Deena M. Mistri (21 May 1925 27 January 2011) was an

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

from Pakistan.

Early life and education

Mistri was a member of the Parsi or

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

Community. She was born in

Hyderabad, Sindh Hyderabad, also known as Neroonkot, is the capital and largest city of the Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Sindh by population, second-largest city in Sindh, after Karachi, and the List of citie ...

, on 21 May 1925, to Dhunmai & Seth Pestonjee Jamshedji Soparivala. She married Minoo Mistri in 1949 who was an architect. They were married for 57 years. Her husband died in 2006.Educationist Deena Mistri passes Away
''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

''. Published 27 January 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2021. Mistri received her Bachelor of Arts from the D.J. College in Karachi, now known as D.J. Sindh Government Science College. In those days, since Sindh was a part of the Bombay Presidency, the degree was formally awarded by

Bombay University University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. It was est ...

in 1945, and then she received her BEd with Honors in 1958 from the Government Teachers' Training College in Karachi.In Memorium: Remembering Mrs Mistri
''

''. Published 5 February 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2021.

Career

Deena Mistri started teaching English to the secondary classes in 1951. She became the principal of the Bai Virbaijee Soparivala Parsi High School in 1972 and then served in that position for many years the same school that was founded by her great-grandfather Seth Shapurji Hormusji Soparivala in 1859. It was after completing her B.A. degree that she started visiting the B. V. S. Parsi High School and helping students with elocution competitions and started tutoring English to those that needed extra help. She took partial retirement from this school with a warm send-off party in 2004. Then she was employed at two other schools from 2004 to 2011. She once told a major newspaper of Pakistan, "I think I was always a born teacher... I would take the servants' children and teach them the a, b, c". At the time of her death, Mistri was Chairperson of Westminster School and College, Karachi.

Awards

She was awarded the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

– General

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

on 23 March 2002 for her contributions towards providing quality education in Pakistan for over 60 years.Deena Mistri: full of life and vigour
''

''. Published 31 January 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2021. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship from the US in 1962, where she completed her Diploma in Education. In America, she taught at the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

in Ohio and at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

as a visiting professor. She was given Honorary Citizenship to Texas by Governor

Price Daniel Marion Price Daniel Sr. (October 10, 1910August 25, 1988), was an American jurist and politician who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic United States Senate, U.S. Senator and the 38th governor of Texas. He was appointed by Ly ...

in 1962 for teaching at a local high school in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, Texas, and as a visiting professor at the

Death

Mistri died on 27 January 2011 at age 85 as a result of a brain infarction. In 1992, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy and had recovered. She is survived by her two sons. Her funeral was held on 29 January in Karachi, with over 2,000 attending her funeral to pay their last respects.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mistri, Deena M. Recipients of the Pride of Performance Pakistani educators Pakistani women educators 1925 births 2011 deaths Parsi people Pakistani Zoroastrians Academics from Karachi