Tears of Joy: How Indian nurse braved sea storm to save primitive Jarawas from Covid
Jarawas who have minimal contact with outsiders were considered particularly vulnerable to the disease as the tribe has little medical help available to it at the best of times
By Kaniza Garari Published on 13 May 2023 4:12 AM GMT
Port Blair: When the Covid pandemic raged, Shanti Teresa Lakra, who worked as a nurse at the GB Pant Hospital braved cyclonic tides to travel by dinghy to Tirur island to vaccinate the primitive Jarawa tribe to save them from the deadly infection.
Two years back, while traveling through the choppy seas, Shanti, who was leading a small medical team dinghy was caught in a storm in the Andaman Sea. The team thought that they would not be able to make it.
"The sea was extraordinarily rough and we thought we are all going to drown. But God willed it otherwise and we managed to reach and vaccinate the Jarawas successfully. We also managed to explain to them the precautionary measures they have to take during the pandemic," said Shanti.
Jarawas who have minimal contact with outsiders were considered particularly vulnerable to the disease as the tribe has little medical help available to it at the best of times.
In 2011, Shanti was awarded the Padma Shri for her outstanding service to the tribal community of Andaman and Nicobar.
Given her work, she was shortlisted for the prestigious Global Nursing Award 2023.
Worked with primitive tribes
Over the years, Shanti's dedicated service to the primitive tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has paid off as she was shortlisted for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023, which honors nursing staff worldwide.
She came into the limelight in 2004, when after a devastating Tsunami, she went out to work among the Onge tribals to bring them relief and succor after the death and destruction wrought by nature.
Global Nursing Award
On May 3, she received a call from the management of Aster Guardians Global Nursing to tell her that she had been shortlisted as one of the top ten finalists for the prestigious award. "After the call, I could not hold back my tears. I was excited," she said.
"The award ceremony is in London at Queen Elizabeth Hall and I am very excited to see who (among ten) will get the first prize. I am thankful to my parents, my husband, my son, and my elder sister for supporting me all these years," she said.
Working among the primitive and nomadic tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Island has been a passion for her.
Selected from 52,000 entries
She was selected from among 52,000 entries sent by 202 countries, including 13,156 from India. The first prize carries a reward of more than Rs 2 crore.
In 2011, Shanti was awarded the Padma Shri for her outstanding service to the tribal community of Andaman and Nicobar. Over the years, she gained the trust of the shy tribal people, overcame the language barrier, and worked relentlessly for the welfare of vulnerable tribal groups.
"If I win this award then I would like to dedicate the rest of my life to the welfare of these tribal people who call me 'Yumma' (motherly figure) in their language," she said.
UK nurse wins the award
On International Nurses Day, Margaret Helen Shepherd from the UK was declared the winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023. An impressive ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London.
Winning $250,000 at an award ceremony held in London on International Nurses Day, Margaret was chosen from over 52,000 registrations from nurses hailing from 202 countries.
