When I met Geeta at last year's Hope Lunch she was as spirited, energetic and enthusiastic as when I first met he in Kolkata back in 1994.Back then we worked together supporting street children. What i remember most about Geeta is that she always went above and beyond the what was expected of her, dedicated to doing absolutely everything she could to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children. One of the children in our care was very unsettled and disturbed. We knew of the child's past but knew he needed to come to terms with his past to be able to move on his life. He had an intellectual disability and hearing impairment which made things even more difficult. Geeta arranged to take me and the child to a slum where she had an inclination to where he had been working in a factory. The people denied knowing him and did not want to engage with us. Geeta would not be put off and persisted until finally they admitted knowing him and giving us information as to how he arrived there and how he came to be found so ill living on the streets. It was an enormous help for the child giving him a peace he had not had before.
I know so many people, like me, are devastated to have lost Geeta and we will cherish the memories of a truly amazing woman who touched the lives of everyone she met. I feel privileged to have known her. I send my condolences to her husband and son and to the Hope family who truly appreciated her. May Geeta rest in Peace. Eleanor
