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| SISTER SABEENA IN SASARAM PARISH COMPOUND |
I sit here on this November afternonn, trying to make sense of the news that Sister Sabeena is no more. She died in a tragic accident in Sasaram, where she had spent many years with the poor and the disadvantaged women. Sister Sabeena was the director of the state run Mahila Samakhya programme in Bihar till 2009. She has the unique distinction of being a catholic nun, heading a government run women's programme.
I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Sister Sabeena for several years, sometimes helping out with the annual reports of the Mahila Samakhya, at other times as a resource person for MS programmes. We were planning a documentation exercise for the village level workers of the Nav Jeevan Community Centre in Rohtas (where she was serving as director) after Christmas. And now this news of her sudden death.
Her love for the Dalits and the poorest of the poor was well known and documented through several anecdotes that the women and workers of the Mahila Samakhya programme repeat at the mention of her name. All this afternoon, I have been receiving calls from several of her former colleagues, many of whom were stunned and shocked at the news, that she is no more.
Her loss will be felt and she will be mourned, not only by us, but by several thousand women and their families throughout the length and breadth of Bihar.
10 comments:
Indeed a shocking news Frank... when did this happen? May her soul rest in peace...
You are great man to know such a kind person
Even after her death Sister Sabeena would continue to educate and inspire poor and disadvantaged women including girlchildren to organise themselves , educate themselves and empower themselves to seek and get their due place in society and governance.She had been doing the same thing , and doing it quite successfully during her life time. The best and noblest part of her personality was her lack of ill will for any one in the society.
Keshav Prasad
Sr, Sabeena was my didi and my friend. May God bless her with the fullness of life, and console her family, friends, the people she served, and all the Sisters of Notre Dame.
Her work lives on. KGBV is an adaptation of MSK done so successfully by Mahila Samkhya ( Sujita, Sabeena and their team). When I see Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in action anywhere in India, my thoughts go out to the pioneering work of MS in Bihar.
It is great to have known Sabeena. The meek shall inherit the earth. She has laid her claim for heaven..
Augustine Veliath, New Delhi Phone 8826680070
A big loss for the people for whom she stood for. May her soul rest in peace.
James Veliath, New Delhi
It was terribly shocking for all of us. She will always be remembered for her pioneering work in Bihar and for her contributions to women empowerment. She has been very much a history!!
Sorry to hear the tragic news. May her soul rest in peace.
apko sabi yaad karte rahenge
Sabeena, my dearest friend, sister and collaborator! How much I miss you! I cherish the many years that you and I spent together with the poorest of the poor in rural Bihar, sharing their struggles and their dreams, their stories and laughter and above all their hope for a better tomorrow. I know in my heart that God called you to Himself because you had fulfilled the divine mission entrusted to you. Yes, you contributed your very best for the empowerment of women and the marginalized and contributed immensely for the transformation of the society. You never counted the cost of your total self-donation. What a noble way to spend one's life! Sabeena, I am so proud of you, even as I weep for you. May the legacy of your passion for justice and integrity, your total commitment to those on the margins of the society, and your ability to be a woman of God, a woman for others, inspire multitudes of women everywhere, especially here in Bihar...Be with us Sabeena and continue to inspire us! Your loving friend, Sr.Sujita, SND
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