Star Performer

My dear Sujata,

I’m proud to say that our 100+ child beneficiaries under your care and I are fortunate to have you with us. Today, if I were asked as to whom I would consider the star of Sunbeam amongst the Community Workers cum Child Counselors for the year ’06 – ’07, it goes without saying that it can be none other than you. Sunbeam is not in a position to offer attractive monetary benefits; and yet if all of us are here, it is because of the love that we receive from our children as also the unique opportunity given to us by God to contribute towards their well-being.

Sujata, each time that I see you in the company of children, I’ve witnessed you playing multiple roles – their loving didi, a caring mother, their best friend, a teacher who is keen to build the self-confidence of children weak in studies and the best community worker in Sunbeam. For the rest of our staff members, you are a role model.

I’ve no idea whether I’ll succeed in my attempts at acknowledging your contribution – but nonetheless, let me give it a try.

I’ve experienced you as a self-motivated individual. You’ve put your heart and soul into achieving your Key Focus Areas and have consistently over-shot your targets. Shanta (your supervisor) has shared with me how proud she is to have you as a team member because you carry out your duties not just as a matter of routine but also with a sense of deep responsibility. She doesn’t have to follow up with you or remind you on any given tasks. You’ve also never failed to give timely status reports on the multiple assignments being handled by you.

Till date, I have not found the word ‘impossible’ in your dictionary. To quote an example – whenever we’ve wanted to increase the outreach at the Bandra center, you’ve gone beyond our expectations by not limiting your efforts to Sheetal’s batches alone but extended a helping hand to the other community workers as well. You’ve gone about your work tirelessly and confidently, always with a smile – giving successful results.

As and when a teacher was hesitant to shoulder the responsibility of entire batches of Bridge Course students, you not only took the initiative to spare an hour or two teaching these children along with your challenging role of a community worker but did it consistently for months together. Moreover, you did not allow this extra assignment to come in the way of achieving your targets set for you as a community worker.

When Shreya (name changed), a teacher at the Bandra center, was made to quit Sunbeam last year (because she didn’t treat our children with the dignity they deserved), single-handedly you managed complete retention of nearly a hundred kids till Sheetal (Shreya’s replacement) could settle down in her role. Oftentimes, the children have personally shared with me that they love you utmost because they have been recipients of love and care from you. That is precisely why Sunbeam has had no problems in retaining all those tiny tots from the primary section despite them having to adjust to a new teacher.

Ten year old Ganesh is no more with us – and it is God’s will. But the selfless love that he received from you in the last 6 months never went unnoticed by me. Even though he was in and out of hospital, it was you who made his journey to God a bit easier. Although his physical ailment (leukemia) continued as before, you managed to keep him away from mental anguish. Daily, with your 8 hours plus duty at Sunbeam, somehow you managed to visit him at the hospital every morning and evening. You spent quality time with our child, fulfilling his little wishes, sat reassuring him, making certain that he never experienced loneliness. In short, you filled the gap in his life of the mother he had lost when he was all of 4 years old. I’ve seen you work round the clock consistently because you do not believe in leaving any work unfinished. You’ve also been a big support to Shanta in acquiring space at Bandra to conduct education classes.

I’ve personally experienced that your happiness lies in the well-being of the 112 children under your care. You’ve left no stone unturned as far as the progress of Sunbeam or the overall development of the children is concerned.

God bless you, Sujata. It is a pleasure and a matter of pride for me to work with you. Thank you is a very small word to express my gratitude for all that you do for our children – but let me end this note with heartfelt thanks all the same.

Khurshid didi