Sankara Nethralaya has appointed Indian American business leader Lakshmi Narasimha Vasan to its advisory board and recognized him as a major donor for supporting mobile eye surgery programs in Gwalior and Tamil Nadu.
LOS ANGELES — Wednesday, July 15, 2026: Sankara Nethralaya has appointed Indian American business leader and philanthropist Lakshmi Narasimha Vasan to its advisory board, recognizing his support for programs designed to prevent avoidable blindness in India.
The nonprofit eye care organization also honored Vasan as a major donor during a virtual meeting attended by Sankara Nethralaya USA leaders, advisory board members and Sankara Nethralaya India President Dr. Girish Rao.
Sankara Nethralaya USA welcomes Vasan
Bala Reddy Indurti, president of Sankara Nethralaya USA, chaired the meeting and thanked Vasan for accepting the advisory position. The organization also recognized the charitable contributions of Vasan and his wife, Dr. Brinda Subramanian.
Vasan was born in Pasoor, near Erode in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and raised in Hyderabad. He earned an engineering degree from Osmania University before moving to the United States in 1981 for higher education.
He later developed a business career in Southern California and most recently served as chief executive officer of Royal Kitchen Equipment Company.
Mobile Eye Surgical Unit planned for Gwalior
Vasan’s latest commitment will support a Mobile Eye Surgical Unit, commonly known as MESU, for Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The mobile program is intended to bring eye examinations and surgical services closer to communities with limited access to specialized care.
He has also helped organize MESU eye camps in Tamil Nadu as part of efforts to expand treatment and reduce preventable vision loss.
Cricket career and family background
Before moving to the United States, Vasan played first-class cricket and captained Hyderabad’s Ranji Trophy team. His teammates included N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Mohammad Azharuddin and Shivlal Yadav.
Vasan married physicist and scholar Dr. Brinda Subramanian in 1988. Their children are Dr. Karthik Vasan, who holds a doctorate in medical research, and Carnatic vocalist Mayuri Vasan.
Sankara Nethralaya representatives said the advisory appointment recognizes the Vasan family’s sustained philanthropic support. The planned Gwalior unit will extend that involvement by bringing mobile eye treatment to patients who may otherwise face geographic or financial barriers to care.
