The socially engaged Buddhist non-profit organization the Foundation of His Sacred Majesty (FHSM) has extended its latest round of free eye clinics for underprivileged communities in India, with a series of eye camps in Tamil Nadu and Telangana in recent weeks. The FHSM operates multiple programs aimed at assisting and empowering socially marginalized and economically challenged communities across India.
“On 24 August, FHSM conducted an eye screening camp at Beeravelli Village, Nirmal District, Telangana State,” FHSM founder and president Gautama Prabhu told BDG. “A total of 211 individuals were screened, of whom 66 received reading glasses and 21 were provided with prescription spectacles. This marks the sixth eye screening camp conducted by FHSM in Telangana as part of our ongoing health initiative for the financial year 2025–26. Our goal for 2025–26 is to reach at least 3,000 underserved individuals through 26 such camps across Telangana.”
In addition to the six free eye clinics in Telangana, the FHSM has conducted three similar clinics in Tamil Nadu so far this year, the most recent held on 16 August, when 183 individuals were screened, of whom 55 received reading glasses and 15 were provided with prescription glasses. FHSM targets 17 such camps across Tamil Nadu in the financial year 2025–26.
“Since 2013, FHSM has been organizing eye camps in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh, conducting more than 180 camps in these states,” Prabhu explained. “Through these efforts, 4,267 cataract surgeries have been successfully completed and 17,924 people have received free spectacles. Beginning this financial year, we will also be implementing eye camps in new states, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal.”
Headquartered in Chennai, the capital of India’s southern-most state of Tamil Nadu, and active in nine Indian states, the FHSM is founded on and guided by the principles of socially engaged Buddhism, with a focus on helping deprived and marginalized communities. The foundation’s work is based on four broad propositions: social transformation through strengthening grassroots democracy and good governance; and sustainable livelihoods, education, and social empowerment; promoting alternative healthcare systems; and protecting and conserving ecosystems. The FHSM is affiliated with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB).
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our generous donors for their continued trust and support over the past 13 years, which has enabled us to pursue our mission of providing quality eye care to the poor,” Prabhu emphasized. “We are equally grateful to the dedicated medical professionals, compassionate volunteers, kind well-wishers, and our committed staff team who make this work possible.”
In addition to private donors, FHSM’s free eye clinics are supported by the Mumbai-headquartered company All Cargo Logistics, with medical expertise provided in cooperation with medical organizations such as Agarwal Eye Hospital and the L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad.
Named in commemoration of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka (r. c. 268–c. 232 BCE), a key figure in the propagation of Buddhism across Asia, the Foundation of His Sacred Majesty was established in 2007 with a mission to “preserve, promote, and disseminate the principles of liberty, equality, fraternity, and social justice through non-formal education, sustainable livelihood, and conservation of ecology, alternative/preventive medicines, social empowerment, social advocacy, and social development in order for the restoration of the human dignity of the poor and marginalized.” (Facebook)
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