A letter of gratitude connects two families after five decades

TWO families whose lives intersected during a tragic car accident in 1972, have reunited after almost 54 years.

When a “thank you” letter was discovered during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, it sparked a search that brought together the family of a man who saved the life of a toddler, and the now 55-year-old woman who survived.

The families of Gopal Govender, 80, and Navikishore Gajraj, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 72, have now united after the March 1972 car crash.

On the day of the accident, Govender’s daughter, Sandra Govender, who was about 18 months old, was ejected from the car through the windscreen. She was found unresponsive metres away from the scene and was resuscitated by a nurse, who lived in the area.

Sandra and her father were taken to hospital by Gajraj. About three months later, Govender searched for Gajraj and the nurse to present them each with a typed letter of appreciation and a pair of ceramic bird ornaments.

However, Govender only found Gajraj. The nurse had moved out of the area and her gift of the ornaments remained in Govender’s home.

In 2020, the letter was found by Gajraj’s daughter, Navitha, sparking her desire to meet “Baby Sandra”. Her father had told her the story when she was a child.

Navitha posted the letter on Facebook. On January 9 this year, both families met for the first time on Govender’s 80th birthday.

Speaking to the POST, Sandra said she learnt about the letter last year on Facebook, through a relative.

“My dad’s cousin saw a post shared by his friend. It spoke about a family that had been in an accident and the letter of appreciation which had my name and our address in Clairwood. He showed my dad the letter, who said he wrote it. We did not know about the letter, but growing up we saw the ornaments. My dad said they were supposed to be gifts. He held on to them and refused to let them go,” she said.

Sandra, who lives in Johannesburg, said on the day of the accident she had gone for a ride with her father in her uncle’s new car.

“From what I was told, my mom’s brother had bought a new vehicle. I sat on my dad’s lap in the front seat. However, the driver of the other vehicle, which was apparently stolen, crashed into us, and I flew through the windscreen. A nurse at the scene pointed out where she had seen me ‘fly to’. They found me lifeless. The nurse did CPR on me, and my life was restored.

“The uncle (Gajraj) drove us to the hospital. A few months later, my dad, who was not a rich man, purchased two pairs of the ceramic bird ornaments, and typed out these letters, one for the nurse and the other for the uncle (Gajraj). He said he borrowed someone’s typewriter because he wanted it to be professional,” she said.

Sandra said after handing the letter and gift to Gajraj, they never met again.

She said in the middle of last year, she made contact with Navitha.

“We chatted on social media and started making plans to meet. She lived in Durban and due to circumstances the meeting did not materialise. Ahead of my dad’s 80th birthday on January 9, my sisters and I discussed how we would celebrate. My sister suggested I invite Navitha and her family, which was the best surprise for my dad. I called her and said it would be nice if they could join us. She brought her mom and son and gave my dad the most precious gift; a framed copy of the letter,” said Sandra.

“This experience has left us with two beautiful lessons. First, in today’s time, you rarely get a thank you or high-five from a person, but here is a man, who was not wealthy, who made the effort to show his appreciation. Second, another man went out of his way to help a stranger. What is more special is that he kept that letter for more than 50 years. We are thrilled to have connected and our journey has begun. We cannot wait to meet again,” she said.

Navitha said at the time of the accident, her mother, Anitha, was three months pregnant with her. She was born in September that year.

She said while growing up, every time she saw the ornaments in their home, she asked her dad to tell her the story of when he was a “hero”.

“This experience is like a scene out of a movie, and I wish my dad was here to reconnect with Uncle Gopal and his family.”

Navitha said she discovered the letter in 2020 while sorting through her father’s files.

“That is when I realised it was the same story he told us about ‘Baby Sandra’. I wanted to find her and I shared the letter on Facebook. However, last year she reached out to me. Then I got the surprise call to attend her dad’s birthday party in Durban. It was emotional and tearful to meet them. We also have so much in common.

"I learnt we not only lived in Clairwood but their family also later moved to Chatsworth. We lived about three kilometres apart. My dad would have also turned 80 in February this year. Sandra and I celebrate our birthdays in September. I feel like I now have an elder sister as I am the only daughter. We have already planned to meet again,” she said.

THE POST