Sankurathri Foundation

Sankurathri Foundation is an Indian nonprofit organization established in 1989 by Dr. Chandra Sekhar Sankurathri in memory of his wife Manjari, son Srikiran, and daughter Sarada, who were killed in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on 23 June 1985. After the tragedy, Sankurathri left his scientific work in Canada, returned to India in 1988, and began developing a group of humanitarian programs centered in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The foundation’s stated purpose is to improve the quality of life of people living in rural and remote communities, particularly those facing poverty, illiteracy, inadequate medical care, and the effects of natural disasters. The organization operates principally through three program areas. Sarada Vidyalayam, founded in 1992 in memory of Sankurathri’s daughter, provides free education and related support for children from poor rural families. Its educational activities have included primary, secondary, and vocational schooling, as well as meals, uniforms, books, transportation, health checks, and other school supplies. The program follows the Andhra Pradesh state syllabus and supplements classroom learning with activities such as gardening, drawing, crafts, yoga, dance, drama, and vocational skills. The foundation has reported educating more than 3,000 rural children and supporting a school model intended to reduce dropout rates among disadvantaged students. SriKiran Institute of Ophthalmology, inaugurated in 1993 and named after Sankurathri’s son, is the foundation’s principal health-care program. Based in Kakinada, the institute provides ophthalmic treatment through its hospital, specialist services, outreach camps, mobile activities, training, and international volunteer partnerships. Patients identified through screening camps may receive free examinations, transportation, cataract surgery, intraocular lenses, medicines, accommodation, and meals when they cannot afford treatment. The institute has also conducted continuing medical education for local ophthalmologists and collaborated with domestic and international eye-care organizations. Published descriptions of its work report that it restored sight or provided eye-care procedures to hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged people over its operating history. Spandana, launched in 1998, is the foundation’s disaster-relief initiative. It responds to cyclones, floods, and other emergencies affecting coastal Andhra Pradesh by supplying food, drinking water, medicines, clothing, utensils, and other basic necessities to displaced people and affected households. The foundation’s activities are funded primarily through donations and are overseen by volunteer trustees. It has collaborated with charitable, governmental, medical, educational, and international development organizations, including eye-care institutions, Rotary-related bodies, and donor groups in Canada, the United States, India, and elsewhere. The foundation is closely associated with Dr. Sankurathri, who has served as its executive trustee and has supervised its programs from Kakinada. His humanitarian work has received numerous civic, professional, and community awards. In 2023, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for social work. The foundation is not a conventional consumer brand: its identity is based on public service, donor-supported programs, institutional partnerships, and measurable social outcomes in education, health, and emergency relief.

Sankurathri Foundation emerged from a personal tragedy and a decision to redirect professional life toward public service. Dr. Chandra Sekhar Sankurathri, an Indian scientist who had worked in Canada, lost his wife Manjari, son Srikiran, and daughter Sarada in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on 23 June 1985. He resigned from his work in Canada, returned to India in 1988, and established charitable structures in 1989 to honor his family and serve disadvantaged communities. The related Manjari Sankurathri Memorial Foundation was established in Ottawa, while Sankurathri Foundation was created in India. The Indian organization became centered in Kakinada, in the East Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh. The foundation developed its work around three connected needs: education, health care, and emergency relief. Its first major institutional education initiative was Sarada Vidyalayam, opened in 1992 in memory of Sarada. The school began with a small primary-school intake and later developed primary, high-school, and vocational components. It was designed for children from rural poor families and provided not only instruction but also meals, clothing, books, transportation, medical support, and extracurricular activities. The school followed the state curriculum while emphasizing discipline, practical skills, and continued attendance. Reference material associated with the foundation reports that thousands of children received free education and that the school was recognized locally for its performance. SriKiran Institute of Ophthalmology opened in January 1993 in memory of Srikiran. It became the foundation’s largest health-care activity, offering specialist eye services, hospital treatment, screening camps, mobile outreach, training, and volunteer programs. Its charitable model aimed to remove financial and logistical barriers for poor patients. People identified through camps could receive free transport, examinations, cataract surgery, intraocular lenses, medicines, meals, and accommodation. The institute subsequently developed operating theatres, specialist clinics, laboratory and rehabilitation facilities, and a network of outreach branches. It also worked with Indian and international medical and development organizations and arranged continuing education for eye-care professionals. Reports cited in the reference material describe more than 137,000 cataract operations by 2008, with most provided free of charge, and nearly a quarter-million free procedures by 2018. In 1998, the foundation added Spandana, a disaster-relief program responding to the vulnerability of coastal Andhra Pradesh to cyclones, monsoon flooding, and displacement. Its assistance has included food, drinking water, medicines, clothing, cooking utensils, and household necessities for people in temporary shelters and returning residents. The foundation has operated through donations, volunteers, and institutional partners rather than through commercial sales. Its activities have been organized from Kakinada and have reached communities across several districts of Andhra Pradesh. Sankurathri’s work has attracted recognition from civic bodies, Rotary and Lions organizations, Indian and overseas community groups, and media and humanitarian programs. In 2008, Dr. Sankurathri was selected as a CNN Hero, and he later received additional humanitarian and social-service honors. In 2023, he received the Padma Shri, one of India’s civilian awards, for social work. The foundation remains best understood as a service institution whose public-facing identity is inseparable from its schools, eye-care system, disaster-relief work, donor base, and founder-led humanitarian mission.

• 2023

  Founder receives Padma Shri

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Chandra Sekhar Sankurathri was awarded the Padma Shri for social work.

• 2018

  SriKiran marks its silver jubilee

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The eye-care institution reached its twenty-fifth year and was reported to have provided free procedures to nearly a quarter-million disadvantaged patients.

• 2008

  Founder selected as a CNN Hero

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Sankurathri received international media recognition for his humanitarian work.

• 1998

  Spandana disaster-relief program begins

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Spandana was created to support communities affected by cyclones, floods, and displacement in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

• 1993

  SriKiran Institute of Ophthalmology inaugurated

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation launched its eye-care institution, which later combined hospital services with screening camps, outreach, training, and free treatment.

• 1992

  Sarada Vidyalayam opens

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation opened a free school in Kakinada for children from rural poor families.

• 1989

  Sankurathri Foundation established

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation was established in India to improve the quality of life of poor and marginalized people through education, health care, and relief work.

• 1988

  Founder returns to India

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Sankurathri left his scientific work in Canada and returned to India to begin implementing his charitable plans.

• 1985

  Air India Flight 182 bombing

  [1]Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Chandra Sekhar Sankurathri’s wife Manjari and children Srikiran and Sarada died in the bombing, an event that later shaped the foundation’s memorial and humanitarian mission.

A donor-supported humanitarian foundation focused on practical, community-based services for disadvantaged populations in Andhra Pradesh, with a distinctive concentration on free rural education, accessible ophthalmic care, and disaster response.

• Free education · 1992

  Sarada Vidyalayam

  Sarada Vidyalayam is a free education program comprising primary, secondary, and vocational activities for children and young people from poor rural families. In addition to state-syllabus instruction, the program has provided meals, milk, uniforms, shoes, books, schoolbags, transportation, medical checks, and medicines. Students have also been encouraged to participate in gardening, drawing, painting, sewing, embroidery, yoga, dance, drama, and crafts.

• Eye care and ophthalmic services · 1993

  SriKiran Institute of Ophthalmology

  SriKiran Institute of Ophthalmology provides affordable and charitable eye care through hospital services, specialist clinics, screening camps, mobile outreach, and referrals. Eligible patients may receive free examinations, transport, cataract surgery, intraocular lenses, medication, food, and accommodation. The institute also supports professional training, continuing medical education, low-vision rehabilitation, and volunteer exchanges with medical organizations in India and abroad.

• Disaster relief · 1998

  Spandana

  Spandana is the foundation’s emergency-relief program for cyclone, flood, and monsoon-related disasters in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Its assistance has included food, drinking water, medicines, clothing, utensils, and other necessities for displaced people in temporary shelters and households returning after disasters.

• 1993

  Launch SriKiran ophthalmic-care institutionProduct launch

  Background

  Poor and rural residents in the region faced barriers to diagnosis, cataract surgery, specialist care, and transportation.

  Action taken

  The foundation inaugurated SriKiran Institute of Ophthalmology and combined hospital treatment with free screening camps and outreach services.

  Aftermath

  SriKiran became the foundation’s principal medical program and reported treating hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged patients over time.

  Source

• 1989

  Adopt an integrated education, health, and relief modelStrategy

  Background

  The foundation was created to address several linked causes of hardship in rural Andhra Pradesh, including limited schooling, unaffordable medical care, and recurring cyclone and flood emergencies.

  Action taken

  It organized long-term programs through Sarada Vidyalayam, SriKiran Institute of Ophthalmology, and later Spandana, supported largely by donations and volunteers.

  Aftermath

  The three-part structure became the foundation’s defining operating model and expanded its work beyond a single memorial initiative.

  Source

1. 1Sankurathri Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sankurathri Foundation official websitesankurathri.org