She was given a nice, heart-warming send-off today. It is very rare in government to see people in positions of authority to be so easily accessible , well-respected and loved. From the minor-grades , the ancillary staff, to the students and teachers- new and seniors- they all gathered to wish her a happy retirement. She deserves it.
After some intense gruelling studies at the Delhi School of Economics, she made her way in the teaching profession trying her best to throw some light on the dismal science to the undergrads. She was fortunate to be trained and taken under the wings of some of the stalwarts of the sector-the late Mrs Hazareesing, Mrs Balgobin and Mrs Bala Soopramanien …she was thus imbued with the level of professionalism that was needed for the next step in her career.
After some exceptional years of teaching, at the Mauritius , Maurice Curé, Queen Elizabeth and Droopnath Ramphul colleges, she moved to administration. She did not have much time to learn some of the tricks of the trade before she landed on the battlefield as deputy rector in a highly demanding boys star school. The rector there was then justified in thinking aloud “ Qui sa ti madam zot envoyé dan enn lekol garćon” .
But the flip side of this small lady ,looking somewhat fragile, steeled with the inner conviction of the true obsessive and a talent of her own , earned her the credibility to leave her footprints in the very sector where the very soul of our nation is at stake.
She brought honor to public service and she touched a chord that sends us the message that authority is not derived from hierarchy but from competent leadership that guides and leads like the charismatic scion of a family with remarkable humility, respect for others and with, if not hubristic, prescience. She worked selflessly for the nation and today we bid her farewell thanking her for those moments and challenges of life that we shared together and which she ensured that it was worth it . She taught us to give our 100%.
