Sister Santan Nago, superior general of the convent, says, “Life of a nun revolves around three vows- of poverty, chastity and obedience. They also have to promise to give up all worldly desires, a vow to celibacy and be obedient to all superiors. In addition to this they need to always be ready to serve the poor in any part of the country as they may be required to be.”

Explaining about the criteria of becoming a nun, Nago says that apart from giving up worldly pleasures, a nun is also expected to lead a simple and humble life. She should also be ready to commit herself to the cause of god and people and their sufferings

Speaking more about the process she says, “Young girls who come to us with the desire of becoming a nun are taken in and trained for four years. The basic qualification for a girl to join the convent is she should at least be a class 12 graduate. In addition to this any higher qualification is welcome. We even have girls coming in after class 10 saying that they wish to join the convent. After ensuring that their desire to join in is genuine we first send them to any of the colleges, which are run by us, and then they are trained for four years following that. It is only after this that they are inducted as sisters into the convent.”

CH Jyoti, 21, who was recently inducted as a sister says, “I have always wanted to serve people, because during my growing up days I have seen a lot of people suffering due to poverty and bad living conditions. So ever since my childhood I always wanted to work for the betterment of these people. When I conveyed my wishes to my parents they were more than happy to allow me to become a sister. In fact my mother even told me that both she and my father had always hoped that I would join a convent.”

When asked about the drop out rates, Sister Santhan says, “As far as girls leaving the convent is concerned it’s a very rare sight. Most of the girls who come here come with a firm resolve to work as sisters, but yes occasionally we do have girls who are unable to accept this lifestyle or feel the need to start a family and if that is the case then we always give them permission to leave the convent. Even during their training or after that, we give them time to reflect and think whether this is what they want to do. After so much of introspection and thinking, one usually doesnt go wrong in making decisions. That’s why usually the girls never go back once they come here.”

A 22-year-old T Avila, who was recently inducted, says, “I wish to work towards the development of two of the most neglected sections of society one is the women and the second the children. It is only through education and self-empowerment that we can help bring these people up, and that is what I wish to do. As a nun I wish to work both as a teacher and a social worker so that I can help people to come up in life.”