Anybody imbued with a sense of mission can do something good for society in whatever ways. Luck or circumstances may play a certain role. But the inner desire to achieve something is a pre-requisite. On the basis of what you do for society and what difference you can make to the lives of others, your contributions are evaluated and appreciated. The announcement of the Ramon Magsaysay award for Peace and International Understanding to a Nepali ophthalmologist is no doubt a matter of prestige for the country, but it is at once a reminder that good work does not go unrecognised, sooner or later. The award, billed as Asia’s Nobel Prize and, like the global award, it is annually conferred on people in several fields. The third Nepali to have won the prize (the two others in journalism and research), Dr Sanduk Ruit, medical director of Tilganga Eye Centre, the Australian-built modern eye hospital, has been singled out for his enterprise in providing affordable lenses to poor people with cataract and hence preventing them from going blind.

What distinguishes this man — hailing from Wolang Chung Gola in Taplejung and obtaining his degree in ophthalmology from the All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in 1984 — from others in the field in Nepal is that his initiative with the Fred Hollows Foundation put the intra-ocular lens used in modern cataract surgery, which otherwise would cost about US$100 per lens, within reach of poor Nepalis — at US$4. And he is also credited with helping simplify the surgical procedure to suit the Nepali conditions. This role in making local manufacture of the lens possible as well as in spreading the benefit over a wide number of people in Nepal, as also in some other disadvantaged countries of the world, that has made a real difference to the lives of many.

The honour is, needless to say, a matter of exhilaration for Dr Ruit, all the more so, as he himself says, because it is the same prize once awarded to Mother Teresa. This international recognition is expected to encourage him further to keep up the good work. Dr Ruit says, “It was an overwhelming experience to see that a small effort could make such a huge impact on the lives of the poor rural people”. This is not an understatement. Indeed, it often so happens that those who take a small step towards doing some good for others do not have an idea of the extent of the ultimate impact these small beginnings would turn out to have. This has happened to Dr Ruit. This should serve as a piece of good advice for all those who would like to do something constructive for their society at the local or national level. A small step taken with a good intention can often prove to be a giant step. The question is one of perseverance.