By BIS Correspondent for BIS Mumbai

Monday, August 18, 2025, seemed like a regular day of school. However, it is the day which the entire family of St. Joseph’s High School, Wadala, will never forget!

Mrs. Leoba Selvaraj, the mother of three sons and a daughter, came to pick up her sons, Anthony Selvaraj from Std II A and Augustin Selvaraj from Std IV A, aged 7 and 9, at 2.30 p.m. The daughter Selina Selvaraj from Auxilium Convent, aged 12, had joined them after school. The youngest son, Sagayam Selvaraj, aged 5, from Sr. K.G. was asleep at home.

As Mrs. Leoba crossed the road and walked down the road with her son Anthony, the driver of an air-conditioned BEST bus no.174, swerved fast at the signal, losing control of the brakes, to get onto the road near the Don Bosco Shelter bus stop. Being saddled with the bad weather conditions, they decided to walk further. The bus crashed into Mrs. Leoba and Anthony with full force, while they were walking a little ahead of the bus stop, leaving them lifeless. Selina and Augustin who were walking closeby, witnessed this gruesome accident with their own eyes, feeling helpless, crying out in pain and disbelief! Their mother and younger brother lay motionless on the road. Anthony died on the spot, was taken to KEM hospital for the post mortem and Mrs Leoba was rushed to Sion hospital immediately, but every effort to revive her was in vain. The eldest child, Selina and her brother Augustin burst into tears, as they didn’t understand why they passed away so soon. They were not ready to say their last goodbyes.

The precious happy moment of being together, was stolen in an instant, and replaced with sadness, within seconds, leaving Augustin and Selina broken and inconsolable. Mrs Leoba, was a doting mother, and spent every ounce of energy she had, to provide everything she could, for her children, to make them happy. She loved them till her last breath. In this heart wrenching silence, how does one pick up the pieces of a broken heart and carry on living?

To console and condole with the bereaved members of the Selvaraj family, on Thursday, August 21, a prayer service was conducted in the school hall, to pay our last respects to the departed souls, Mrs Leoba and Anthony. The Members of the Management, especially the Rector and Manager, Fr James Nigrel, the Principal, Fr Solomon Rapol, the Headteacher of the Primary Section, Tr Smitha Lewis, the Pre-Primary Coordinator, Tr Sadira Cardozo, the students of the Primary Section, and the staff members from the Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary sections assembled in the school hall at 12.30 p.m. We offered our heartfelt condolences to Mr Selvaraj, Selina, Augustin, Sagayam and Mr Arokiaswamy, who assists the family, in their hour of need. The Bible verse from the book of Wisdom brought solace, the English hymns gave comfort and the Marathi hymns sung by Fr Nigrel, Fr Rapol and Sir Atul brought hope to heal our brokenness. The prayers of the faithful invoked God’s blessings on all the family members, giving thanks and praise, for the gift of life given to Mrs Leoba and Anthony. May the souls of our departed parent, Mrs Leoba and son Anthony rest in peace. You lived your life with grace, and blessed us with unforgettable memories!