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| Dr.Gomathi Gopinath, Bangalore |
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Dr.Gomathi Gopinath, who has made notable contributions to the study of human brain and is an internationally acclaimed researcher in the field for the past 35 years, has a keen memory about her childhood of bleak resources and a few souls who brightened that scenario. The first is her benefactor Pappaswami, Municipal Chairman of Mavelikkara and landlord in whose land they lived. And the second, her illiterate grandmothers who instilled culture and human values in her.
With foresight Pappaswami used to tell Gomathi to deposit the numerous scholarships she won in at school to finance her higher education. And so it came to pass that after successful completion of Intermediate, she got admission to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
It was in the lab of AIIMS that she met her future husband. Though after graduation, they got married, each went back to their hostel room. Her husband joined Air Force while she pursued her post graduation. After her post graduation, her husband resigned and did his post graduation. Thus it was after 6 years after marriage that they could start family life as husband and wife.
Among those who sacrificed a lot to ‘sponsor’ her studies must include her 2 children who were 5 years and 2 when she went to Germany to pursue research. All such efforts bore fruit as she climbed the ladders of professional success slowly.
Now as visiting scientist at Institute of Neuro Anatomy and Histology, Germany and visiting professor at Russian Academy of Sciences, Cambridge University and University of Minnesota, USA, and as faculty of International Brain Research Organisation and Head of Anatomy at AIIMS, she has come a long way.
And yet whenever she is in Mavelikkara, she finds pleasure in washing clothes on the stone, sweeping the front yard and plucking jackfruits and mangos.
“From childhood, spirituality was a part of me. It was by reciting slokas of Bhagavad Gita that I gained courage to face challenging times”, she says.
Courtesy:
V.R.Jyothish (text),
Russel Shahul (photo), Vanitha
October 15-31, 2005
Contributed by: Administrator
