The 'Jesuit gem'
PIONEERING WORK: Papiah Yeddanapalli
THE SERVICE was solemn. The affection intense; the appreciation hearty and the sense of gratitude sincere. It was a flood of fondness for the `Jesuit Gem' late Father Papiah Yeddanapalli. The occasion - a memorial function for Fr. Papiah at St. Patrick's High School, Secunderabad, on the occasion of his first death anniversary. The gathering was mix of spiritual and secular leaders -- most of them old students of Fr. Papaiah and some his friends. The president of the function, Most Rev. Dr. Marampudi Joji, Archbishop of Hyderabad brought to the venue the homage of the archdiocese and of the Christian community. Jesuit superiors and principals of Jesuit colleges were there in family bond. Archbishop Joji offered prayer and said the Church is always at the service of the nation and Fr. Papiah was one of the best persons sent by the Church to help build a strong nation. The other speakers, former Chief Minister of A.P. Nadendla Bhaskera Rao, former Director General of Police Bhaskara Rao and Lok Satta coordinator Jayaprakash Narayan spoke of the service of Fr. Papiah manifested in his pioneering work in education, and in the formation of the youth in various Loyola institutions in the State. They said Fr. Papiah was a genius in making friends and was abridge between the Jesuits and the ordinary people. One who brought the Jesuit mission to the common man. Father Papiah followed the religion of oneness with the people and never allowed himself to be separated from people. Fr. Papiah was born in the wealthy family of Yeddanapallis in Pannur, Tamil Nadu. The uniqueness of the family is that it was spiritually aristocratic. All the sons in the family ie., Fr. Papiah and his two brothers became priests. Their only sister became a nun and served as the principal of Holy Cross College, Trichy. Elder brother Fr. Lourdu M.Yeddanapalli was a globally known scientist and was a contemporary of Einstein at Princeton University, USA. Aldous Huxley was a personal friend of Fr. Lourdu and visited him in Loyola, Madras. Fr. Lurudu did research in plastics along with Oppenheimar who later got the Nobel Prize for the research. A first cousin of Fr. Papiah, Most Rev. Ambrose Yeddanapalli was Bishop of Bellary for many years. Reflecting on Fr. Papiah's life is a way young people can come under the spell of his life and work. There was a national dimension to Fr. Papiah's service in education. Thirty years ago, he founded Xavier Institute of Management and Administration with a concern for our developing country, which would be in need of top executives. Fr. Papiah continues to be the object of people's fondness even after his death. His was indeed a life of immense accomplishment and friendliness with people. Fr. Papiah had the rare privilege of having the President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam as his student at St. Joseph's Trichy and later as an intimate friend. |
The 'Scientific gem'
ANTHAYYA JACOB Bashyam is a U.S. based biomedical engineer, and vice-president, electrical development at Intrapace Inc., California. Intelligent and innovative, Bashyam is currently designing a device to control and curb obesity. The device will be a boon to two-thirds of the overweight adult population in the U.S. in particular, and to millions of obese people all over the world. The `Start Up' Bashyam is working on has brought him to Hyderabad along with Dr. Kathryn Stecco, M.D., vice-president, medical affairs. The two experts have carried out a short-term human clinical study using the new device at the Deccan Medical Centre. His roots Born into a Telugu zamindari family in Pannur, in the then Madras State, Bashyam took his B.E. degree from Guindy Engineering College, Madras. He became the general manager of Hyderabad Electronics Instruments, then a pioneer in the medical devices front. Bashyam then enrolled himself at the University of Texas at Austin for a master's degree in biomedical engineering. Once he graduated, his biomedical saga began. He served at Intermedics, at Siemens Medical, at Diasonics, at Ventri Tex, and at St. Jude Medical. He worked on ultra sound imaging systems, implantable cardiac pacemakers, and defibrillators - all life saving devices. Bashyam also did his master's in business administration from California State University at Hayward where he earned the Academic Excellence Award. Bashyam proudly recalls his role in devising the defibrillator. "The defibrillator," he said "closely monitors the heart's electronic signals, and shocks and revives the heart when it goes into sudden cardiac death or a drastic slow down. Overcoming obesity Bashyam is equally eloquent about the pacemaker he is devising to control and overcome obesity. The device consists of an electrical pacemaker that is delivered endoscopically into the stomach and is anchored to the wall of the stomach to stimulate the wall through the passing of electrical current. The stomach wall then causes early satiety or satisfaction of hunger. The pacemaker slows down digestion besides postponing and reducing hunger. Bashyam further explained that the stomach has a natural pacemaker, which caused stomach constrictions and the churning of food. The implanted gastric pacemaker disrupts the natural pacemaker and sends signals to the brain to fool it to think that satiety has been reached. This reduces the intake of food, which naturally reduces caloric intake. Talking of the innovation Bashyam said, "Presently in the U.S. obesity is corrected by bariatric surgery and lap bands which involve anatomical alternations and mortality risks, whereas the pacemaker does not alter the anatomy. The pacemaker is safe and can be removed anytime." Bashyam is keen on achieving more revolutionary innovations in the biomedical field by way of contributing his bit to relieve human suffering. |
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