New Delhi/Kochi: On the day of Raksha Bandhan every year, Samundar Singh, a resident of Udaya Nagar village in Madhya Pradesh, travels 200 km to Maria Bhavan convent in the state capital, Bhopal, to meet a nun named Sister Selmi, who then ties a ‘rakhi’ around his wrist. Selmi would then offer sweets and some small gifts to Samundar. This practice was repeated on Monday as well when the ceremony was observed this year.
However, what makes the event in Bhopal unique is that Selmi ties the ‘rakhi’ – which is a sister’s gesture to her brother seeking protection – on a man convicted for the murder of her elder sister Rani Maria, who also was a nun.
Sister Rani Maria was the second child of Paily and Eliswa, who belong to Vattalil in Pulluvazhi, near Perumbavoor. She was killed at the age of 41 in Madhya Pradesh while serving among the tribal people and farmers in Indore. Sister Rani Maria’s murderer was Samundar, who took her life when she was travelling in a bus near Udaya Nagar on February 25, 1995.
Samundar was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life. But while serving the sentence, Samundar felt remorse over his crime and during this time, Sister Selmi met him in jail on August 21, 2002, to tie the ‘rakhi’ for the first time.
On February 24, 2003, Sister Rani Maria’s mother Eliswa and brother Stephen visited Samundar in prison. In a moving gesture, Eliswa kissed the hand of Samundar, which had taken the life of her daughter. Sister Rani Maria’s family also officially informed the authorities that they had pardoned Samundar and he was released from prison on August 22, 2006.
Sumundar reached Kerala on January 20, 2007, and sought forgiveness from Rani Maria’s elderly parents, who welcomed him like their own son. Since the Raksha Bandhan day in 2008, Samundar has been visiting the convent in Bhopal every year to receive the ‘rakhi’.
Samundar, a farmer, is a bachelor. Sister Selmi, the youngest among Sister Rani Maria’s six siblings, was studying in Class 3 when the latter adopted a holy life and was inspired to become a nun by her elder sister’s work in Madhya Pradesh.