Mritunjay’s vision of eye care to serve the rural districts of Bihar aligns perfectly with that of Sankara Eye Foundation, USA. He explains, “We have resolved to only work in low-income geographies - villages and tribal areas. Two-thirds of Indians live in villages and that is why it is important to locate yourself in the midst of the problem. People wonder if we can build a good infrastructure in a village, whether we can get resources, human resources, doctors, managers, staff, etc.”

With the AJCOE team aligned with Sankara’s vision, Mritunjay’s words bring new hope and fervor to Sankara’s cause. “Everything is doable and the Akhand Jyoti Center of Excellence is proof that even in a village, you can build world-class infrastructure with a large pool of doctors, and the best governance practices, and replicate them elsewhere too.”

By 2030, Akhand Jyoti will be contributing 300,000 free surgeries, to support Sankara’s March to a Million, and over the next seven years, AJCOE intends to perform 2 million eye surgeries and give primary care and screening to about 12,000,000 afflicted individuals. “We passionately believe that Akhand Jyoti and Sankara USA together can leave eternal legacies in eyecare in poor geographies of the country”, Mrityunjay says.