Report by Michael Rodrigues
Team Mangalorean udupi

Karkala: "My eyes could be of use to the blind.  My body could be of use in some medical college for the students qualifying to be doctors," thought Xavier D'Mello and decided to donate his cadaver (body after his death) to KMC Anatomy section.  It is indeed a noble deed on his part to have decided to put his own body after death to good use, instead of allowing it to assimilate in the dust.

They were not mere words, but he has signed consent papers to this effect and submitted to Dr Antony Sylvan D'Souza, HOD Anatomy department in KMC, Manipal setting an example for others to follow. With this he justifies the adage, "Example is better than precept".

Xavier D'Mello is essentially a social worker in Belman and taluk panchayat member. He has been a member of Belman gram panchayat thrice, founder-member of Lions Club in Belman, CYM  president in the church, church council member, member of Karnataka State Coconut and Coir Industry, president of Kaup MESCOM advisory committee, president of Kaup Kissan Cell, secretary for 11 years of  Youth Congress  in Kaup, founder-president of Alumni Association of St Joseph Aided Higher Primary School in Belman and former president of Belman gram panchayat. All these rolled into one is Xavier D'Mello, aged 52, who is certainly a multi-faceted personality.

Speaking to Mangalorean.com, D’Mello said, "Seeing dead bodies either buried or burnt pained me.  I made it a point that I must not allow my body to go waste. Instead, if I donate my body to prospective doctors who in turn serve lakhs of people, I thought I would help those students for acquiring practical knowledge of the human anatomy so that they could become better doctors.  Moreover, being a representative of the people, I must set myself as a model for others to emulate. So, I decided I must donate myself as a cadaver for this worthy cause for serving humanity".