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| Punitabhen |
I WAS taken back when I saw Punitabhen Lalitbhai Makan (49) lying in that bed smiling as I walked through the door at Hospice care in Houghton.
She held my hand tight and all I felt was joy and happiness.
Punitabhen was a teacher at the Shree Bharat Shrada Mandir School (SBSM) since 1996.
She taught me Gujarati in Grade 2 but I often would go to her house as her daughter and I are friends and we use play together.
She always gave me love no matter where I went and always called me ‘my bachu’.
I sat by her bed side talking to her on May 21 and she was so happy hearing me still talk Gujarati.
I was touched as I cried silently with joy to see Punitabhen not even feeling helpless but happy. Excitedly she said to me, I see your name in the newspaper. You have done so well for yourself. I felt so overjoyed speaking to her after long and she had so much faith in God that nothing could throw her off her feet.
I saw her five hours before her last breath on May 29, 2012 at Hospice, lying in that bed so peacefully like nothing was going to hit her.
As I walked out towards my car, I broke down into tears knowing it was my last day to see an amazing mother, teacher, and inspiration back home.
She always put a smile on my face and all her pupils she taught for 14 years.
Punitabhen never gave up on any of her pupils and she would continue motivating them through the worst of moments.
She continued encouraging those who wanted to drop Gujarati as a subject, but through her dedication and love her pupils learnt Gujarati till matric.
She believed that it was okay to forget how to read and write Gujarati but it was more important to speak Gujarati.
Punitabhen was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer at the end of February 2011, therefore she stopped teaching and went to India for chemotherapy.
She had nine chemotherapies in India and returned to South Africa five days before her daughter Preeti’s wedding which took place on January 28, 2012.
Her greatest wish was to get her daughter married.
Her pupils from Madi High School in India went to visit her in hospital over there and years later she remembered each one of them including a kid whose life she changed his life by showering him with unconditional love.
Punitabhen was married for 31 years to Lalitchandra Makan (64) and blessed with three children Sandeep (26), Pritesh (25) and Preeti (23).
Her son-in-law Nishen Gokal was regarded as her son and he took her as his mother.
“She was going to teach me Gujarati but never had the chance,” Gokal said.
He said when I look back at the time I spent with her I realize that she thought me something far more valuable.
According to Gokal, she taught him how to love unconditionally, how to be strong in the face of overwhelming odds and even in her death showed everyone how to place your complete trust in God.
He added that however though we might not understand we should never question His will.
“Today we mourn her loss. But let us not grieve the way she died, or the way she suffered up until her death,” Gokal added.
He believes that people should rather celebrate her life as she was a shining example to all of how you should live, how you should raise your children and above all else believe that there is a higher power which is watching over everyone.
Gokal hopes and prays that everyone who knew his mom will follow her teachings and honour her forever.
She was part of the spiritual group Swadhyay and was the master of ceremonies annually at the Gandhi Satabdi event organised by SBSM and was a presenter on Eastwave radio 92.2fm as a motivational speaker speaking about Hinduism, the languages (Gujarati) and its importance.
September 13, 1962 to May 29, 2012
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