ANDOVER, MA–On July 27, 2025, Vision-Aid marked its 21st anniversary with a landmark Broadway-style dance drama, “Shakuntala – The Legend of the Lost Ring”, drawing a full house of over 1,000 supporters, sponsors, volunteers, and performers to the Collins Center for the Performing Arts in Andover, MA.
At the heart of the production was Kalaimamani Madurai R. Muralidaran, who directed, choreographed, and composed original music for the show—performed by the Budapest Orchestra, assembled especially for this event. His daughter, Kavya Muralidharan, offered ongoing coaching, ensuring a seamless integration of local performers with professionals.
Vision-Aid’s Founding Artistic Director, Jeyanthi Ghatraju, and Artistic Director, Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy, led the New England troupe, supported by senior mentors Roopa Modha, Shilpa Narayanan, Priyanka Joshi, Chitanya Gopu, and Shruthi Lakshmi. Together, they guided more than 60 dancers and actors to deliver a memorable, polished performance.
Inspiring Messages and a Philanthropic Spark
Chief guests Manorama Choudhury and Bhaskar Panigrahi delivered powerful keynote messages emphasizing social impact. They also announced their support for the newly inaugurated Manorama Choudhury Nayan Jyoti Vision-Aid Center for Cerebral Visual Impairment in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in partnership with the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute.
Later in the evening, an anonymous donor couple energized the audience by pledging a dollar-for-dollar match for donations to Vision-Aid’s SATHI Initiative (Smart Assistive Technology for Holistic Inclusion) through August 4 at www.VisionAid.org.
Sponsors & The Volunteer Backbone
With the help of 200+ generous sponsors, Vision-Aid is poised to serve over 80,000 individuals with visual impairment in 75+ locations across India in the coming year.
The event’s success was powered by over 125 dedicated volunteers and dancers, who flawlessly managed reception desks, guest check-ins, refreshments, wardrobe changes, and backstage coordination.
2025 Youth Ambassador Awards & Special Recognition
This year’s Youth Ambassador Awards honored:
Jeyanthi Ghatraju, Roopa Modha, Aditi Wadhwa, Kavya Krishnan, Shilpa Narayanan, Aarna Mahadevan, Tanmayee Patil, Prateeksha Nidasesi, and Ashvitha Eyalarasan for their outstanding service.
Sarayu Gadam, a Bharatanatyam student of Jeyanthi Ghatraju, received the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award – Gold for her exceptional advocacy for the visually impaired.
Production Team & Backstage Crew
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Kolam Media Creations and Meyyappan Meyyappan created all brochures and print materials.
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Vaidehi Natarajan Moorthy authored the English supertitles and story synopsis.
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Vijay Moorthy, Subi Moorthy, Rajan Narayanan, and Kalpana Balachundhar expertly managed backstage logistics.
Photography was provided by Krish Velmurugan (KrispFotos), Rukmini Gowda, Sanjay Kudrimoti, Vasudha Kudrimoti, and Shlok Kudrimoti of Fotu Duniya. Nara Narayanan led the videography team.
Cast & Props Team
The vibrant cast included over 70 performers, among them: Aanya Challuri, Aarni Mahadevan, Aditi Wadhwa, Akshadha Ghantasala, Akshaya Anand, Akshaya Mavalur, Akshita Koganti… (full cast list preserved on VisionAid.org and event brochure).
Props coordination was led by: Rajani Rondla Reddy, Ramya Patil, Preetika Guntireddygari, Saritha Tummalapalli, Pallavi Guddeti, and many others.
Culinary & Media Partners
Gourmet India and Tashan, led by Vishal and Yogi Sood, provided delectable refreshments.
Media coverage was supported by India New England News, Lokvani, IACNE, and IAL.
The Unsung Heroes: Volunteer Corps
A strong team of community volunteers ensured smooth execution across all fronts, including: Syed Ali Rizvi, Andrew Russo, Anurag Wakhlu, Aparna Raghuram, Deeba Husain, Hiral Desai Wakhlu, Itesh Shah, Krishna Pathak… (full list maintained in internal records and brochures).
Organizational Leadership
Board of Directors
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Lalit Sudan, President
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Ramakrishna (Ram) Raju, Founder & Executive Director
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Revathy Ramakrishna, Co-founder & Vice President
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Sudhir Varma, Treasurer
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Ujwala Phene, Assistant Treasurer
With: Syed Ali Rizvi, Dr. Sanjay Kudrimoti, Dr. Ramkumar Ramamirtham, Dr. Aparna Raghuram, and others.
Board of Advisors
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Chaired by Puran Dang, Vice-Chair Veena Handa
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Members include: Dr. Sanjay Arora, Dr. Deeba Husain, Dr. Yogeshwar Dayal, Vijay Narang, and others.
Council of Ambassadors
Jeyanthi Ghatraju, Sarika Gopalakrishnan, Sandhya Subramaniam, Revathi Pillai, and Dr. Monika Manocha Wadhwa.
Vision-Aid extends heartfelt thanks to every performer, volunteer, donor, and supporter who brought “Shakuntala – The Legend of the Lost Ring” to life.
For more information on Vision-Aid’s mission and ways to support, visit www.VisionAid.org.
