Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sister Callista

When I read about Jade Goody and her untimely death I travelled back in time to the year 2006, when I visited Kolkata for the first time.

My deepest condolences to Ms. Goody’s family and i pray that her soul rests in peace minus the paparazzi.

During my visits and stay at the Missionaries of Charity, i had met Sister Callista, a nun who was working there from a long time. The missionary resembled a school- a place for freedom, a place for learning, a place for discovering inner self and also the divine perhaps through every brick

My meeting with her was more of by chance as I wanted to donate some US Dollars and due to the restrictions in foreign currency in India, i was asked to validate my address. When I did prove that I live in Dubai, sister Callista spoke for the first time about Dubai.

Her sister was working in a leading local newspaper as a photo journalist and had even received an award from His Highness for her features during the Dubai Shopping Festival.

She passed away in 2004 due to cervical cancer. Her last wish for Sister Callista was to make her see Dubai.

I was informed that they get one month leave after every 12 years ( yes shocking but it is true) and Sister Callista’s next holiday was due in 2007.

I promised her that I will ensure I get her a visitor’s visa to Dubai and also make her see Dubai. She also wanted to get copies of her sister’s last feature on an earth quake in India – in Gujarat. I managed to lay my hands on them and forwarded it to her thanks to the publishers and also some considerate friends.

Using my work contacts i also managed to speak with the Shopping Festival officials and was assured that should there be any issues concerning her visit visa she will be treated as a state guest. Their generosity did touch me..

She visited us during August 2007, thanks to my media friend who helped me get a company visa and I took her around Dubai and also made her meet her sister’s work colleagues and her supervisor.

She got me a photo frame of Mother Theresa which I have it as a memoir in my home. It does help me stay grounded and be able to extend my help by every means that I can.

3 comments:

  1. nobility of thoughts and heart coupled with quick action of righteousness is a rarity...proud to be your friend:)

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  2. You truely did a wonderful thing Vemuri. Im sure her soul is at peace now that she has seen how her sister lived and that her sister must have been happy with her life and work in Dubai.

    Being a Roman Catholic, I can tell you that the sisters / nuns surrender their lives to God as such they take vows of obedience, humility and prayer which explains the one month vacation in 12 years. We have a cloistered order of nuns / sisters who take a vow of silence and isolation. Their responsibility is to prayer. They do not leave the four walls of their home, grow their own vegetables and dig their own graves. They meet their family maybe once a year and they meet behind a barrier as they cannot step into our world and we cannot step into theirs.

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  3. Dear Vemuri,
    Sr. Callisita's sister actually did not have cervical cancer; she died of pulmonary hypertension. Could you correct that please. Thanks

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