Events Oraganised by Tej Kohli Foundation

Events Organised

Gurgaon Carnival Gurgaon Carnival On September 3, 2011, the streets of Gurgaon echoed with the loud roar of “Netradaan Mahadaan” as thousands of people including schoolchildren flocked to attend the millennium city's first ever carnival – The Gurgaon Carnival 2011.

Gurgaon Carnival Coverage | Carnival Images | Carnival Videos

Walk-a-Thon Walk-a-Thon On February 27, 2011, thousands of Gurgaon residents, including college students, senior citizens and  a large team of CRPF and BSF jawans sacrificed their Sunday morning sleep and opened their eyes to the startling prevalence of corneal blindness in India, thanks to the Walk-A-Thon co-organized by the Tej Kohli Foundation, Niramaya Eye Bank and the Run for Vision Foundation in Gurgaon.

Organized to spread awareness about eye donation and the eradication of blindness, the  fun-filled event saw the presence of around 1500 people. Its premiere guest, Mr. S S Deswal, Police Commissioner, Gurgaon and Dr T.N Ahooja, President, Niramaya, flagged off the 5 km ‘Walk-A-Thon’. Both of them walked the complete stretch and Mr. Deswal himself pledged eye donation while urging everyone to do the same.

The Tej Kohli Foundation, a philanthropic organization established by Costa Rica-based and Delhi-born entrepreneur Tej Kohli, organized the event as part of its "Eye Donation and Corneal Transplant Mission". Currently, the foundation covers the full cost of all eye surgeries being performed by the Niramaya Eye Bank in this region. Rajiv Pradhan, Foundation Head, India expressed immense joy and satisfaction at achieving the 100 beneficiaries milestone this February and also announced that more awareness events were being organized in the near future.

He said the organization is working on, among other things, popularizing eye donations so that vision could be restored to as many blind people as possible. The foundation launched this ambitious corneal transplant program in June of last year, in partnership with the Niramaya Trust.

"Our aim is to reach out far and wide and promote the good cause of eye donation, a gift which can transform the lives of blind people that face hardships and challenges everyday. The gift of vision can change the life and world of a blind man," said Mr. Pradhan.

A major attraction after the event was a live performance by Azadi, a Faridabad based music band led by Amit. They played several popular numbers including a song composed exclusively for eye donation.

Dr Hitendra Ahooja, Medical Director, Niramaya expressed hope that the number of eye donationd in Gurgaon would exceed to 1000 per annum in the coming years. Thirty two eye donations have already taken place in first two months of this year.

Mid Day Meal and Health Check up Camp at Agamya on Feb 18, 2011

As many as 125 children being taken care of by a non-governmental organization in Delhi's Vasant Kunj area for destitute and under-privileged children, had a rare treat last Friday when doctors and volunteers of the Tej Kohli Foundation organized a camp for them at which they were given medical check-ups and treated to food, fun and games. This NGO is also home to 75 abandoned senior citizens as well some homeless and deprived women, who also benefited from the camp. The event was organized at Agamya, and supported by the Earth Saviours Foundation.

The Tej Kohli Foundation, a philanthropic organization set up by Costa Rica-based and Delhi-born entrepreneur Tej Kohli, organized the event as part of its "Food for Brood Program". Among other initiative, the Foundation also runs a successful corneal transplant program with the help of the Niramaya Eye Bank Trust in Gurgaon.

A team of doctors from the Ahooja Eye and Dental Clinic in Gurgaon, which is associated with Tej Kohli Foundation, conducted an eye and dental health camp at this event and for the residents of the old age home. Dr Hitendra Ahooja, a renowned ophthalmologist, led the team.

The doctors tested the eyes of all the children and prescribed and gifted glasses for those who needed them. Cases that required more treatment were referred to the hospital. All the attending children underwent check-ups for dental health, as well.

Volunteers of the foundation also helped organize games and other fun events such as frog race, lemon and spoon race, jumps and musical events, creating a rare atmosphere of joy and excitement at the camp.

Mr Rajiv Pradhan, Foundation Head in India of the Tej Kohli Foundation said the organization was working on popularizing eye donations so that vision could be restored to as many blind people as possible.

The foundation launched its ambitious corneal transplant program in June last year in partnership with the Niramaya Trust.

The cost of the corneal transplant surgery is borne entirely by the Tej Kohli Foundation. The program has already assisted more than 100 patients from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to undergo corneal transplants.

"Our aim is to reach out far and wide and promote the good cause of eye donation, a gift which can transform the lives of blind people that face hardships and challenges everyday. The gift of vision can change the life and world of a blind man," said Mr. Pradhan.

Mr Pradhan said the Foundation hoped to extend the program to more areas in the country gradually.

“We need to fill the eye banks with more corneas. Compared to the number of deaths in India every day, the number of eye donations is very low. We need to approach the issue holistically and take the cause up on a larger and broader platform at the national level," Mr Pradhan said.

Pointing out the media had a big role to play in popularizing the idea of eye donations, Mr Pradhan said the Tej Kohli Foundation planned to organize more such events, involving all sections of society, including celebrities.

The Tej Kohli Foundation decided to work with the Earth Saviours Foundation in view of the inspiring work being carried out by it.

Starting with just five children, Agamya today has 125 regular students who get basic education up to class five level, free of cost. The Foundation also has rehabilitation program for the parents of these students and some of them are now doing semi-skilled jobs in the city.

With the help of 15 full-time employees and volunteers from India and abroad as well as interns from well-known colleges from Delhi and Gurgaon, Earth Saviours also works in several other areas including anti-noise campaigns and environment.

After the connection with the Tej Kohli Foundation, Mr Kalra is more upbeat, having been assured of assistance for meeting the medical needs of the children and residents of the old-age home.

The sports events at the function were followed by an award ceremony and a sumptuous lunch hosted by the Tej Kohli Foundation.

Dr Ahooja also promised to provide all possible assistance for the children of Agamya.

"We are planning to do more such health check-up camps, maybe once or twice a month," Mr Pradhan said. "We are also looking at ways of collaborating with the Earth Saviours Foundation on a long-term basis."

Mr Kalra said that the idea for "Agamya" came after volunteers of the NGO found large numbers of homeless and abandoned children without shelter.

"Mostly barefoot, they were either looking for food in stinking garbage or begging on the streets of Delhi in harsh climatic conditions with temperatures soaring above 46 degrees Celsius", he said.

He added that these children, totally unprotected, were often victims of molestation and became involved in criminal activities, getting arrested, and ending up in juvenile prisons.

"It was painful to see that these children were not getting even a single meal a day. Their only means of survival was left-over food thrown out by food vendors," Mr Kalra said.

Mr Tej Kohli, the founder of the Tej Kohli Foundation, is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an exceedingly successful entrepreneur with multiple interests around the globe including Costa Rica, India, the United Kingdom, the UAE and other parts of the Persian Gulf, as well as North and South America.

In 2010, the Foundation extended its activities to India, starting with the corneal transplant program that is aimed at bringing light into the lives of thousands of blind people.

"Apart from the corneal transplant program, the Tej Kohli Foundation will focus its attention on five other key areas in India: Education for under-privileged children, nutrition for impoverished children, vocational training for people with disabilities, and rural health care and empowerment for women," Mr Pradhan added. "Apart from the corneal transplant programme, the Tej Kohli Foundation will focus its attention on five other key areas in India: Education for under-privileged children, Nutrition for poor children, Vocational training for people with disabilities, Rural health and Empowerment of women," Mr Pradhan added.

More Events

Rewari Visit (7-Jan-2011) : NGOs and Social workers visited village Rewari to meet Vijay Pal who got his vision back via The Tej Kohli Foundation corneal mission.Read More >>


Interview with Doctors (6-Feb-2011) : An Interview with the Dr. Hitendra Ahooja to shed light on the startling problem of blindness in India and initiatives of the Corneal Transplant mission Watch the video here.

FundaKohli (14-Dec-2010) : Tej Kohli and his family, will celebrate its Tenth Annivversary in Costa Rica Dec. 14 with a gala Christmas party for "the poorest of the poor." in Los Guido in Desamparados. Watch the Images here.