By Fr Richard Burkhao for BISMumbai

A short film entitled ‘Sister Rani Maria: A Story of Forgiveness’ was screened at Jyoti Mata Church, Jyoti. A good number of children attended the screening.

It was a telefilm based on the life of Sr Rani Maria hailing from Kerala. She was the voice of social justice and social activism, and worked tirelessly in aiding the poor and downtrodden in Madhya Pradesh. Her work among tribal people angered exploitative landlords and moneylenders, and she had faced several threats to life. Determined to continue her fight for the cause of social justice, Sr Maria had to pay a heavy price. She was stabbed to death on 25 February 1995, by Samandar Singh at Nachanbore Hill in Indore. Sr Selmy, the younger sister of Sr Maria, visited the prison, forgave Mr Singh, and tied a rakhi on his wrist.

After the movie, Fr Richard Burkhao had a fruitful and interactive discussion with the children based on the movie. There were positive and interesting reflections by the children.