My daughter Lydia found the booklet among her things in the attic. It is a piece written by my father GB about his sister Susannah Gunaseeli Barnes at her passing in 2004. I have typed up the English version below. You can read the Tamil translation (translated by Vinotha Surendar) in the photo gallery at the bottom of the post.

Jesus, my Savior, when the last deep shadows fall;
When in the silence I shall hear Thy call—
In Thine arms reposing, let me breathe my life away,
And awake triumphant in eternal day. (Fanny Crosby)

Sinakka is survived by her children, Mrs. Vijaya Doraiappa, Pastor B.Prabakaran, and Mrs. Nirmala Dayanidhi, eight grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.

At this time of bereavement I recall with much admiration how Nirmala and her two sons Sam and Joe took affectionate care of Sinnakka in their home over the years. On behalf of the family, I would like to thank all those who expressed their condolences to them personally, through letters, and telephonically.

Sinnakka’s last year was hard for her and for those who cared for her since she was confined to her bed. Nirmala considered it her privilege to take care of her bedridden mother single handedly. My sister had a weakness for and wanted non-veg food almost everyday. They never once grumbled about it though it did tell upon their exchequer. Their consolation perhaps was that they have no aversion for non-veg food either, so it was not too much of a bitter pill for them to consume!

Why she was called Sinnakka— She was the fifth child of the Gnanamanickam family of eleven children. After Sinnakka’s demise, the surviving children now are Mrs. Flora Johnson, Gnana Bhaktamitran, and Mrs Suguna Satyanathan. Her nickname ‘Sinnu’ from which the word ‘Sinnakka’ was derived was to differentiate her from our eldest sister, late Mrs. Gunaratnam Rajamanickam, Mrs. Flora Johnson being too young at that time to compete with them. To differentiate between the eldest girls, the younger of them, Gunaseeli was nicknamed Sinnu (smaller). Soon we had shortened ‘Sinnu Akka’ to ‘Sinnakka’.

Education— We all belonged to the pre-independent and Second World War era. About five of Sinnakka’s early childhood years were spent at a distant boarding school—TELC Boarding School in Thanjavur—noted for stringent discipline. This school was in the care of the famous warden, late Miss Samathanam, the sister of Rev. V.G. Asirvatham. She was one of the greatest disciplinarians the TELC has ever produced among women. Not only did Sinnakka as a child survive the discipline of this fiery warden, but also became one of her beloved pupils.

Besides, she completed the school final examination very creditably. In those days this qualification was adequate to enter the Medical College in Vellore to earn the Medical Diploma D.M.&S. Due to financial problems, she could not be sent to Vellore. Instead she was sent for Teachers training and she completed the training in well-known Capron Hall, Madurai.

Singing talent— During one of her public performances in her early twenties, she and her friend Prema sang a duet ‘But yesterday the garden,’ Sinakka singing alto with father at the piano. The audience enjoyed it so much that they shouted for an encore. She, not being used to such applause, almost fainted, and father, knowing her nervousness, could not oblige the crowd.

Wedding— After her teachers training, she worked as a teacher very successfully for many years and her earnings were carefully saved to buy the jewels needed for her marriage. Her salary at the time was Rs 22/- per month, which was the cost of one sovereign of gold in those days. By the time her marriage to Mr. A.G Barnes was fixed, she had sufficient gold ornaments. During the marriage service at Tiruchi, my brothers and I, studying in the 6th standard, sang in the choir with father at the organ. That was the earliest wedding I can recollect in our family even though two marriages had taken place earlier. I especially remember father’s wonderful music during the service.

Sinnakka’s spiritual life— Sinakka’s godliness became evident to me after her marriage. Her spiritual life was strengthened because her husband Mr. A.G. Barnes was a very godly man whose spiritual progress was furthered by his association with the teachings of Dr. Stanley Jones. Many years later, my spiritual regeneration took place in 1971 after which I got in touch with all those who were near and dear to me, sharing my spiritual transformation and persuading them to leave the churches that held only an outward semblance of piety by their traditions, but were in fact far removed from God. I urged them to make a commitment to the Lord and became members of churches where the word of God was taught faithfully. Many of my dear family did not understand my zeal. Some of them heckled while some were concerned and wondered what was wrong with me. But Sinnakka and Barnes Athan were overjoyed to hear my account and began to consider my experience seriously. They were the first fruits of my ministry although they were not fully with me at that time since I was ministering to them from faraway Calcutta.

Once I was transferred to Bangalore my association with them increased, and some years later, they became members of our church which now has branches in Madurai, Bangalore, and Chennai. Barnes Athan was a member until his demise in 1985. Another very special member was our brother Dr. G.C. Anbunathan whom I baptised three weeks before he slept in the Lord. Till she was confined to her bed, Sinnakka was a live wire in the Chennai branch and was a great encouragement to Philip who ministers there. She was the senior-most member of of our church as a whole.

Thanking God for her— On Saturday 27th Nov, 2004 during our weekly prayer meeting in Madurai the church stood up in memory of this praiseworthy lady and thanked God for her wonderful life and example.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
THEN WE who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And WE SHALL ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
1 Thes 4:16-18 (NKJV)

 -GB-