The Hindu : Karnataka News : A celebrity who loved animals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 31, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

A celebrity who loved animals

By Our Staff Reporter

Nafisa Joseph — Photo: Bijoy Ghosh

BANGALORE, JULY 30. Former Miss India and MTV VJ Nafisa Joseph's untimely death in Mumbai has shocked many in Bangalore who had interacted with her.

Many here will remember her as a celebrity who loved animals.

The animal rights campaign in the country had lost a valued crusader, animal rights activists in the city said about Nafisa Joseph, who was reported to have committed suicide in her apartment in Mumbai on Thursday.

"She was a very warm, sensitive and caring person, who was really concerned about cruelty to animals. She had a deep knowledge about issues concerning animal rights, including the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. Being an ambassador for the promotion of better treatment of animals, she campaigned for us regularly," Poornima, managing trustee of the Bangalore-based Animal Rights Fund, told The Hindu.

"Her death has created a big void in the crusade for animal welfare," she added.

Balanced person

Dilip Bafna, an animal rights activist with the organisation, said Nafisa Joseph had participated in a charity show organised by it to raise funds for their cause in Bangalore only last month. "She was a very balanced person and her death has come as a shock to us," he said.

Sharath Babu of People For Animals said Nafisa Joseph had helped the organisation in its campaign. "We had only one phone line in 1999. She got us another phone connection with her money," he said.

Pashmina Naoroji, Bangalore-based model and a friend of Nafisa Joseph, said: "I have known her since she was in the fourth standard. We were neighbours and also very good friends. She was always very happy, bubbly and no doubt a very beautiful woman. I met her last year before leaving for Dubai, but we had always kept in touch."

Best model

Known as Bangalore's "fashion guru," Prasad Bidapa was among those who groomed Nafisa Joseph to become a top model and closely followed her career graph. "I feel very bad. She is the last person I would have thought would take this extreme step. She was a strong person but one moment of weakness seems to have driven her to this. She was very bright, talented and one of the best models that I can remember,'' he said.

`We will miss her'

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has condoled the death of Nafisa Joseph. "She will missed by everyone at PETA," the organisation representatives said in a press release.

Nafisa Joseph's mother was staying with her in Mumbai. Her father who is into retail trade here has rushed to Mumbai.

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