Bala Reddy Indurti, an Atlanta-based professional and a senior leader of the North American Telugu Association (NATA), has been known for his selfless charity activities. The news is that Sankara Nethrayala, a renowned not-for-profit charitable eye hospital headquartered in Chennai, has conferred its Sankara Ratna Award for the year 2023 on Bala Reddy, who is the President of Sankara Netralaya USA.
The charitable hospital is a prominent entity in many countries, including in the US where the recipient of this year's award lives. The award has been given to Bala Reddy in view of his relentless efforts to bring light to the lives of countless blind people from the poorer sections of Indian society.
Bala Reddy has been given the award in recognition of his selfless endeavor of collecting donations for the purpose of eye surgeries for the needy. As someone stewarding the Sankara Nethralaya Om Trust Inc. in the US, Bala Reddy has been rendering yeomen services. He has lent services to the hospital more intensively in the past few years.
Bala Reddy, who comes from a middle-class family background, migrated to the US to pursue his Masters after graduating in Engineering in Hyderabad. As the son of a school teacher-father, he grew up in a disciplined environment. "It is the environment I grew up in that influenced me to think of charity as a noble way of life," Bala Reddy once said, suggesting that he was thoroughly influenced by his elders in his formative years.
When a kind-hearted Telugu teacher he admired breathed his last due to a heart-related ailment, Bala Reddy realized that timely help would have saved the precious life. He understood that he can bring positive change through organized charity. After the life-changing incident, he decided to take up charity in a systematic way as a regular cause. Bala Reddy has since undertaken a number of initiatives, including scholarships.
The Sankara Ratna, which is the highest honor conferred by Sankara Netralaya for services rendered to the underprivileged blind people of India, is testimony to Bala Reddy's commitment to serving mankind. Despite his professional commitments, he has ably handled philanthropy and manned several associations in the US, endearing himself to NRIs, particularly the Telugu people living overseas.
Previously, the Sankara Ratna was conferred on stalwarts such as Ratan Tata. SV Acharya, Madhavan Nair, SP Muthuraman, and Deepak Parekh have also received the award in the past.
