10. A Trip to Meet Awesome Friends

Author and Dr. Venkatesh

Before coming to India, we encountered numerous hurtles, from visa application, to arranging the fragmented travel itinerary.  Details about the MSICS program at the time were not readily available on the Aravind Eye Care System website, which appeared to be under construction prior to my trip.  I didn’t know anyone who had been through their MSICS program before, and thus was in a vacuum when preparing for the trip.  I was even wondering how I could launder my clothes.  Most travel books suggested bringing toilet paper to India, so ¼ of our luggage was actually packed full of toilet paper!  Imagine our relief when we saw flush toilets and shower with electric water heater.  But we were unprepared for the mosquitoes that assailed us. 

The mosquito bat, an essential
surgical instrument for author

Thankfully, Dr. Venkatesh lent me his electric mosquito bat, thus began a daily ritual of applying "Odomos" cream, and chasing mosquitoes in our guest room every evening prior to retiring for the night.  The meals were simple and nutritious, and agreed with my GI system.  One stormy night when I snuck out to get Kentucky Fried Chicken, I suffered the runs, almost as a testament that vegetarian food is healthier!  The sisters and the staff anesthesiologist were quick to supply me with electrolyte solutions for rehydration.  Week-by-week, through bits and pieces of information provided by Dr. Venkatesh, I started to assemble the facts about the MSICS program and about Aravind.  As I came to befriend the attending staff doctors Dr. Prathmesh, Dr. Praveen, and Dr. Manas Nath, I came to realize the doctors are truly caring.  I was allowed to tackle cataract cases using the MSICS technique, from the first day.  The doctors were always nearby if I had concerns or needed assistance during my case.  These surgeons by age 30, were performing 3000 cataract surgeries per year.  The Western definition of “high-volume surgeon” seems to lose meaning in this context.  Though these surgeons could perform complex cases   Being among them would give any eye surgeon a sense of awe and admiration.

Dr. Venkatesh with the latest Alcon Centurion phaco
system, which was only introduced to USA in Sep. 2013
yet is already installed at Aravind Pondicherry

without resorting to high-tech equipment, they are just as skilled with phacoemulsification using the same platforms we use in the west, and yet they remain a humble team.

Author and Dr. Haripriya

To expand my experience, I requested to travel beyond Pondicherry.  Thus we took a five-hour taxi-ride to the original Aravind Hospital in Madurai, to meet Drs. Haripriya and Aravind.  We toured the hospital, the Aurolab where surgical supplies are made, the memorial building and the banyan tree in honor of Dr. Venkataswamy.  Everywhere I went, I carried with me the book “Infinite Vision” by Pavitrha Mehta.  This book became the factual backbone to my journey, as one-by-one the characters in the book became real people in front of me.  In Madurai, I also met Kumar, an author who was translating the “Infinite Vision” book into Tamil.  From Madurai, we traveled another three hours by taxi to Tirunelveli, to visit Dr. RK at the Aravind Hospital in that city.  Dr. RK is a mild-mannered surgeon who shared many stories on the history of ophthalmology with me.  Having been to various ophthalmology

Author and Dr. RK

departments in North America over the years, he could even tell me where to get the best South Indian cuisine in my hometown Vancouver, Canada!  Until that time, Dr. RK was the most senior of the Aravind clan I had met.  Though our time was short, the chat we had over lunch impressed me deeply, the humility and sincerity of him who is one of the founding surgeons of Aravind.  After traveling through Kanyakumari, then up the state of Kerala, I took a plane from Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) back to Chennai, followed by another three-hour taxi ride to Aravind Pondicherry.  This six-day extended trip brought depth and color to my understanding not only of Aravind and its history, but also of the South Indian culture.  Throughout this journey, thousands of miles away, Dr. Venkatesh and his assistant Mrs. Sumathi were the guardian angels.  They kept tabs on our progress by exchanging instant messages back and forth, and calling the taxi drivers to keep the drivers accountable for our safety.  In a land where English is rarely spoken, we were extremely appreciative to have such caring hosts.

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