The healing experienced by Priyanka Gandhi after meeting Nalini is only one of many such heartrending true stories. A little over 15 years ago, Rani Maria, a Catholic nun, was murdered in broad daylight while travelling on a bus in Madhya Pradesh. The law took its own course and found Samunder Singh guilty of Maria’s murder, sentencing him for life. Sister Selmi, Rani Maria’s real sister, also a nun, was pained to see her sister’s murderer suffer in jail. She contacted Singh at the Indore jail and tried to assure him that she and her family had forgiven him. She told him that she was convinced that her sister Rani Maria too, if alive, would have liked to offer him Jesus’ forgiveness.

That left Singh stunned. Selmi’s words were unbelievable. By then, he had already realised his blunder of committing that horrific crime. His peace had been completely shattered, until that moment when he heard the words of forgiveness from the victim’s sister. “But how can I believe that you have really forgiven me?” inquired Singh, sobbing. Sister Selmi realised that she needed a symbol expressing forgiveness, something with which Singh could emotionally identify. Clutching a rakhi, she gently took hold of Singh’s wrist as he emerged from behind the huge jail doors. Singh’s strong arms that had stabbed Rani Maria many times trembled as Selmi tied the rakhi.

Her new brother had nothing to offer her, except his tears. “Am I dreaming or is this for real? I never asked her to forgive me. What is happening?” were some of the questions that raced in his mind faster than the tears that rolled down his cheeks. Even before Sister Selmi tied the rakhi, her mother Elizabeth had made peace with Singh. “I would like to kiss Samunder Singh’s two hands. After all, they carry in them the bloodstains of my daughter,” she said. A few days later, on her visit to Indore from Kerala, away from cameras and journalists, jail authorities witnessed a scene similar to what went on between Priyanka and Nalini, in another prison.