A girl called Anna: ‘She gave her all to this career, even her life’

Over two months ago, late on July 20, their daughter, Anna Sebastian Perayil, 26, a chartered accountant (CA) at S R Batliboi, a member firm under EY Global, passed away due to a cardiac arrest in Pune.

A letter dated September 8 by Anna’s mother to EY India chairperson Rajiv Memani went viral on social media on September 17, triggering discussions on “toxic” workplaces that “glorify overwork”. Besides stating that no one from EY had turned up for her daughter’s funeral in Kochi on July 23, Anita’s letter alleged that Anna had died to “backbreaking workload”.

Back at the house, on a table in the drawing room is a portrait of Anna — wearing a radiant smile — surrounded by candles, flowers and a painting of hers by a friend. In her room, accountancy books stacked on a bookshelf are a daily reminder of her death. “She gave her all to this career, even her life,” says Sibi, a retired additional director in the state agriculture department, his voice trembling.

A shrine for Anna Sebastian Perayil at her home in Kochi. (Photo: Narayanan S)

Though Anita, a retired State Bank of India manager, says she wrote to Memani “just to bring out the truth regarding the work culture (at companies)”, Sibi reiterated that they have no plans to take “legal action” against EY.

Sibi says Anna was a “topper” both at school (Rajagiri Public School) and college (Sacred Heart College). “She passed her CA exam in November 2023 and joined EY in March. She wanted to work at a Big 4 company (Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers). She got an offer from Deloitte in IT audit but wanted to do statutory audit — something that EY offered,” says the father.

Anna with her father Sibi Joseph Perayil and mother Anita Augustine during her CA convocation in Pune on July 7. (Photo courtesy: Special Arrangement)

Pune was Anna’s first stint away from home. Before Anna, Sibi’s son went to study in Thiruvananthapuram, around 200 km away.

Anna’s “relentless” work schedule forced her to choose Pune as the venue for her July 7 CA convocation, he says, adding that Anita and he travelled to Pune for the ceremony. During their visit, Anna told them about her “chest feeling constricted” and was promptly taken to a hospital. Sibi says, “The cardiologist said it was acid reflux due to improper diet and sleep.”

Sibi says Anna collapsed on the stairs on July 20 while walking up her second-floor room with her takeaway food around 10 pm. She was taken to a hospital when her condition worsened, but she died of a cardiac arrest en route, he says.

The 30 hours that followed were “painful”, says Anna’s Pune-based cousin Mithun James, who took her body to Kochi. It was Mithun who helped Anna find a PG accommodation at Wadgaon Sheri after she moved to the city. In a LinkedIn post after Anna’s death, Mithun says he had told his cousin to “learn to say no”, but she was afraid that a short work stint would be considered a “black mark on her career”.

Talking about Anna’s “large heart”, her cousin Ritu Maria Johny, a UK-based digital communication professional who moved to the UK last year, says, “Each time we did some mischief, I would convince her to lie to our parents. But she was too innocent to even fake innocence. She was very dedicated to her studies and skipped family events to focus on her CA exams. She was my sounding board during a stressful time while I was in Chennai years ago.”

In a WhatsApp message to The Indian Express, Ritu says she once protested over Anna taking “weeks” to reply to her texts. “She explained that she gets home around 1.30 am, wakes up early and starts work again. Once, she said she had just five minutes for dinner, before rushing off to work. She never replied to my last text (sent on July 17).”

Anna’s best friend Ann Mary says they last met in Mumbai, around 150 km from Pune, in May. “We were supposed to meet in Mumbai on Friday (May 3) but she could not leave the office early. She reached Mumbai late on Friday and returned on Sunday,” Ann says.

Anna Sebastian Perayil (right) with her best friend Ann Mary in Mumbai in May. (Photo courtesy: Special arrangement)

The best friends spoke on the phone just before Anna’s death on July 20. “We spoke at night. Anna said she had to attend an online meeting. She had plans to come home by July end and was considering quitting her job.”

Ann says Anna loved trying new things. “We took pottery classes and neon painting together. Each time we saw others’ (travel) pictures, we would plan a trip to Manali and Bali,” she says.

She recalls how Anna once turned down a marriage proposal because the man did not like dogs. “She had recently met someone through a matrimonial portal and the families were about to make things official. She was the bridesmaid at my wedding, but I will never return the favour,” she says.

Stating that Anna liked to play badminton, kayak and paint, Sibi says around 1,000 people attended her funeral. “She clearly made an impact on many lives,” he says.

He says many people learnt about Anna’s death after her mother’s letter went viral. Among those who have visited the couple over the last few days are commerce students from Kochi-based Don Bosco orphanage. “Anna used to teach them. They said it was Chechi’s (elder sister) lessons that helped them pass an exam or get jobs,” says a proud Sibi.