This week I am attending the Eye Camp program in which the cataract screening process takes place.  It is being held at the Vivekanand Mission Hospital in Bhadohi, Saint Ravidas Nagar about 17 kilometers outside of Varanasi.  On Friday, the hospital ambulance toured the 120 km (75 miles) of back roads canvassing the local villages, announcing the program via loud speakers mounted on the roof of the vehicle.  Today, what attracts the many villagers is not only the opportunity to qualify for a cataract surgery, but also the opportunity for free eye treatments.  With the eye exams they are given medicines and education pertaining to their ailment. 
This is a particularly busy weekend.  There are around 200 villagers in attendance whereas the average is usually around 120-150 per camp.  From that, the ophthalmologists usually identify 20 candidates for the cataract surgery.   Today, 24 people are eligible.  

Due to the ophthalmologists schedule this weekend, the eye camp is combined with the surgeries.  The staff and technicians finish the camp around 3 pm and the doctors begin the operations at 4 pm, finishing around 10 pm in the night.  Dinner is ready for them as they finish.  Then they are driven back to Varanasi, where they reach their homes around midnight.  This service was their Saturday.

Before the villagers leave, each is given a photo of Mataji and a packet of biscuits. What I love about India is that no one ever leaves a program without a material exchange reflecting the giving of one heart to another.  It is a gift to be a part of this beautiful process.

Location: Jai Prakash Nagar
Children Fed: 300

It is less than a month since we were last here in Jai Prakash Nagar with the children of this area.  On arriving I am immediately struck by the warm reception we receive from every child.  There is a chorus of hellos and requests for handshakes.  It is as if every child wants to greet us and touch us, some very enthusiastically, others sheepishly.   Once they identify the photographer he is engulfed in a swarm of children, with choruses of  "pictures, pictures".  With a quick wave of the arm, they instantly organize for group photos.  Smiles abound, and joy and happiness reign in stark contrast to the state of the surrounding community, homes and pond.

It is an unusually warm December and the day is filled with glorious sunshine and warmth.  The ground is even warm to sit on and be served the food.  The traditional meal of puri, a stew of potato, spinach and eggplant in Indian spices, and a banana for dessert is served today.  It is a great showing and we feed 300 children.  

Yet, for a majority of our world, there is never a holiday season, or even a “holiday.” There is only struggling for the next morsel of food, fending off the next disease, and wondering how to stay safe from disaster and violence. 

Sai Maa, founder of Humanity In Unity, is deeply committed to alleviating pain and suffering across the world, ushering in an age of global enlightenment. Maa has initiated myriad projects over many decades to aid and empower those who are most vulnerable.

 I am present today, January 4th, as the latest group of 13 villagers pass the screening process and are accepted into the Sai Maa Cataract Surgery Program.  

Each year, the Sai Maa Vishnu Shakti Trust sponsors 100 operations for those who have lost their sight through cataracts.  In conjunction with the program administrators, the Vivekanand Mission, the Trust runs eye camps every weekend during the winter months.   The winter months are ideal for cataract surgery as infections are mitigated through the cold weather, whereas the blistering heat of the summer months radically increases the potential for infection.   The cost for cataract surgery in the West is approximately $500, but here in India, we provide this service for free to the program beneficiaries.

It is a glorious winter day at the Sathya Sai Maa Moksha Dham in Varanasi, India.  We have all joined together to meticulously clean and prepare the Ashram for today’s 2014 New Year's bandhara feast.  There is such a feeling of joy and anticipation permeating the preparations, perhaps a reflection of the joy that feeding and serving others brings to Sai Maa. Invitations for today’s feast, which is sponsored by Sai Maa, have been extended to 101 pundits (Vedic priests) and to the entire community surrounding the Harishchandra Ghat Ashram.

The feast is scheduled to commence at 11:30am but the cooks have been working solidly all morning.  They have prepared a carefully planned menu consisting of puris (fried bread), three specially selected vegetable dishes, chutney and kheer.   The kheer, a piping hot sweet drink of milk and rice, turns out to be a big favourite on this fine winter's day.