Studying seaweeds? Islanders' scepticism turns into applause after woman from Lakshadweep gets PhD

KOCHI: Shabeena M from the Union Territory of Lakshadweep had fought against the odds to become the first woman from there to earn a PhD in marine biology. Despite losing her father, the sole breadwinner of her family, at a very young age, she faced discouragement from elders in the community. She had finished her studies, except the PhD, on the islands. This mother of a six-year-old girl had to shuttle between the islands and Kochi, sometimes with her daughter, to pursue her passion.

It was her mother and uncle who took care of her after her father’s death. She had completed all her studies, except the PhD, on the islands, while the mother of a six-year-old girl had to shuttle between the islands and Kochi, sometimes with her daughter, to pursue her passion. She stayed for a couple of months in Kochi whenever she visited.

Shabeena had taken up aquaculture for graduation because her college in Androth offered only two courses, and it was one of them. The islanders were not aware of what the subject offered and its possibilities then, and it was only after she got a job in the sector that they realised its scope.

“After completing my degree, I took post-graduation in aquaculture and microbiolo gy. I was part of the first batch of students to take up a PG course locally in Lakshadweep. There were only four students in that batch,” she said.

After teaching fisheries at a school there for a year, Shabeena joined the science and technology department in Kavaratti as a technician in the marine sector. It was at the department that she met marine scientist Idrees Babu KK, who suggested the PhD programme to her. She joined for PhD in Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) in 2016, with S Sureshkumar as her guide.

Shabeena defended her thesis on ‘Zonation Pattern, Composition, and Diversity of Macroalgal Communities in the Lakshadweep Archipelago’ on November 5.

‘Research showed depletion in samples’

Shabeena’s research involved collecting samples of seaweeds and seagrass from 12 islands, two of them uninhabited, of the archipelago. “I collected the samples directly from lagoons and intertidal areas, while I got help in collecting samples from the depths from a team that is part of a project in Kavaratti for marine biodiversity documentation,” she said.

Shabeena said her research showed depletion in samples. “Of around 180 documented algal species, only 96 could be collected. I could also collect seven undocumented species,” she said, adding that she was preparing a paper on economically important seaweeds now.

Shabeena received a warm welcome back home when she returned after earning her PhD.
The administration also felicitated her.