Atlanta, GA – Sankara Nethralaya USA’s Year-End Grand Finale – Music & Dance for Vision 2026 was hosted at South Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia, drawing an audience of over 1,000 attendees for an inspiring celebration of culture, service, and philanthropy.
Beginning at 3:00 PM, the program showcased exceptional performances by 29 renowned dance and music academies from across Metro Atlanta while reaffirming the community’s steadfast support for the Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU) and Sankara Nethralaya’s mission to eliminate preventable blindness in rural India.
The event commenced with welcoming remarks from Chapter Vice President Venky Neelam and President Bala Reddy Indurti, while Shilpa Uppuluri and Aishwarya Sridharan elegantly served as Masters of Ceremonies, guiding the audience through the evening with professionalism, warmth, and poise.
Following the rendition of the United States and Indian national anthems, the program unfolded into a spectacular celebration of India’s rich artistic heritage. One of the most remarkable highlights of the event was the participation of 29 professional dance and music academies, making it a truly historic and one-of-a-kind cultural presentation in the 38-year history of Sankara Nethralaya USA.
Representing diverse traditions and artistic disciplines from across the Atlanta metropolitan area, these esteemed academies delivered an extraordinary showcase of classical and semi-classical dance and music. Through captivating mythological narratives, devotional themes, and vibrant folk expressions, each performance reflected exceptional talent, discipline, and dedication, leaving the audience inspired and enthralled.
In recognition of their outstanding contributions, all performers were honored on stage with commemorative medals, while their Gurus were felicitated with traditional shawls and flower bouquets in appreciation of their invaluable role in preserving and promoting India’s cultural legacy.
Under Bala Reddy Indurti’s eight‑year leadership as President, Sankara Nethralaya USA expanded from seven to thirty cities and grew its Mobile Eye Surgical Unit program from two operating units to five, with four more underway. The event also provided an opportunity to recognize and honor several distinguished individuals and organizations for their extraordinary service, leadership, and philanthropy.
Padma Bhushan Dr. Jagdish Sheth was celebrated as a Pillar of the Indian American Community, while Sri Shankar Subramonian received the prestigious Padma Bhushan Dr. S. S. Badrinath Humanitarian Award. Dr. Shankar Krishnan of the ARSR Foundation was recognized as the all-time highest contributor to MESU Camps, Vamsi Rasamallu of the San Antonio Team was honored with the Best Debut Chapter Award for the outstanding success of their inaugural awareness event, SNUSA Cultural Chair Neelima Gaddamanugu receives Queen of Cultural Dance Programs award.
Due to unavoidable circumstances, we were unable to felicitate Shankara Ratna Prasad Reddy garu with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Arvind Krishnaswami with the Brand Ambassador Award. We sincerely regret missing this opportunity to recognize them in person and look forward to honoring them appropriately.
The event also drew strong national participation, with more than 40 out-of-town guests representing 14 of Sankara Nethralaya USA’s 30 chapters from across the country, reflecting the organization’s broad reach, unity, and collective commitment to advancing its mission of eliminating preventable blindness.
The evening culminated in an extraordinary display of generosity and community spirit, with total commitments surpassing $2 million, including a transformational contribution of $500,000 from Mrs Shanta Lall in loving memory of her husband Dr. Shanker Lal. This historic achievement stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication of donors, supporters, and volunteers who share Sankara Nethralaya’s vision of eliminating preventable blindness.
Through the collective strength of these contributions, the Adopt-a-Village and Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU) initiatives will continue to expand their life-changing impact, bringing quality eye care and the gift of sight to underserved communities. More importantly, the event demonstrated what is possible when a community unites behind a noble cause, creating a lasting legacy of compassion, service, and hope for generations to come.
Our heartfelt thanks to Moorthy Rekapalli for managing chapter budgets, and supplies; Meher Lanka for guest accommodations; Venky Neelam for venue arrangements; Srini Reddy Vangimalla for food and bouquets; Dr. Madhuri Namuduri for backstage assistance; Syam Appali for digital media; Dr. Reddy Urimindi for artists’ travel; Vamsi Eruvaram and Chandra Mouli for publicity; Madhavi Indurti for hosting lunch for out-of-town guests at Firefly; Adi Morreddy, Rekha Reddy, Thirumal Munukuntla, Buchi Reddy & Srini Guptha for supporting gaps.
Thanks are due to other team members Raj Aila, Ramesh Chaparala, Srihar Julapally, Karthikeyan Vinayagam, Biju Das, Giri Kotagiri, Dr. Janardhan Pannela, Logiya Avilineni, Subba Rao Maddali, Amsh Gaddamanugu, and Charithra Julapally for their valuable contributions.
Thanks are due to MESU sponsors and supporters Dr. Kishore Chivukula, Vhaskar Ganti, Thirumal Reddy Kumbum, Dr. Prasad Garimella, Dr. Madhav Durbha, Srikanth Gundavarapu, Ani Agnihotri, Sriram Reddy Palla, Kodanda Devarapally, Dilip Tunki, Ravi Kandimalla, Mustafa Ajmeri, Veena Rao (NRI Pulse), and Venky Gadde (NRI Pulse), Jagadeesh Cheemarla, Venkat Meesala, Raghava babu Tadavarthi, Praveen Puram, Raj Vuchatu, Adi Chinatimma, Chandra Subbagari, Sairam Karumanchi, Vikram Sudini, Bapu Kethireddy, Bhaktavatsal Reddy, Kiran Kandula, Tanuj Bolisetty, Ram Nethi for their generous support.
The success of the event was further enhanced by the generous support of numerous community partners. Guests enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Kakatiya Restaurant, with additional culinary contributions from Chowrastha, Sri Krishna Vilas, Srirangam, and Sambar to Sukka.
The evening’s memorable moments were beautifully captured by Venkat Kuttuva Studios, while Saraswathi Hamsini Decors created an elegant ambiance through their tasteful decorations. Seamless audio support was provided by Santosh and Samarth, ensuring a high-quality experience for all attendees. Sincere appreciation to the staff and management of South Forsyth High School for their excellent support and cooperation.
A heartfelt tribute is due to the many dedicated volunteers whose countless hours of planning, coordination, hospitality, logistics management, stage operations, and behind-the-scenes support transformed Music & Dance for Vision 2026 into an extraordinary success.
Photo Gallery: https://sankaranethralayausa.org/snusa-year-end-grand-finale-2026/index.html
For more information or to donate, please visit www.sankaranethralayausa.org or call toll-free at (855) 463-8472.
Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to:
Sankara Nethralaya USA
7238 Muncaster Mill Rd, No. 522
Derwood, MD 20855
SN USA Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SNUSA2024
AV on MESU Adopt-A-Village: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Y3ER46O7c
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