Aiming for blind-free India

With the noble ambition to see a blind-free India Dara Karuna Sree of Vijayawada has dedicated herself to serve the society for over a decade encouraging cornea donation. She is a motivation and inspiration to many women. So far, she organised hundreds of awareness camps for eye donation at various places in Krishna district and all over Andhra Pradesh.

Recognising her services the Lions Club of Vijayawada appointed her the district chairperson for cornea collection. Her dedicated service to the society has earned her five international awards, besides many awards and rewards to her credit which had put her in the race for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Speaking to ‘Aparajita’, Karuna Sree says since her childhood she has been motivated by her parents towards serving the society. “Her parents (who are also incidentally the Lions Club members) are her inspiration, and her husband Ramana Gupta (contractor) and two sons are very supportive to her.

After graduating in commerce and some beautician courses in 2003, she started, ‘Nimble Beauty and Spa Clinic’, later expanded it as a training institute, Obesity and Fitness Clinic, Gym and Yoga centre.

She started ‘Nimble Women’s Welfare Society’ and has trained more than 1,000 women in various courses to enable them for taking up self-employment and motivated many women to serve the society. Many women are inspired seeing her and followed her, she claims.

In 2005, she took membership of Vijayawada Lions Club and since then she transformed herself as a dedicated social service activist. She had organised many medical and health camps besides awareness programmes to ban disposable plastic carry bags.

Her dedication to serve the society earned her the post of Lions Club’s district chairperson for Cornea Collection in 2010. Her wish is to see a blind-free India. “India should strictly implement a rules intended to help donate cornea.

Many people who want to donate cornea do not know the procedure, and in this regard, I have organised hundreds of awareness programmes on eye donation. This includes rallies with school and college students and distribution of stickers and pamphlets with the help of ophthalmologists,” she avers.

She proudly says that she had collected about 1,600 Corneas after taking charge as Lions Club’s chairperson for Cornea collection. She is the active participant in Happy Sunday programmes being organised in Vijayawada city and involved in motivating people on eye donation.

She participated in many awareness programmes organised by the State government with a specific agenda on bringing awareness on Cornea donation. She headed the posts of AP vice-president ‘Body and Organ Donors Association, World Arya Vysya Mahasabha and student coordinator of the ‘Roots Foundation’ on ‘Cancer awareness’ and organised many programmes.

She secured many International awards in her kitty like Telugu Book of Records twice, Amazing World Records, Miracle World Record, Wonder Book of Records, Everest World Records besides many service awards and cultural awards.

By C Pradeep