Page 178 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition Jan-Feb 2020

OBITUARY

RAJNIKANT TURAKHIA
IS NO MORE

Senior optometrist Rajnikant Turakhia passed away suddenly on 12 December 2019 of a massive heart attack.
Although 79 he was always active and had resumed work after a brief hospitalisation.

Rajnikant touched many lives as a mentor and a source of inspiration. He will be deeply missed by his family, the
staff of his organisation to whom he was a father figure, his many friends and associates.
The lead-up to his successful career began after he graduated from Jai Hind College in Mumbai, when he pursued
a course in the basics of optometry under the guidance of Dr BK Patel. He returned home to Madras to study at the
Government Ophthalmic Hospital and then joined Turakhia Opticians, which was founded by his uncle in 1940, and
where his father too worked. At the time, Turakhia Opticians was into retail, wholesale and processing of lenses. In
1968 when his uncle moved to Bombay, Rajnikant’s responsibilities grew beyond the clinical practice and retail to
travelling through the south on behalf of the wholesale business. He soon ventured into imports. However, retail was
his real passion; he devoted himself to it and withdrew from the wholesale business.

In 1976, Rajnikant went to the United Kingdom to work in leading hospitals and upgrade his skills. Exposure
to international exhibitions in Milan and Paris prompted him to upgrade his practice in Madras. He was one of the
first to import a high-tech complete testing unit. Opening a large optical showroom in 1985 garnered him a loyal
customer base. In 1994, he set up a state-of-the-art Vision Express Lab in Chennai, along with a few partners, which
was sold to Essilor many years later.

Rajnikant played an active role in the industry including as president of the Indian Optometric Association,
vice president of the Indian Contact Lens Society, and panellist at international optical conventions. He was also
a guest speaker at UNESCO’s international forum for vision development. He was the recipient of several life time
achievement awards from various industry associations.
During his long and illustrious career he had the silent yet strong support of his wife Sarla and his younger brother
Kiran. Rajnikant’s son Snehal Turakhia, who is also a well-known optometrist, is now taking the legacy forward.

The Indian Optician joins the fraternity and his many friends in offering its deepest condolences to his family.
Ever since the fraternity heard the sad news of Rajnikant’s passing, The Indian Optician office has been receiving a
large number of condolence messages from different parts of the country, some of which we append here.

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