Chennai: At a time when doing social work has become about earning publicity in social media, some do keep away and do genuine service, for to them it is all about the pleasure social work gives and is never about the need for appreciation from unknown people on the Internet.
Meganathan from Ambattur is one such person. An optometrist and a musician who also runs a photo studio, he helps people from Chennai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts get free eye surgery for he works with NGOs and a hospital in the neighbourhood.
“I have always been testing people who come with problems with eyesight. What many do not understand is that with age comes cataract and when I tell people whom I test that they have cataract, their reaction would not be great. For there are many people who cannot afford such a small outpatient operation even today,” said Meganathan speaking to News Today.
Thus, three years ago, the middle-aged man decided to help people as much as he can. “The first thing I did was to team up with a hospital. Making use of their CSR programme, I made a pact with them to help senior citizens with vision problems. They have other branches as well, so our reach is getting better,” said Meganathan.
Asked how he gets to know about people in need, he said, “At first it was only through the means of word-of-mouth. Slowly, people got to know what I do and my friends and family help me out in the process. Now, I work with a few NGOs and thus a lot more people get to know about us.”
The procedure is simple. When a person gives him a call, he will come swiftly to the caller’s home with his kit and test the person who needs help. But not everything goes all the way to a surgery, he says.
“Sometimes people think it is cataract and it would turn out to be a mere change in vision power. So, I prescribe them glasses. If they can’t afford glasses, I help them get it for half the price and if they cannot afford even that, then I get them their spectacles for free,” Meganathan said.
What’s more, he spends a specific amount of time everyday for his service and helps five to 10 people every month in that regard.
“People can come to me from any place. All they have to do is get tested first. Then, I speak with the doctors and get a date fixed. The cataract surgery takes mere hours and I ensure that I stay with the patients the whole day no matter what. Oh, before I forget, people have to bring an ID proof with them, that is a must,” he said.
Asked if his service interferes with his profession(s), Meganathan said, “The social work I do never gets hampered due to my work.”
However, all this comes to just one thought that he holds dear – “Eyes need to be protected”. As the saying goes, eyes are an ocean in which human dreams are reflected, right?