Life & Style | Health
Microbe management
I have always wanted to help the common man. It's a principle inculcated in us by our father. I figured early in life that the best way I could pursue my dream was in the medical field.
- By Feby Imthias, freelance writer
- Published: 00:20 September 5, 2008
Haroon Bin Hamza, microbiologist, founder and president of Indian Microbiologists Forum, UAE
Medicine and its noted cousins, microbiology and biotechnology, are truly the noblest of life sustaining sciences. As a child, I was a keen observer.
I loved to study all sorts of creatures. However watching organisms under the microscope was accidental. It was an entire new way of looking at things.
Born in the UAE
I was born at Abu Dhabi Corniche hospital. My ties with the UAE are very strong. My father, Hamza Haji, a noted writer and social worker in Kerala, was a royal guard in Abu Dhabi Defence in the early '80s.
My intense interest in medicine and related research fields is perhaps inherited. We have many doctors and medical specialists in the family, including my two brothers; Hubaib is training to be a doctor and Abdul Kalam, a pharmacist.
It's biology
I was drawn to microbiology because there weren't any reputed specialists in this field in India, and I felt I could bring about change in that regard. There are no facets of human life untouched by microbiology. You can find the adroit hands of trained microbiologists in food, dairy, medical, chemical, agricultural, environmental, biotechnological and other industries.
Here in the UAE, the infrastructure is highly sophisticated and we have state-of-the art machines, which are very expensive.
Laboratory work
After I completed my postgraduate
in microbiology, I formed the Kerala Association of General Microbiologists. The Indian IT sector has achieved revolutionary success.
I believe other segments should be promoted too.
General microbiology caters to so many different fields. Microbiologists need to be absorbed into the public and private sectors. The educational curriculum needs to be revamped in such a way that the coming generation will be exposed to the immense possibilities of such natural science descendants in both professional and research-oriented fields.
I am still the president of Kerala Association of General Microbiologists. Here, I realised that there wasn't such an organisation and it prompted me to form the Indian Microbiologists Forum (IMF). Our main aim is to coordinate with Indian microbiologists working
in the UAE. This forum creates a common platform for communication and the organisation of Continuous Medical Education seminars to keep ourselves abreast of the latest in research and development. We also aim to help new job seekers. In time, we intend to link worldwide microbiologist associations.
I put in a lot of effort towards the formation of IMF. And I hope that this forum will address the needs of microbiologists in a collective manner.
My dream for the field of microbiology is that it becomes one
of the foremost fields within 10 years.
Fatherly advice
My father is my hero. I guess it must be that way for many who truly look up to their fathers. He is a writer, activist, scholar and, in my eyes, he is everything. In my formative years, he encouraged me to read. He would gently coax me to get all my doubts clarified via reading instead of providing offhand answers. I must admit, he passed on his love of books.
My father is a freelance writer and has a regional language novel to his credit. He also has several top-notch articles in various dailies. He writes under the nom de plume of A.H. Trithala (Abu Haroon Trithala).
Recently he was awarded the M. Govindhan Memorial Award for an article that detailed the loss of ethical values in today's media.
Do your bit
Sometimes, as the common man, we often wonder what we can do to make a difference. I would say we can all make a difference in small ways.
Sometimes all we need to do is remember basics. Stop littering. Be considerate in using natural resources like water, cooking gas and car fuel. Always keep yourself and your surroundings clean. Ensure that you leave the public places clean and hygienic when using community utilities like water coolers or public toilets.
Plant a tree whenever possible, wherever possible. Reinvent your balconies as small terrace gardens. Be aware of communicable diseases that spread through exposed food, unsafe water and unclean hands.
Small as they seem, these go a long way when we practise them.
Friends in high places
I will never forget the day I met the current chief minister of Kerala, V. S. Achuthanandan. It was last June. He was very encouraging and highly knowledgeable. We discussed the outbreak of various types of fevers
in Kerala, its prevention, the role of microbiology in diagnosis... He
was very eager to discuss modern technology in the fields of agriculture, medicine and food industries.
This meeting played an important
role in the progress of my association. He still lends a helping hand when needed.
I am lucky to have many people in my life who have been extremely encouraging and pivotal in my professional growth.
I have never felt bound by lack of circumstances to further my research.
In the future I wish to be a better scientist and complete further research in my subject. I would love to be a role model for all who take up this line of science.
I always remember Dr Chithra Valsan, professor of microbiology, Amala Institute of Medical Science, Kerala, with fond regards. She had an excellent flair to provide her students and associates with the latest updates on the subject.
Our managing director, Pradeep Kumar, of New Romana Water Purification Company, Abu Dhabi is very helpful and provides me with all chemicals and icrobiological reagents for my research. He also ensures that chemical and microbiological laboratory equipment is fully automated and functional.
My uncle, A. Samad Ponnery, is a scientist working in the research department of pharmacology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey.
Sometimes I think that if my children were to follow my footsteps, I would be a good guide, friend and philosopher.
Looking forward
My line of work requires patience, tremendous level-headedness in
the face of long procedures, and precision. My aim is to provide better service through my subject
and this requires acquiring as much knowledge as possible.
Never stop learning. And never narrow your mind to day-to-day belittlements for great minds discuss ideas, medium minds discuss events and little minds discuss people.
For more info, e-mail haroon_mn@yahoo.co.in
As told to Feby Imthias, a
freelance writer based in Abu Dhabi
caption
"My job requires patience, tremendous level-headedness in the face of long procedures, and precision," says Haroon.
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