A merited fellowship

Dr Thrity D. Patel of Nagpur has written to inform Parsiana that the Delhi based University Grants Commission has conferred on her an Emeritus Fellowship in the subject of Law. Her proposal for research work, which has been accepted, will have to be completed within two years. This fellowship, she explains, is awarded only after retirement in order to garner further contribution in law or any other field through research work.

Professor and former head, department of law and former dean of the faculty of law, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), Patel is the first teacher from RTMNU to receive this honor. Earlier, she had received the Maharashtra Government’s Best Teacher Award in 2004. As chairperson of the Center for Education of Human Rights, Research and Advocacy (CEHRRA), Patel has been guide to 12 research scholars who received their PhD degree under her care. She has taught many students and mentored several scholars doing research work during her 30 years as teacher in law.

Dr Thrity Patel: teacher and guide

When she first met Patel in connection with her admission to the LLM course, former student Deepti Khubalkar admits, "I felt I had encountered a martinet.” But she soon became aware of Patel’s "honesty, integrity and devotion to her work… with compassion in her heart for others.” In an article posted on the website of the Vidarbha Lady Lawyers’ Association, Nagpur, Khubalkar refers to Patel as "a living legend” and describes her as "a role model for women, a distinguished jurist, a social activist, a stubborn administrator, a perfectionist, a good leader, an ideal daughter, a lovable teacher and guide, and above all a wonderful human being.”

Daughter of the late Khorshid and Dinshaw, Patel is the sister of late Justice Hoshang D. Patel of the Bombay High Court.