[Reader-list] Obituary-Dr.Jagat Mohini Thusu

[rashneek kher]

 COURTESY:KP-NETWORK
*Dr. Jagat Mohini Thussu, a true rattan of Rattan Rani hospital and Kashmir*
*by Dr. Navin Atal and Neera Goyal
*
We lost a great soldier of Kashmir valley, a woman who towered like a giant
in the valley for the last seventy years of Kashmir history. The noble lady
left us on the early morning of 14th June 2009 at the age of about eighty
eight years, after bravely battling her ailments for more than a year. She
sought the love of her fellow people till the very end, the fellow Kashmiri
people, whom she once served with all her passion.
Dr. Jagat Mohini, who had her roots in Punjab , did her M.B.B.S from King
Edward Medical College , Lahore . She came to Kashmir in 1945 as a young
bride and a young lady doctor, in a culture different from hers. She settled
down quickly and adopted the Kashmiri culture to become an integral part of
it. Since then she dedicated her entire life to the service of the people of
Kashmir valley. She and her husband, late Dr. Onkar Nath Thussu, a renowned
Pathologist, started the Rattan Rani Hospital at Barbarshah, Srinagar ,
named in memory of Dr. Onkar Nath’s late first wife. It was the very first
hospital of Kashmir based on modern treatment and is now a century old
heritage site. Dr. Jagat Mohini’s battle for upliftment of the society was
fought for the last seventy years or so from Rattan Rani Hospital with her
field of operation being the Kashmir valley.
Dr. Jagat Mohini worked selflessly for people of Kashmir at a time when
there were very few doctors and hardly any specialist. She treated all types
of patients and battled all diseases deftly, but the most important
contribution to the society has been the upliftment of women of Kashmir
valley. She was a champion of fighting issues of women, like discrimination,
violence, dowry, health issues of women etc. She was widely known for her
generosity and charity.
She not only treated them medically, but also put a healing touch to their
socioeconomic ailments also. She became a champion to the cause of women of
the valley. She worked day and night her entire life, sleeping just four
hours in a day, totally dedicated to her profession. She saved, treated and
cured countless patients. As time passed, people looked up to her, as a
mentor, guardian and a saviour. She earned the nickname, “Mummy” from her
staff and all her patients. She was literally a mother to all as she brought
endless many to this world as a gynecologist. She is truly the “Florence
Nightingale” of Kashmir , or the “Mother Teresa” of the valley. The national
newspaper “The Hindustan Times” wrote on its front page an article of her
achievements and it was titled as “the supermom of Kashmir ”. Her work was
also recognized and complimented by many other national papers.
She worked as a social reformer and a philanthropist, doing a lot of charity
work without looking for any reward. She was a social worker who fought all
evils of society and became a source of inspiration to many. She was
instrumental in providing employment to many people, both directly in the
hospital, as well as by opening vocational centres of training in
occupations like stitching, sewing and knitting, including Pashmina shawls
making. A multi-talented women, she used her knowledge of stitching, sewing,
and knitting to open centers to train women from the weaker sections of
society so that they could live a life of dignity. The vocational training
camps and centers started and run by her provided a source of livelihood to
countless women in Kashmir . She was successfully running a Nursing school
which enrolled many students from many parts of the country and again
provided a source of livelihood to women of the state and other parts of the
country.
A bold upright woman, she stood for justice and never wavered inspite of all
odds. Whenever and wherever a person needed help, she was there for them.
She opened a school, “Viswa Bharati” which from a two room set up became a
college, later having a branch in NOIDA near Delhi . She had the foresight
to acquire land for the school at NOIDA and then converted it into a
successful school. She organized and conducted health camps in and around
the city for the benefit of poor and needy people of the state.
She was a brave and fearless soul, who never deserted the people of the
valley in all times. She stood tall and courageously faced both the good and
bad times of the valley. A simple and good human being, she never faltered
to help a fellow Kashmiri.
Dr.Jagat Mohini has given her entire life to Kashmir . Now it is for the
people of Kashmir to see how they can repay a small part of good she has
done to the valley. It is time to repay her debt by carrying on her legacy
for the betterment of the valley.
Mrs. Thussu was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Onkar Nath Thussu, daughter,
Seema Thussu, and brothers Anand Kumar Atal and Dr. Pushkar Rattan Atal,
brother in law Janki Nath Kaul, and nephew Vimal, brother in laws and sister
in laws Hriday Nath and Prabha Thussu, Pushkar Nath and Kamla Thussu,
Kameshwar Nath Thussu, Raj Dulari Thussu, Prithvi Nath Coraji, and
Radhakishen and Uma Raina.
Her survivors include her son Ashok and daughter in law Promila,
granddaughters Vidisha and Nisha and their families, sister Manmohini Kaul,
brother Dr. Chand Kumar Atal and sister in law Saroj, brother Jagdish Ratna
Atal and sister in law Sheila, and sister in laws Rekha Atal and Indira
Atal, brother in laws Rajinder Nath Thussu and Janki Nath Chaku, and sister
in laws Kaushalya Chaku and Lalita Thussu, and the extended families. She is
also survived by the following nephews and nieces, and their families on the
Atal side: Gitanjali, Urvashi, Manjula, Neelima, Neera, Navin, Anuradha,
Ritu, Nidhi, and Subodh and the family of Vimal, and those on Dr. Onkar Nath
Thussu’s side, with extended families: Sheela, Surender, Kuldeep, Priti,
Iqbal, Usha, Kanwar, Kamlesh, Sudhir, Rita, Nancy, Satish, Shami, Bittie,
Girija, Nirmala and Suresh.


-- 
Rashneek Kher
http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com
http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com