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PANAJI
The body of noted Marathi and Hindi theater personality Vasant Josalkar has, as per his wishes, been donated to the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) for study and research on Thursday. Initially given to the Forensic Department, the body will be handed over to the Anatomy Department today for academic purposes, once all the required documents are obtained. Josalkar suffered a heart attack and passed away on Thursday morning at 10:00 am. He was 72 years old.
Born in Varkhand village in Pernem, Josalkar was drawn to theater by way of the traditional Sangeet Natak, taking part in performances in his village together with his father and brother. Later, he attended the National School of Drama, New Delhi, obtaining a diploma in stagecraft in 1976. He joined the NSD Repertory Company the following year and worked there up to 1986, acting in various successful productions. In 1987, Josalkar moved back to Goa to work at Kala Academy, and served the Academy as Director up to 2000.
He has been an independent actor since that time. He is remembered for his role in Shirwadkar’s Natsamrat (1986) directed by Kirti Jain and presented by Sambhav in Delhi, and Athol Fugard’s A Place with the Pigs (1993) in English, directed by Gyanesh Moghe in Goa. As director of Kala Academy, Josalkar directed and designed a number of productions including Mohan Rakesh’s Ashad ka ek Din (1993) and Aadhe Adhure (1997), Chintamani Khanolkar’s Ek Shoonya Bajirao (1995), and Vijay Tendulkar’s Kamla (2007), besides dramatic renderings of several short stories.
How to donate your body to GMC
PANAJI: Those interested in donating their body to GMC for research upon death like Josalkar did, have to make sure they have some documents ready.
Firstly an affidavit needs to be prepared, the format for which is available at the office of the forensic or anatomy department at the GMC and this also has to be drawn up in the will of the person (separate from your assets will), stating that you are donating your body out of free will.
Following this an attested true copy of this has to be submitted with the dean of GMC who will forward it to the anatomy department. (A copy of this ‘will’, be marked to Forensic Department, as the Forensic Department gets the body immediately after death.)
A medical certificate stating cause of death has to be obtained by family of deceased as the body can only be donated if the person died from natural causes.
