By Thomas Scaria
Mangaluru, April 17, 2023: Catholics in Mangaluru are mourning the tragic death of a young entrepreneur of the community who died in an accident in Thailand.
Oshin Pereira died April 11 in a scuba diving accident while on holidaying in Thailand.
The 26-year-old who debuted in baking industry, has been managing the Mangalore Baking Company for the past few years.
“It is a huge loss for our community as she was an inspiration for many budding youngsters from the Catholic community,” Father Faustine Lobo, a Mangalorean priest and a spokesperson of the Catholic Church in Karnataka, told Matters India April 16.
Pereira had won the prestigious Rachana Award in the “inspire category” and she was a very promising young girl, observed the priest who expressed his condolence with the family members.
Oshin was the daughter of Olivia Pereira and the late Oscar Martin Pereira and sister of Osborne Pereira. Her family owned the popular Pereira hotel in Mangaluru.
Oshin had reportedly gone to Thailand to spend her summer vacation and met with the accident.
Her body was brought to Mangaluru and the funeral took place at St Vincent Ferrer Church, Valencia, at 2:15 pm on April 17, followed by Mass at 3:30 pm, according to the family sources.
Alwyn D’Sa, the registrar of the St. Aloysius College, told Matters India that Oshin was an exceptionally talented girl who did most of her education in the Jesuit Institutions. She did her pre University course at St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, and her degree at St. Joseph’s college, Bengaluru.
“After her degree, she did her culinary course on baking in Paris and returned to her home town to start the Mangalore Baking Company, which became famous in no time,” he added.
Receiving the Rachana Award last year, Oshin said her ambition was “to be the best in whatever I do and apply my heart and soul in it”.
“We have lost an inspiring youth, one of very few in the catholic community who took to business,” Father Lobo said.