Honouring a great Goan scientist
 

Varied personalities, in their own humble way, have contributed much to the welfare of the society. Despite their contributions in various fields, their works often go unnoticed and very few among those rare personalities are honoured.The installation of a statue cast in bronze in Bandra, Mumbai is the tribute India is paying to the great Goan scientist, Dr Norman Francis Lewis.

Dr Norman Lewis, the grandson of Dr Daniel Lewis of Parra, reigned academically supreme at St Stanislaus, Bandra, where he did his schooling. After his B Sc (Tech), he joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 1962.

The central government deputed him to Oregon State University (USA), for his Masters. His path-breaking thesis, discovering ‘Micrococcus Radiophilus’ the most radiation-resistant bacillus known to man, earned him his doctorate.

A pioneer of the food irradiation programme which was instrumental in saving the country millions of dollars worth of foodgrains, Dr Lewis was also part of the team which developed the vaccine against the dreaded Salmonella. At BARC, he headed several departments like microbiology, food technology and enzyme engineering.

At the invitation of United Nations bodies like the FAO, IAEA and the UNO itself, Dr Lewis represented India at several international conferences and symposia from 1974 at Seattle, Munich, Manila, Tokyo, California, Las Vegas, Denver, San Diego. His achievements earned him a place in prestigious publications like ‘Who’s Who in the World’ (1982), ‘Who’s Who’ Indian Personages (1984), ‘Who’s Who in the Commonwealth,’ ‘International Book of Honour,’ ‘Men of Achievement,’ ‘Dictionary of International Biographies’ and ‘Profiles of Eminent Goans.’

Dr Norman Lewis was tipped for the nobel prize for his discovery of the vaccine against cholera, when the untimely death in 1985 of this great servant, robbed the country of this rare honour.

His wife, Ms Pramila nee Fernandes from Betalbatim, who studied at Carmel College in Goa, helped build and sustain the very active Betalbatim Cricket Club which hosted ranking cricket tournaments in Betalbatim.

She teaches at Mumbai’s Sacred Heart High School, Santa Cruz, and despite being traumatised with widowhood very soon after marriage, has done a remarkable job in carrying forward her husband’s vision of academic excellence with their daughter, Rosanne pursuing her post-graduate degree in Statistics at Bombay University and their son, Newton seeking a degree in Computer Engineering at the University of Arkansas. She also works with the Lewis Family Trust.

In recognition of the services of this celebrated son of India, BMC had in 1994 named the road in front of the Lewis family residence in Santa Cruz as Dr Norman F Lewis Chowk.

Eleven years later, and in his 20th death anniversary year, a grateful country is honouring him with a statue at the Norman Francis Lewis Grounds, a sports haven for the public that the Lewis Family Trust maintains in Bandra.

 

(courtesy: www.navhindtimes.com)

 

- Forwarded by www.goa-world.com



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