|
(Our continuous efforts, to
give you the best - pertaining to the Konkani Community and
Culture, has resulted in yet another column
“Achievers”,
which will be a regular feature and cover those konkanni
people who are outstanding in their respective field and have
shown to the society they are not just ordinary people –
Editor)
WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE – SR. DORRIS
D’SOUZA
Dr. (Sister)
Dorris D’Souza’s charismatic personality is manifold. Born and
brought up in Mangalore, her endeavours have proved that women can
be a major force for environmental change.
“Think of the
last man when you plan for your country,” was the advice of
Mahatma Gandhi, but it has invariably been found that it is not
the last man but a woman struggling to survive, for the sake of
her family, in a harsh environment, burdened with work and
responsibilities but devoid of any power or control. The world’s
environment will never improve unless women can take control of
their environment and become full and equal members of their
communities.
And Sister
Dorris D’Souza is one such woman whose endeavours resulted in the
birth of the Eco Task Force (ETF). Taking the clue from Earth
Summit held at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, she, along with a group of
students of Patna Women’s College took off with a mission on 5th
June 1992. In the force of ETF, Sr. Dorris D’Souza revealed how
women can be a major force for environmental change, particularly
through their important roles as educators and communicators. ETF
has steadily worked to propagate its motto, “Protect Mother Earth”
and has many achievements to its credit.
Exhibition and
workshop on plant and health (co-organised by
Patna
Ayurvedic College) is one of its many achievements. Then a
campaign was launched on 10th February 1995 to save the
Ganga Dolphin under the banner of NEAC (the National Environment
Awareness Campaign, set up under the union ministry of Environment
and Forests). The first “on the sport zoo photography” was one of
its novel idea to promote love for wild animals. The addition of
ECC, ECO communication cell to the ETF with the support of UNICEF
added another feather to its cap.
Besides these,
there are other activities taken up by ETF in the past years. But
the one which needs mention in broader sense is the ECO Task Force
genetic nursery known as “people oriented nature corner.”
Situated in the college campus itself, it not only preserves the
local biodiversity but also makes available different species of
plants to the public at subsidised rates.
Dr. (Sister)
D’Souza’s charismatic personality is manifold. Her life has been
a success story from the time she took up nunnery. 22nd
May, 1966 is a momentous day in her life. She recollects how her
father had been enraged by her decision to become a nun. But she
stood by her decision and since then has never looked back. Being
a resident of Mangalore, she did her schooling and higher studies
from Apostolic Carmel and got her Masters degree from
Mysore University. Her
academic career boasts of three gold medal and a state award
(Karnataka). She took up genetics for further studies and the
nobel laureate Mr. Hargobind Khurana inspired her. Nontheless she
did her Ph.D from St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, in
“Cytogentics studies in leprosy patients before and after
chemotherapy.” Her achievements are impressive enough.
Her
documentation has been considered as the first documentation
accepted by the Leprosy Review Journal, Oxford. Her six research
papers have been published in “mutation research” of Netherlands,
“Human Genetics” of Germany, “International Journal of Leprosy” of
USA and Leprosy Review Journal of Oxford.
She has been a
crusader to the hilt, an element that has been ingrained in her by
her father, a second world war veteran and Merchant Navy officer.
And being a nun has never deterred her from excelling in anything
because she takes life as a challenge. Her achievements so far
has been spectacular but the restlessness does not seem to ebb
away.
There are so
many dream projects to come true, of which nursery is her first
dream come true project. Her other dream projects on the anvil
are – the state of art genetics lab which is the first of its kind
in Bihar- to provide karyatyping of certain syndromes (i. e.
analysis of number and types of chromosomes), to offer genetic
counselling and to help in psychiactric treatment.
The state of the
art environmental centre, at nature corner (genetic nursery)
offers short courses in sustainable technologies like vermiculture
and creates awareness among common masses through paryavaran mela.
In Bihar there
are great many leprosy patients for whom rehabilitation and
corrective therapy needs to be done. But there is no research lab
for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities in human beings
which would eventually lead to genetic counselling. As such she
is very optimistic about her genetic lab. Her dreams abound in
her zest for giving them true shape.
“My research
will be on humans but not in lieu of nature, for human are a part
of nature. I inhale fresh breath of life from my natural
surroundings and any damage done to it makes me contribute a bit
to green this earth around me.” The inspiration she draws from
Jesus Christ makes her belief strong in discipline, determination
and dedication (her three guiding mottos). And also makes her
accept whatever life has in stored for her.
(Courtesy: `Hindustan Times` and Mr.
Henry D`Souza, Dubai)
******* |
