Sister Rani Maria was born in Kerala, South India in 1954. She became a Catholic nun and worked among the poor people in Madhya Pradesh, another state in India. In 1995 she was travelling to work on a bus when she was stabbed to death in a knife attack by a hit man named Samundhar Singh. The murder had been arranged by some landlords who did not like the Sister’s work among the poor people. Various institutes have been named after her and a museum in her honour has been opened at Pulluvazhy in Kerala. Her important work among the poor has been recognized by the Church but that is not why we are telling her story.
THE POWER OF FORGIVE
The most important part of this story relates to her murderer, Samundhar Singh. Soon after the murder, Sr Selma Paul, the younger sister of Sr Rani Maria visited Singh, in his prison cell. Significantly the day that she visited was the feast day for Hindus of “Rakshabandhan” [knot of protection], an annual feast held to consolidate the relationship between brothers and sisters. During the visit Sr Selma tied a decorated thread, a ‘Rakhi’ on Samundhar’s wrist signifying that she regarded him as a brother. He was overwhelmed by this unexpected gesture and apologized to Sr Selma and asked for her forgiveness. Later, on the eighth anniversary of the death of Sr Rani Maria, her mother Eliswa visited the jail and kissed the hands of her daughter’s killer showing that she had forgiven him for her daughter’s death. Singh subsequently repented and confessed his sins and became a Christian. Today he is a changed man helping the poor people and trying to continue Sr Rani Maria’s mission. What led to these changes in him? It was simply the forgiving love of Sr Rani Maria’s family that changed his life. Now Samundhar is treated as one of the family and he regularly visits Sister Rani Maria’s family in Kerala.
