Let us pause for a few moments to pay homage to the founders and their associates and pay tributes to the subsequent generation that has trodden, and seared with sweat and toil for making a vibrant association that has been bequeathed to the future generation. Services in rural areas were being tendered by a few private ophthalmic surgeons in some parts of Madras State in a sporadic manner for som
e years. A few eye surgeons activated with generous spirit of taking ophthalmic help and advice to the door of dwellers, were doing yeoman service, and their services were frowned upon and their activities were discouraged by doctors in Government service who looked upon doctors engaged in private practice as belonging to a lower stratum of creation. This tendency was a heritage from the British I.M.S. days and doctors in Government service studiously avoided to be associated with private medical practitioners. Even medical certificates issued by private doctors were not accepted by various government departments". It was in such an atmosphere in 1951, a senior ophthalmologist Dr. G. Joseph Gnanadickam invited a few ophthalmologists in Tiruchirappalli for an informal meeting and placed before them the suggestion that the eye surgeons of Madras State should organize themselves into a state ophthalmic society with the limited aims and objectives (1) to bring in eye surgeons of Madras into close contact, holding lectures and conferences thus promoting fellowship and fraternity among them, regardless of whether they are in Government or private service (2) organize eye camps in rural areas with due precautions and (3) to educate the rural masses on the care of the eyes. When this rather ambitious scheme was proposed many eye surgeons promised their full concurrence and co-operation to the suggestions, but a few foresaw difficulties in this rather ambitious scheme was proposed many eye surgeons promised their full concurrence and co-operation to the suggestions, but a few foresaw difficulties in this venture and expressed their doubts and fears. However the wholehearted devoted enthusiasm and honesty of the purpose of the Founders Dr. G. Joseph Gnanadickam, Dr.T.V.Renganathan and Dr. Shankar Rao won over even these pessimists, and thus it was that the Madras State Ophthalmic Association came into being in 1952. Simple laws and rules were drafted and passed by a handful of eye surgeons and copies were sent to the eye surgeries of the State, including eye surgeons in Government Service. A few in Government services were bold enough to become members of the association at once, but the majority of the members were private medical personnel. Veterans like Dr. S. Gurupatham, Dr. P. Siva Reddy, Dr. A. Abdul Sathar, Dr. Pitchai Robert, Dr. Muthaiah Pandian and few others joined early and the Association began to function and the first Madras State Ophthalmic Association Conference was held in Trichy in 1952. Not very much later Dr. G. Venkatasamy, Lt. Rangachari, Dr. Balasubramanian, Dr. Adikesavan, Dr. Desakavalan, Dr. Valeeswaran, Dr. Bhaskaran and many seniors joined the association and subsequent annual conferences began to be held at various places in the State. Many Eye Surgeons in Government service joined the association as members and began taking active interest in all the activities of the Association. Within 10years, the membership grew from 25 to start with to 125, a commendable growth when compared to the number of Ophthalmologists in Madras State at the time. This phenomenal growth and momentum of the association was kept active by the enthusiastic and zealous live wires like Dr. A. Govindarajan, Dr. M. R. S. Ramakrishnan and Dr. A. Kalaikkovan with ardent support from Dr. C. P. Gupta, Dr.Agarwal, Dr. E. T. Selvam, Dr. G. Natchaiar, Dr. Tony Fernandez, Dr. K. Moorthy, Dr. N. Sundaram, Dr. P. Namperumalsamy and Dr. S. Badrinath whose active interest contributed much to enhance the quality of the deliberations of the scientific sessions of the conference. The journal of the MSOA was started in 1963 with three issues in a year with Dr. T. V. Renganathan and later Dr. R. Kalaikkovan as Editors. The uninterrupted publication of the journal and its enviable quality can be attributed to the dedicated editors Dr. P. Nanperumalsamy and Dr. V. Siddharthan. We remember with a feeling of nostalgia a few interesting yet challenging instances, the organizers of the conference faced. These deserve mention and may be of interest to junior colleagues. In the early years, one of the Conferences was held at Courtallam in which Sri Lankan Ophthalmologists were invited. Due to lack of facilities, the delegates were accommodated in a school and in an ashram and the conference was held at an ayurvedic lunatic asylum. Another conference held at Tiruppattur, Ramanathapuram where the delegates were accommodated in the general ward and invited faculty in private wards of the Swedish Mission Hospital and the conference was held in prayer assembly hall. Thanks to munificence of a few Chettinad philanthropists, captivating rural atmosphere, hospitality of Tirupattur town people which incidentally honored the delegates with civic reception and entertainment provided by hospital staff made the conference most enjoyable and pleasant one and the delegates cherished the memory of their participation for a long time. However there were a few hiccups. One of them was the sudden withdrawal of the convener nominated by the General Body expressing his inability to conduct the conference just two months before the date. Thanks to Dr. G. Venkatasamy who volunteered to hold the conference, at Madurai at a short notice. The conference was held on the scheduled date in a successful manner. The uniqueness of MSOA lies not only to the uninterrupted holding of conference for 50 years, but it goes beyond Tamilnadu territory. There was then no ophthalmic association in southern region of India. At the request of a few senior ophthalmologists from Karnataka, the MSOA conference was held at Bangalore in 1964 for which all the ophthalmologists from Karnataka were invited. This unmitigated gesture paved the way for the birth of Karnataka State Ophthalmic Association on the same day and is functioning till today extremely well. Within two years, MSOA conference was held at Calicut, Kerala when the Kerala State Ophthalmic Association was formed. Similarly the MSOA conference was held as a joint conference of Madras, Karnataka, Kereala and Andra as Southern Regional Conference at Hyderabad in 1971 in which delegates from all the four States and Pondicherry State participated. The MSOA can be proud of the fact that it was the mother and sponsoring association for ophthalmic fraternity in South India. The vision, innovations and enthusiasm of the new generation to carry the mantle to greater heights, prompts the senior members feel with fond hope that our vibrant association will bring more laurals and make it a model and one of the best state association in India. However, the original aim of the association to hold the annual conference at every district in Tamilnadu by rotation is becoming more and more practically impossible, because of the large number of the members and more than half the districts in Tamilnadu do not have facilities like accommodation and conference halls to hold conferences. Serious thoughts have to be given to the proposal of our Past President Dr. G. Natchiar that TNOA may consider holding one - day Mini conference or C.M.E. Programmers in those places. The managing committee of TNOA will undertake to conduct the scientific sessions and local organizing committee will take the responsibility for arranging the venue, accommodation and hospitality. Let thousand flowers blossom and thousand thoughts emerge, if they are good, it augurs well for the future of our Tamilnadu Ophthalmic Association. Our association's concept and contributions to ophthalmology will continue to be relevant and will stand the test of time. Its legacy will live and members who are benefited by it will pass its philosophy of excellence to successive generations. They have promises to keep and miles to go. "To the God by whose infinite grace we grow, we are ever prayerfully His".
