Dr Armida Fernandez, the daughter of Goa who has been conferred the Padma Shri 2026, speaks to The Goan of her plans of returning to her roots and contributing in her own way in training different skills to the young students in Goa so that they can follow their heart and earn a living through what they like to do
“Goa has been very close to my heart and to my late husband Dr Rui Fernandez, a true-blue Goemkar. Both of us kept coming to Goa every December to celebrate Christmas and attend the weddings in our families and to meet our relatives here. This December, in 2025, 44 members of our family came together to celebrate Christmas, while last year the number was even more, 55. Dr Rui passed away two-and-a-half years ago, but he was here three years ago in December despite being severely ill, requiring dialysis, which I myself did at home,” recalled Dr Armida Fernandez while speaking to The Goan.
This daughter of Goa, who was conferred the Padma Shri 2026 stated that her family is from Divar, and her late husband had expressed his wish that she should do something for the youth of Divar, apart from what she is already doing in the field of medicine.
Long-term plan for Divar youth
“Do something that will improve their education, "he said. So, I want to work with the schools in Divar, with children from the older classes, and teach them to look at education on a skill basis. Depending on their skills they can choose their career. We want to expose them to different skills, technological, AI etc through workshops. So that when they decide (to choose something) we will try and help them to reach whatever they want to do. That is the long-term plan,” she elaborated.
Students fail, become dropouts. “We would focus on how to keep them involved. Sometimes parents have too many expectations that their child must become this or that. Teenagers get frustrated and go into depression and take up all sorts of bad habits. So let us encourage them to do what they like to do – artist, painter, singer – whatever they are interested in. Let us encourage and help them achieve what they can through skills, skill building and other activities,” she stated.
Returning home
Dr Armida comes to Goa almost three or four times a year. “We strongly feel for Goa. Our family is all over the world, but we come every December, we meet at all our functions if there is a wedding… we come and celebrate Christmas in Goa,” she said, adding that her late father Armando Menezes, a professor of English, was a nationalist and fought for the freedom of Goa.
“For many years (10-12) we couldn’t go to Goa because he was blacklisted. My brother Francis joined the freedom movement and came as a Satyagrahi to Goa. Luckily, he survived the firing and came back. My uncle also went out of Goa because he too was fighting for Goa. Our family was always involved in the freedom struggle for Goa. Our heart is in Goa. We were seven siblings, two sisters and five brothers. Unfortunately, now only four left. So, four of us, and everybody’s children, their spouses and children – we all come together to Goa, often,” she said.
Dr Armida’s father was in government service. “He was a professor, then he became vice-principal in a Karnataka College. As a government servant he was transferred. That time Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra were together. He was transferred to Karnataka, that’s why I was born in Dharwad. I did my MBBS there and for my post-graduation I came to Bombay (now Mumbai),” she recalled.
Dr Armida recalls her visit to Goa when she was six, “I came when I was six-year-old, because after that my father was not allowed to come. We were from Divar, we had this huge house but there was no electricity, so I remember all the lamps flickering. As a child those were the images. I also remember all the cousins coming together with my grandmother. We had a lovely time, enjoying – fond memories of Goa. Then from six to sixteen I was studying, at 17 I was in the medical college. At the time when Goa got its freedom, my father and our family could not go to Goa. But after I joined the medical college, I came to Goa.”
Family rooted in Goa
Dr Armida’s late husband was also a Goan and loved Goa. Dr Rui’s father was from Chorao and mother from Raia. “He used to come to Goa regularly. When I was a child, I could not come to Goa, but he used to come every year to Goa. Last two years of his life, he was not well, was on dialysis, at home. But he came to Goa. I used to do dialysis at home. He said, my heart is there (Goa), so he used to come whenever possible. It was three years ago; in December we were here,” recalls Dr Armida.
Her work in Mumbai is not restricted only in the hospitals to bring down mortality of newborn babies, and run human milk banks, but now for 26 years, after she retired, she has been working across the slums of Mumbai on maternal newborn health, childcare, nutrition, violence in families. “We work across all the slums in Mumbai and more recently, after I lost my daughter Romila to cancer 13 years ago, I work for palliative care too. I love what I do and will continue doing that. That keeps me going,” she said.
Youth should follow their heart
Her message to youth is to follow their heart. “Do what you like to do. There may be ups and downs, you may not succeed all the time. Work hard and sooner or later you will see success.” Sharing her own experience of having worked in the government all her life, she feels that if one wants to bring in a change in a big way, one has to work with the government.
“I worked with the BMC (Bombay Municipal Corporation), there are partners, government is our partner, people are our partners, you must work with the communities then only you can succeed. You can’t do it alone; you must do it together. Awards are given to one person, but they belong to all those who worked with that one person. It is because of so many of them that I got the award. The credit goes to all. It’s a tribute to all…” she concluded.
