Rotary Club member, Samarendra Das whose pioneering leadership has led to the creation of 16 eye hospitals and clinics in India, has been awarded the prestigious Beacon Prize for Leadership 2007.

Samar is one of just 13 recipients of the Beacon Prize this year, all of whom were chosen for their exceptional philanthropic contribution through the giving of their time, money and skills in order to benefit specific charitable causes. He has joined the ranks of previous Beacon winners such as Sir Bob Geldof, Jamie Oliver and environmentalist, Zac Goldsmith who have all been recognised for their charitable work through what has become known as the 'Nobel Prize of the charity world', first coined by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Samar started his ophthalmic trust fund in 1992 and collected funds from private patients who had been treated free of charge. Through his tireless enthusiasm, he motivated local Rotary Club members in India to create the hospitals and clinics, which provide some 91,000 patients a year who would otherwise be unable to afford treatment.

By persuading the Rotary Foundation and Rotary Clubs and individuals in Europe, the USA and Canada to join together in raising funds through the Rotary Foundation Matching Grant mechanism, Samar has managed to raise over £250,000 for the provision of eye care in Kolkata.

Beacon's Chairman Martyn Lewis said: : "We are delighted to honour Samar with a Beacon Prize. His achievement is extraordinary, with tens of thousands being able to see who otherwise would have been blind."

Commenting on Samar's extraordinary achievement, Shekha Mehta of Rotary International, Kolkata, said, "It is only once in a while that a person comes across enthusiasm, dedication, sincerity and service personified. Dr. Samar Das is definitely one such person ...today, District 3290 in Kolkata is doing up to 50,000 IOL (intraocular lens implant) cataract surgeries to ensure that these people can once again have vision in their lives and all this was started by the initiative of one person - Dr. Samar Das ".

The Prize Ceremony took place on 22nd November at The Banqueting House, Whitehall, when 13 winners were inaugurated as Beacon Fellows, a community of Beacon Prize winners who together, champion charitable causes across the globe and nurture a wider culture of giving in the UK.

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For further information on the Beacon Prize, winners' biographies and photos of the 2007 award recipients or on The Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust contact Fintan Nicholls on 0207 203 8295 or email fintan.nicholls@beaconfellowship.org.uk