Every year on May 12, International Nurses Day is observed around the world marking the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. The day recognizes the contributions that nurses make to society.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. Each year, ICN prepares and distributes the International Nurses’ Day Kit that contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere.
Amid the ongoing pandemic, nurses have been no less than life-givers to millions of people.
As a tribute to the fraternity, we are here to tell the story of a humble nurse named Shanti Teresa Lakra who saved an entire tribe of Andaman and Nicobar Islands when it was hit by the tsunami.
Who is Shanti Teresa Lakra?
Shanti Teresa Lakra is an Indian medical nurse and healthcare professional, known for her services to the Onge tribe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the aftermath of the Tsunami of 2004.
Catholic Health Association of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (CHAANI) awarded Lakra, in 2010, as the Best Nurse of the Year. The same year, Lakra received the Florence Nightingale Award that was given to her by Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari and after meeting her during the Award function, he was so impressed with her that he nominated her for the Padma Shri.
“Let the story of Shanti Teresa Lakra be an inspiration for our nursing profession to work for the humanity and to aspire for such awards”, wrote K. K. Aggarwal, an Indian cardiologist, and Padma Shri award winner.
Later, the Government of India honored Lakra in 2011, with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri for her incredible service.
Working as a nurse in Andamans
Shanti Teresa Lakra was born in a small hamlet called Rangat in the Middle Andamans, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 1, 1972. She is married to Shaji Varghese who runs a small business unit. The couple has a son.
After completing her studies in Nursing, she started her career in 2001, as an Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife at the Directorate of Health Services under Andaman and Nicobar Administration. Her initial posting was at the Public Health Centre at Dugong Creek, the land of the people of Onge tribe. They are indigenous Andamanese people with red eyes, dark black skin, and curly black hair. The Onge, belonging to an ethnic stock referred to as ‘Negrito’, spoke a primitive language that Lakra did not understand back then. She would trek through a dense forest and cross two rivers to reach the settlement.
“They were unlike any other people I had met, but I was not shocked by them. They are very shy people. It took me time to learn their language. But now, if I am told to spend the whole of this life with them, I would happily do so,” said Lakra in an interview.
There were just 78 people in Onge tribe when Lakra started working with them Onge. They all suffered from chronic skin diseases, and Ongee men frequently suffered from respiratory tract infections picked up from chewing tobacco. Also, most women died in childbirth, as did a very large number of newborns.
To add more challenges, the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 swallowed the Ongee island habitat and drove them deep into the jungles, where they survived on frogs, wild pigs, and other small animals. Despite that, Lakra made her home with them living in an open tent, but the harshness of her conditions took a heavy toll on her and her family. Her son was born while she was in the Andamans, and by then a year old could not cope.
“I could not feed him the rice that I would fill my own stomach with. He had become totally malnourished. So my in-laws came and took him away. He now stays with them. He is very happy. He calls my mother-in-law ‘mamma’,” the nurse shared.
Lakra’s greatest strength was her husband Shaji Varghese, who is a businessman.
“He stood by me, he always motivated me to reach out to the Onge, come what may,” told Lakra.
Leaving her son was very saddening but she would pacify herself whenever she could save a life like she was able to save an Ongee baby born early with alarmingly low birth weight.
“I asked for help from the health authorities. The baby was airlifted to hospital, and is fine today,” she said.
To her surprise and the tribe’s good fortune, within 4-5 years, the Ongee population rose to 100. Yet in December 2008, eight male tribal members died after drinking a toxic liquid and 15 were rushed to the hospital. They had apparently mistaken for drinking alcohol from a container that had washed ashore at Dugong Creek near their settlement on the island.
“They are harmless people. I stayed with them for so many years, not even once did they try to harm me. One of them had a mental problem, I fed him with my hands, but I never felt he would do something bad to me. We must not allow them to get extinct,” Lakra urged.
She is now posted at the hospital but the people try and meet her.
“I feel that they miss me,” the nurse said.