Filmmaker relives 1.5-year-long fight with tuberculosis on reel
I was told no one would marry me, and that I won’t be able to conceive. These myths need to be broken.
In January 2008, when filmmaker Rhea Lobo, 30, experienced excruciating pain in her left foot, doctors said it could be either a bacterial infection, cancer or tuberculosis.
In a week’s time, a biopsy sample from her foot was sent to two laboratories- one at the hospital where she was being treated, another, to a private laboratory.
The report from the private lab put her fears to rest. “The report said it was a regular bacterial infection,” said Lobo.
Her doctors put her on antibiotics, but in a few weeks, she remembered about the other report. “I asked the hospital about the second report, and it turned out that they had misplaced it,” she said.
When they finally located her report’s duplicate copy, she found out she had tuberculosis of thebone adiagnosiswhichwas
Soon, there was swelling in her lymph nodes and she had to undergo three surgeries that year. She took TB treatment for over one and a half years to fully recover.
“For four years after the diagnosis, I didn’t talk about it. My immediate family knew and were my strongest support system and saw me through my recovery. But I was told it would be best to hush it up for fear of getting stigmatised,” Lobo said.
Lobo shared her story at the recently-held TB Summit organised by the Union at Dharam awareness about extra-pulmonary TB.
However, her biggest aim, she said, is to alleviate the social stigma that surrounds the disease which infects 2.2 million people in India each year.
“They told me no one would marry me, and that I won’t be able to conceive. The list of rubbish I heard was endless. There are so many myths about TB that need to be broken,” said Lobo, who is now a mother of 2 kids.
In a five-minute film called ‘Fight TB, stay beautiful’ which she directed, Lobo shares her story which resonates the voices
While the current batch of management students at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) prepare for their final examinations, the previous batch is yet to receive its degree certificates.
The premier B-school is unable to hold its annual convocation for 2015-16 batch, as the University of Mumbai (MU) has delayed the printing of the degree certificates. While JBIMS was granted autonomy from MU in 2014, its examinations are still conducted by the varsity.
According to an official from JBIMS, the delay is caused by the fact that the marksheets for autonomous institutes are different from the university's regular certificates, requiring more time for printing "We have been con varsity's examination department. They have provided us with degree certificates for parttime courses, while those for other courses are still being printed," said the official.
The delay has resulted in anxiety among students who need the degree certificates for job application and other purposes. "Many employers, including some in India, don't accept marksheets and demand degree certificates. I want to apply for the permanent residence visa of Canada, but I need a certificate from the university," said a Master of Management (MMS) Studies student.
However, MU insists that the certificates are ready and will be delivered soon. "JBIMS is our own institute. They will get the certificates when they decide a date for convocation," said Deepak Wasave officiating con