She was more a social activist than a nun

Jisha Surya
First Published : 11 Mar 2010

The Bajaj M80 moped, the companion of Sister Annie Punnose for many years, was there at the corner of the St Roch’s Convent. It was on this moped that the Sister used to go out of the convent walls, fight for the poor, visit their houses and lead them to the mainstream.
 When Sr Annie Punnose, 72, died at 3 a.m. on Wednesday after a prolonged illness, it was not only the moped that had been orphaned. Hundreds of men and women who live at Shangumugham and Valiyathura also lost their trusted friend and guide.
 Sr Annie was more a social activist than a nun. Her activities were not confined to the walls of the convent. Even though Sr Annie became the superior of the St Roch’s convent in 1978, she became active in the social arena in the 1980s with the advent of the Literacy Mission. The anti-liquor campaign led by the sister had a great impact at the grass-root level.
 “Sr Annie’s work went beyond religion and politics. She organised a forum, ‘Cherureshmi’, at Valiyathura in 1982. It was meant to empower women and children irrespective of their religion. She had worked with organisations like Sasthra Sahitya Parishat, Sakhi and Streevedi, among others,’’ said Sr Selin, who had been an associate of Sr Annie since 1996.
 Sr Annie might be the first woman to use a moped in the city. Way back in 1976, she bought a moped and drove around the city and outskirts. People were so curious to see a woman, that too a nun, riding a moped.
 “Sister, who was a polio victim and had a difficulty in walking, used the moped to reach places in time. She learned driving during a mission in Congo. Even after she was diagnosed with cancer, she used to take a pain killer pill and go out on the moped,’’ Sr Selin said.
 In 2000, Sr Annie formed the Srothus Trust for various social activities for the poor. Later, Srothus gathered support from people of various walks of life. They were so active in giving free education to students, vocational training to women, English coaching to the local people etc.
 “Sr Annie was a woman of self-respect. She also wanted other women to be so. She wanted them to be independent. Actually, her thoughts inspired the Sasthra Sahitya Parishat to develop its programmes for women,’’ said Renjith, a member of the Srothus Trust, who was at the convent to pay his last respects to the Sister.
 “She always demanded new ideas from us. I have never seen a nun like her. She was so active and inspiring. Anticipating the protests of  conservatives, she formed Trusts outside the nunnery. Nothing could limit her within the walls of the convent,’’ he added.
 Sr Annie brilliantly used media as a tool in her fight against corruption.
 In 1997, when the sister was upset with corruption over the appointment of teachers in a government-aided school, she took up the issue with the media. Finally, the then Secretary of the General Education Department Lida Jacob intervened and solved the issue.
 “Cancer had gripped her by the time she was diagnosed with it in 2007. But she was so active and her strong will power guided her until she became totally bedridden six months ago,’’ Sr Selin said.
 While on bed, she scribbled some messages for her friends as a way to kill time. Those messages were promptly displayed near the hall at the St Roch’s School, where her body was laid for people to pay homage. On Thursday, Sister’s body will be buried at the cemetery of St Antony’s Church, Thoppu.
 As she promised in one of her writings in the final days, Sister Annie will “continue to send Divine blessings to all here’.
jisha@expressbuzz.com