Friday, 15 January 2016

Testimonial from Dr T S Surendran,Vice Chairman & Director – Dept of Paediatric Ophthalmology,Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai


Shri A Mahalingam’s resignation from our service came as a rude shock and unpleasant surprise to me, I know quite well that he is not a man who would act on an impulse and I trust that he has decided to take the step after due diligence and deliberations; I strongly believe that every man is the master of his own destiny and would not question the logic or wisdom of his act.

 

However on a personal note it would be hard to comprehend that the vibrant young man whom we fondly called ‘Mahali’ would not be a part of Sankara Nethralaya soon, he was a man of all seasons and all reasons, readily accessible and ever so willing to extend a helping hand with a smile to the new recruit, a student or to a member of the board. He had over the years become inseparable from the institution he served and would be missed by one and all.

 

Mahalingam’s sincerity, dedication and ready grasp made him a quick learner and he improvised, improved, trained his team and left his stamp in every department that he served. He had over the years become Sankara Nethralaya’s bridge with the outside world, be it the media, heads of universities or other authorities and was also a bridge to the outside world with Sankara Nethralaya, consisting of eminent personalities like late APJ Abdul Kalam to a student wanting to know more about a particular course. His working hours were not dictated by the clock and the mails and calls we would receive from him late in the night or in the wee hours of the morning would make me wonder if he had anything other than our institution in his mind.

 

While there are many ‘achievers’ who would put that extra effort in their jobs with an eye on the next promotion or salary hike, Mahalingam’s sincerity to his job was more deep rooted and came from a natural attachment to his institution and deep commitment to its growth and that made all the difference between him and other achievers.

 

Being at the helm of affairs of a new educational institution was a great challenge and he did a commendable job of making the Sankara Nethralaya Academy a great success in terms of faculty, curriculum, affiliations, student enrolment, press coverage etc. On the personal side i have been highly impressed by his respect and regard for his teachers who taught him in school and his reverential interaction with them that continues to this day.

 

In conclusion I would say that he entered our premises as a ‘student’ from a humble background, displayed extraordinary commitment and skills at everything he did and today he exits as a ‘Master’ of every facet of Medicare dispensing and academics. He contributed to the growth of the institution and grew along with it, qualifying himself and equipping himself with better skills every day. We would miss, him both professionally and as a warm, affable down to earth   person who could be relied upon in any situation.

I wish him the very best in his professional and personal life and pray that he reaches glorious heights in his career.

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