•  Character is the light, which shines when the sun is down, and all other lights are out. Character is the power, with which we can win victory even when loosing battles.

Character is that impregnable foundation on which stand all indestructible institutions of life.

•  Right conduct has the delicate fragrance of just blossomed flower. It is what spontaneously emanates from within the person who has done his homework for bringing himself up, under no outer compulsion, but by the propulsion of his own self-chosen ideals of life.

•  Character is that ensemble of actualized qualities of the head and heart of an individual through the help of which he masters facts and forces of life in a creative manner and gradually reaches self-fulfillment in a way helpful to others as well.

•  When we do not have enough character, ugliness will reign everywhere, our faces will lose luster, there will be no light in our eyes, hope in our heart, power of conviction in our mind, and joy in our soul.

•  Granted enough character, our faces will shine, eyes sparkle, our hearts will bubble with hope, our minds will be full of firm convictions, and our soul scintillating with joy supreme

Programme for the month of December -05

•  Viveka Drishti- Drishtidana Sevekendra, Bangalore :

Out patient clinic: Monday to Thursdays – 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM.

•  Viveka Nandicashware – Drishtidana Sevakendra, Shidalghatta:

Screening of Patients: Friday, 2 December 05

Cataract Surgery:Saturday, 3 December 05.

•  Viveka Mahadeva – Drishtidana Sevakendra, Malavalli:

Screening of patients: Sunday, 4 December 05

Cataract surgery: Monday, 5 December 05.

•  Viveka Mahalakshmi – Drishtidana Sevakendra, Koratagere:

Screening of patients: Friday, 9December 05

Cataract Surgery: Saturday, 10 December 05

•  Viveka Channakeshava – Drishtidana Sevakendra,Anekal:

Screening of patients: Friday, 16 December 05

Cataract Surgery; Saturday, 17 December 05

•  Viveka Kamakshi – Drishtidana Sevakendra, Hebbur:

Screening of patients: Friday, 23 December 05

Cataract Surgery: Saturday, 24 December 05

•  Viveka Ramachandra – M S Ramaiah Medical College

Progress during the month of November -2005

Major donors during the month of November 05:

•  Sri Bhaskar Mane :Rs 1,000

•  Smt. Aneta Hyma Shashidar :Rs 1,000

•  Smt Nirmala Chandrashekar :Rs 2,000

We thank the donors and well-wishers for their support for the Arogya Bhagya Seva Yajna Project of Sri Vivekananda Sevashrama.

Viveka Drishti: It is Festive and rainy season Bangalore and agriculture season in rural areas and the number of patients visiting the hospital has reduced. Consequently the number of surgeries performed is also less than normal not only in Bangalore but in all our camps in rural areas.

Rural Eye Camp News :

Kammasandra is in a remote place without any communication facilities. Though the hospital is good and we can conduct 20 Cataract surgeries the response for our screening camp was poor. Hardly 14 persons attended the camp out of 2 were selected for surgery. They were asked to report at Viveka Drishti in Bangalore and they did not do it. Unless some arrangements are made we may have to cancel the camps at Kammasandra. We cannot afford to waste our precious time and money in arranging the camps at Kammasandra.

We had to cancel our Malavalli camp various reasons. Surgery which was postponed will be held on 5 December 05.More than 120 patients were screened and 29 selected for surgery. We expect more patients on 4 th December screening Day and hope to conduct 40 to 50 surgeries on the 5 th December.

The attendance at Sugganahalli was poor. We would conduct 14 cataract surgeries only. The building of additional wards is in progress and it is likely to completed for our next camp in January.

The children's medical examination projects, which is not progressing for want of finical aid, is to be revived. We conducted eye-screening camp at Swami Shivananda Memorial High School , Thondebhavi, Kolar District on 14 November 05, Padit Javaharla Nehru's Birthday. 540 children were screened and 15 spectacles were supplied to children who had vision defects.

 Eye Donation

Everybody accepts that eye donation is a noble act and it should be encouraged to help the corneal blind to regain sight. But when it comes to actual donation at the time of death of loved ones, people do not donate the eyes for various reasons. The eye banks are not able to collect sufficient number of eyes and use it for restoring eyesight for the corneal blind people.

Sri Vivekanada Sevasharama intends to coordinate the eye collection activites with the Minto Hospital eye bank in Bangalore . The main problem is motivating the general public. We are planning an extensive propaganda through posters and other publicity media. We are also interested in educating young school children and the teaching community about the eye donation and its usefulness in the restoration of eyesight for the blind, so that, they will create awareness in the community around them, Motivation is the first step to make people donate eyes to the eye bank.

Tha Minto hospital eye bank is experiencing difficulty in the collection of donated eyes even in the city and its suburbs. They do not have a vehicle for the exclusive use of eye bank. Donation call may come at any odd hour of the day or night and the eyes are to be collected immediately to avoid in convenience to the donor's family and to avoid deterioration in quality of the donated eyes. Eyes are to be colleted and preserved within a week. We intend to provide hired transport to the eye bank so that they can collect the donated eyes within 100 Kms around Bangalore . We will coordinate with them for motivation and collection activities. Preservation of donated eyes, screening of the patients for corneal grafting and the actual grafting are part of Minto Hospital work.