ASU - Message From the Editor and Secretary

Dear ASU Colleagues, Warm Greetings to all.
Hope you are all staying healthy in adverse times arising due to COVID pandemic. As you all understand that Covid situation has led to postponement of all physical conferences this year. Our Annual Conference to be held in Hyderabad this year could not happen and we plan for Virtual Conference from 4-6 December. As Hon Secretary of ASU I would have finished my term in July. Incoming Secretary Dr Chengalvarayan is taking all the lead initiative of conducting prestigious program under aegis of ASU, 8th ASU-Prof HS Bhat Mid term Workshop. As outgoing Secretary, pending task of making Scientific program for virtual Annual Conference is almost over.
I am pleased to place before you this newsletter. This newsletter has Highlights of our Virtual Conference of Association of Southern Urologists and List of Applicants for different posts of ASU Council. My November newsletter will have Full Program of ASU Conference(V).
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Diwali, Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
Yours in service of the Association,
Dr Arun Kumar Chawla
Outgoing Secretary, Association of Southern Urologists
Department of Urology,
Kasturba Hospital
Madav Nagar
Manipal-576104
Udupi District, Karnataka
asusecretariat@gmail.com
Mobile:+91 9008002440
Message From President Elect
Dear friends, Greetings to all!
Its a tribute to the undying spirit of humankind that we are enduring what may be considered an intriguing period of anguish, especially for men of science. There have been countless tales of personal loss and hardships of unimaginable proportions and for the surviving rest, its been a test of living through ‘a vacant time’.
I am glad that many of you, especially the young brigade have returned to some degree of routine work, yet my heart goes out to the PGs in training who have suffered because of the dip in surgical work and had to make countless adjustments and sacrifices because of Covid duties. Uro-education in the virtual mode is now freely available in the air, all one has to do, is take a perceptible breath. Academic bodies and associations globally are going through the throes of difficult decision making, ASU is no exception. Earlier this year in January, I was In Hyderabad with a member of the local organising committee to inspect and evaluate the proposed venue for our Annual meeting. In the following few weeks there was a complete upheaval of ‘life’ as we knew it and all of us were rushing for the reset button.Its unfortunate that our Annual physical meeting, an event that we took for granted is postponed. My sympathies with the new set of office bearers whose innings are yet to start and truncated by 6 months. We as surgeons have the fortitude to handle bad outcomes and surely this will pass too. I must thank Dr Nitin our President for offering me the office sometime back, another precedent which we in this pioneering zone can be proud of, and is worth emulating by our fraternity.
The executive council has rightly decided to go ahead with the virtual Annual meeting in the first week of December 2020 and I thank our hosts in Hyderabad for supporting us. I must thank Dr Arun Chawla the outgoing Secretary who has been tireless in his efforts and Dr. Chengalvarayan for working in tandem. Stay safe and healthy, lets enjoy the the spirit of virtual camaraderie in December.
Dr M Ganesh Kamath
Incoming President 2020-2021, ASU