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Dr.
Ashish Peter Bhelwa, Principal of Hislop College, Nagpur passed away in
the morning on 23rd January 2008 after a brief illness at
Get-well Hospital, Dhantoli in Nagpur.
He was 48 years old and his death came as a blasting shock not
only to his family and the college staff but also to the whole academic
and sports fraternity of Vidarbha and more so to the Church of North
India. Dr.
Bhelwa was deeply rooted in the church and was actively involved in all
its activities. He served
Nagpur Diocesan Council as its Honorary Secretary and was currently a
member of the Executive Committee of the Synod, the highest decision
making body in the hierarchy of Church of North India.
With his death the Church of North India, particularly the
Diocese of Nagpur has lost a promising and dynamic leader who was always
willing and eager to face the challenges of criticism and fundamentalism
for the sake of Christian service to the society and to the nation. Dr.
Bhelwa’s association with Hislop College has been a long and steadfast
one. He graduated from
Hislop College in 1980 and after completing his Master Degrees, Dr
Bhelwa joined the College as a lecturer in the newly opened Department
of Biochemistry in 1985. He
was awarded Doctorate in Biochemistry in 1997 by Nagpur University.
His doctoral thesis centred on herbal therapy in diabetes.
In fact, his thesis shed fresh light on several new herbal drugs
for the disease. He evinced
a keen interest in research and development in his discipline and has
more than twenty publications to his credit.
He was also responsible for the successful placement of a
phenomenally large number of students in various national and
international institutions. Dr.
Bhelwa took over as Principal of Hislop College in 2000.
Under his dynamic leadership, the college made rapid progress
both in academics and sports. He
initiated major expansion plans for the College with the opening of
several new Under Graduate and Post Graduate courses including Masters
of Science in Biotechnology, Botany, Zoology; Masters of Arts in
Psychology and Economics; Master of Commerce, MBA, MCA and many other
vocational courses. Recently
Nagpur University recognized Hislop College as a place of higher
learning leading to doctoral research in Biochemistry, Botany and
Chemistry. These
developments have given Hislop College a unique identity of being the
only College in Central India to offer integrated education from the
Junior College to doctoral research level.
Dr. Bhelwa’s outstanding abilities as an academician were duly
recognized when he was nominated to the University Grant Commission
panel to award autonomy to various colleges.
During his tenure Hislop College was funded for a plethora of
Major and Minor Research Projects by the UGC and DST. He
had excelled as a sportsman during his college days.
He represented Nagpur University in football and cricket.
His love for sports continued unabated throughout his life.
He was currently holding the office of the Vice President of
Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) for a second consecutive term.
As Principal, he gave a tremendous boost to the sports activities
of the college as a result of which the college has achieved a new
University record by winning 25 championships in various games and
sports in a single academic year. The
Nagpur University lauded this achievement by awarding a special trophy
to Hislop College for Excellence in Sports. He
was a rare blend of an efficient administrator and an academician who
had endeared himself to the hearts of one and all.
He was a genuinely warm and loving person.
He started the practice of awarding freeships to the poor and
deserving students pursuing studies in Hislop College.
He will be always remembered for his sincerity and collegiality.
His funeral took place on 24th January 2008 at 11.00AM
in Nagpur. We request the
recipients of this news to uphold the bereaved family in your prayers
and, if willing, to post your message of condolence at the following
address. Mrs. Pragnya Ashish
Bhelwa Dr. Bhelwa is survived by his old parents, wife Pragnya and two daughters Ashrita and Pallavi, two sisters Rachna and Prerna, innumerable friends and Hislopians. We, in the Church of North India, grieve his death and join his bereaved family in mourning the loss. |
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