treated all patients with dignity and compassion, regardless of social status or means. Dr. Badrinath’s life is a perfect example of Live, Love, Learn, and Leave a Legacy. His legacy challenges us to lead lives uplifted by optimism and oriented toward others’ welfare. By overcoming obstacles, sharing knowledge generously, and serving humanity, we carry forward the ethos at the heart of Dr. Badrinath’s monumental contributions to ophthalmology and society. He showed us the power of living benevolently, affirming that we uplift our shared human condition when we lift others. We consider very fortunate to meet Dr. S.S. Badrinath a few times at Sankara Nethralaya and while working at the Centre for Ocular Therapeutics and Biodevices, Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA. He visited the USA few times and addressed the group “Friends of Sankara Nethralaya”. While addressing a group of doctors and others in the USA, he shared the work done by Sankara Nethralaya and deeply inspired all participants to help and contribute to eliminating preventable blindness in India.
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