Whenever I think about how God has led me here, I am amazed and filled with gratitude because He has always been the source of my deepest longings, and the only One who can fulfil them.
When I chose to answer the call to religious life, I experienced a great sense of peace and trust, knowing that God was very much at work in every obstacle that stood in the way of my choice. I can only marvel at all that God has done and is still doing for me.
I grew up in the Catholic village of Khurda, some sixty kilometers south of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. It is situated near a little river and surrounded by small hamlets and wooded hills.
Ours was a united family and my parents and grandmother instilled in me a great love of Jesus and His Church, thus planting the roots of my vocation. I was also inspired by the FSMA Sisters and SVD Fathers, who worked in our area. Their charity captivated my heart and I felt a strong desire to live a life like theirs.
Since my family was not very well-off and I was the older of two daughters, I decided to take up a teaching job, even while I continued to participate actively in the parish and youth group. Day by day, unknowingly, the love of Jesus was growing in me and my faith was becoming stronger.
My admiration for what the religious sisters and priests in our village were doing for the poor and needy was growing deeper, and I wanted so much to be like them. I started desiring something more, something different, which life, as I saw it routinely lived, could not give me. My heart was searching for something different, but I didn’t know what.
Very often I thought of the way of life Jesus lived - He helped people; He understood them without judging; He loved so much. As I grew up I also felt strongly attracted to the Crucifixion. Often I experienced the desire to pray or sit beside the cross.
But life is not always a bed of roses; there are thorns too. I found that my life was not always smooth. As an earning member of my family, I took on many responsibilities and risks to help my family. But whenever I struggled or felt troubled, I always went to the Church to pray.
One evening, I was praying, as usual, but with a heavy heart. I was just gazing at the Crucifix from afar, pouring out my heart to Jesus. Then, I heard a soft voice in my heart, “Why do you cry, dear? Come to me and I will give you rest”.
At that moment, I felt the power of God’s grace touching me, and a new courage to say “YES” to Him and answer His call. This was the beginning of my vocation. I heard the voice in my heart, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you”.
Yes, His love transformed me and is transforming me still.
Today I feel so privileged to be an RSCJ. I thank the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for accepting my call to be a religious. With my RSCJ sisters, I desire to continue the mission of the Lord - transforming and empowering women and children, especially, through education, and by guiding and leading youth.