A DROP OF LOVE
-
By M.G. Devasahayam
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. ?But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. Mother Teresa
This was the message printed on the picture-memento given out by the Missionaries of Charity during the beatification of Mother Teresa in 2003. It summed up Mother’s mission. The poet John Keble wrote: “God has sworn to lift on high who sinks himself in true humility.” Mother Teresa’s beatification and the soon-to-follow sainthood are testimony to this abiding faith.
I experienced this ‘drop of love’ as a civil servant in Chandigarh. This dream city of Le Corbusier with its wide vistas, wider avenues, enchanting landscape, lovely gardens, sprawling lawns and spacious bungalows—all signs of wealth and prosperity—is the very antithesis of the places and people with whom Mother Teresa worked. Under the veneer of physical beauty, Chandigarh in the 70s concealed poverty, destitution, abandoned infants and the mentally challenged. A time when government schemes for the amelioration and rehabilitation of the ‘lesser children of God’ had failed to address the core problem. The few NGOs that rendered services did provide some succour, but could not reach out to all the needy people in the city.
It was in this context that some time in late 1975, I along with the Catholic bishop of the Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Gilbert Rego, decided to invite Mother Teresa to Chandigarh, with the hope of persuading her to open a home for the needy in the city. We were not sure if Mother—accustomed to the appalling slums of Calcutta—would come to Chandigarh, perceived as wealthy and beautiful. Nevertheless, we decided to send a joint appeal. Our appeal must have moved Mother and she visited Chandigarh in December 1975. With a lot of apprehension, we took Mother around and were relieved when she decided to open a home like Nirmal Hriday in the city.
In May 1976, Mother sent five sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, led by Sister Joya, to start a home for the abandoned and dying destitute and to work among the poorest of the poor in the city and its neighbourhood. And over the last three and a half decades, this drop has become a stream of love.
Within a year, the sisters made such an impact that the Chandigarh administration decided to give them a permanent abode in the city. I had the privilege of participating in the planning and designing of the home and getting all the necessary approvals. Mother made several visits to oversee the progress and I had the honour of receiving her at my office and residence. When things were ready, on October 3, 1977, Mother came and laid the foundation stone for the home.
The home was named Shanti Dan and over the years, it has become the soul of the city. This is evident from the interest people have shown in providing for the upkeep of its hundreds of inmates. Besides, the home has become an instrument for spreading God’s love and compassion in the city. And Mother, in her true devotion and humility, made it possible.
Devasahayam is a retired IAS officer.
CRADLE OF LOVE
Mother Teresa was staunchly against abortion and birth control. She also waged campaigns against divorce, although she did advise Princess Diana to separate from Prince Charles. In her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, she described abortion as “the greatest destroyer of peace”. “Give [the children] to me and I will look after them,” she used to tell those opposing abortion. –COURTESY- THE WEEK
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A Home that love built
M.G. Devasahayam, who helped Mother Teresa set up Shanti Dan, a home for destitutes at Chandigarh, recalls the efforts behind this noble gesture
AS we celebrate the birth centenary of Mother Teresa — counted among the greatest human beings to walk on earth this last century — my mind goes back to the mid-1970s, when I was part of Chandigarh’s milieu, searching for a soul to go beyond the affluence and physical beauty of the city, to touch the poor and the unwanted, and a soul that could give content to a body that is called beautiful.
Chandigarh — the City Beautiful is the dream creation of Jawaharlal Nehru and Le Corbusier. The city with its wide vistas, and even wider avenues, sprawling lawns and spacious bungalows, all signs of wealth and prosperity, is the very antithesis of the places and people with whom Mother Teresa worked.
Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977 Mother Teresa’s birth centenary falls on August 26Mother Teresa’s birth centenary falls on August 26
Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977 — Photo: Courtesy Shanti Dan Mother Teresa’s birth centenary falls on August 26
— Photo: Raghu Rai
The Mother discusses drawings of the home at the site Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977
The Mother discusses drawings of the home at the site Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977 — Photo Courtesy Shanti Dan
From left: Mother Teresa with inmates during one of her visits in 1985; a view of Shanti Dan as it is today; many childless couples have adopted children abandoned at the home
From left: Mother Teresa with inmates during one of her visits in 1985; a view of Shanti Dan as it is today; many childless couples have adopted children abandoned at the home — Photos: Pradeep Tewari
But under the veneer of physical beauty, Chandigarh, in the 1970s, concealed poverty, destitution, abandoned infants and mentally challenged persons. Those afflicted with these tragedies lacked everything that makes a decent and dignified life. Only love, an abundance of it, could redeem the misfortune of these destitutes and make their life worth living.
It was in this context that sometime in late 1975, that I and the Catholic Bishop of the Shimla, Chandiarh Diocese, Rt Rev Gilbert Rego, decided to invite Mother Teresa to Chandigarh, with the hope of persuading her to open a home in the city. We were not sure as to whether she, accustomed to the appalling slums of Calcutta, would ever come to Chandigarh, perceived as an affluent and beautiful city. Nevertheless, we decided to sent a joint appeal to the Mother for a home for abandoned children, unwanted mothers and dying destitutes.
The appeal must have touched a nerve and the Mother arrived in Chandigarh in December 1975. The Bishop and I took her around and were greatly relieved when the Mother was convinced of the need for a home like “Nirmal Hriday” in the city.
Things, then, moved fast. Temporary accommodation was provided to the home, courtesy the local unit of St John’s Ambulance Association. That was how Mother’s work started in Chandigarh. The Sisters of Charity, with Sister Joya in the lead, immediately plunged into their “mission of love” among the poor, sick, abandoned and the dying destitutes.
Within a year of commencing work, the Sisters made such an impact as to motivate the Chandigarh Administration to find a permanent abode for them in the city. Accordingly, we soon located a two-acre plot for the home in Sector 23, and allotted the land to the Missionaries of Charity on a perpetual lease at Rs 5 per annum.
For this noble act, a large measure of credit must go to T. N. Chaturvedi, M. S. Chahal and Aditya Prakash, former Chief Commissioner, Finance Secretary and Chief Architect, respectively.
The core objectives of the Society of Missionaries of Charity prompted the Chandigarh Administration to make this magnificent gesture: “The society and all its branches, throughout India and outside, work and serve the poorest of the poor, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality, race or place — giving the individual person whole-hearted and free service.” The poorest of the poor were described as “the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, the ignorant, the captives, the crippled, the leprosy sufferers, the unloved, the alcoholics, the dying and the sick destitute, the abandoned, the outcastes and all those who are a burden to society, and who have lost all hope and faith in life….”
I participated in the planning and designing of the spartan home and getting the necessary approvals. Mother made several visits to the city to oversee the progress, and I had the honour of receiving her at my office and residence. When things were ready, on October 3, 1977, Mother came and laid the foundation stone of the home.
The project was to cost Rs 4 lakh. During the function, I promised, on behalf of the citizens of Chandigarh, to raise a good portion of that money. But soon after this, certain unfortunate things happened with my career, and I was unable to keep my promise. But the Mother neither asked me nor reminded me of that promise. Instead, she organised the funds herself, and the work on the home progressed well.
Nevertheless, due to divine intervention, I was partly able to redeem the promise before leaving Chandigarh on voluntary retirement from IAS. This was made possible due to support from volunteers, led by P. U. Kamat and Arun Malhotra, who raised Rs 1.5 lakh in three months.
Mother Teresa, in the meantime, had received the Nobel Peace Prize and had become an international celebrity. She had issued an appeal not to offer any cash donations to her society. Yet, when we made the request in mid-1980s, she came from Calcutta to accept our felicitations, prayers and the small donation.
The fact that the home, named Shanti Dan, has indeed become a soul to the city of Chandigarh is evidence from the kind of people’s participation in providing for the upkeep and feeding of hundreds of inmates. In this service, they are finding an expression of their own inner need for loving and sharing, which, in essence, is the soul that Chandigarh had been searching for.
Besides, the home has become an instrument for the “spread of God’s love and compassion” in and around the city. And the Mother, in her true devotion and humility, had made it possible.
A typical example was that local hoteliers and restaurateurs decided to supply fresh food every day to the inmates, whereas they were requested to contribute the leftover food. It was the beginning of a new experiment in voluntary effort and people’s participation in helping the poor, disadvantaged and the needy.
Mother personally responded by writing to the owners of various hotels and restaurants: “This brings you my prayers and gratitude for the love you gave and the joy you share with the inmates of our home at Chandigarh. What you do for the poor, you do for God...”
“It is in giving, that you receive”. This passage from the prayer of St Francis of Assisi, is the rock on which Mother Teresa had built the infrastructure of “love and compassion’ spanning the length and breadth of this vast universe.” Chandigarh’s Shanti Dan is but a small sparkle of this massive infrastructure.
Some years ego, I had an occasion to visit Shanti Dan. What I saw there moved me beyond words. Young, mentally challenged teenagers, fondly clinging to Sisters; old, homeless and lonely destitutes staring with a warm tinkle in their eyes; and above all, the starry-eyed, tender, abandoned infants, giggling and smiling without a care in the world.
Chandigarh’s Shanti Dan is now part of the world community of Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity, present in 133 countries serving the “children of God” with humility as their credo.
It was John Keble, who had famously said: “God has sworn to raise on high he who sinks himself in true humility.” Indeed, God has stood by His word and that is the message that goes out on the birth centenary of Blessed Mother Teresa, the “Saint of the Gutters.”
(The writer is a former IAS officer)
AS we celebrate the birth centenary of Mother Teresa — counted among the greatest human beings to walk on earth this last century — my mind goes back to the mid-1970s, when I was part of Chandigarh’s milieu, searching for a soul to go beyond the affluence and physical beauty of the city, to touch the poor and the unwanted, and a soul that could give content to a body that is called beautiful.
Chandigarh — the City Beautiful is the dream creation of Jawaharlal Nehru and Le Corbusier. The city with its wide vistas, and even wider avenues, sprawling lawns and spacious bungalows, all signs of wealth and prosperity, is the very antithesis of the places and people with whom Mother Teresa worked.
Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977 Mother Teresa’s birth centenary falls on August 26Mother Teresa’s birth centenary falls on August 26
Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977 — Photo: Courtesy Shanti Dan Mother Teresa’s birth centenary falls on August 26
— Photo: Raghu Rai
The Mother discusses drawings of the home at the site Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977
The Mother discusses drawings of the home at the site Mother Teresa has been a regular visitor to Shanti Dan since its inception in 1977 — Photo Courtesy Shanti Dan
From left: Mother Teresa with inmates during one of her visits in 1985; a view of Shanti Dan as it is today; many childless couples have adopted children abandoned at the home
From left: Mother Teresa with inmates during one of her visits in 1985; a view of Shanti Dan as it is today; many childless couples have adopted children abandoned at the home — Photos: Pradeep Tewari
But under the veneer of physical beauty, Chandigarh, in the 1970s, concealed poverty, destitution, abandoned infants and mentally challenged persons. Those afflicted with these tragedies lacked everything that makes a decent and dignified life. Only love, an abundance of it, could redeem the misfortune of these destitutes and make their life worth living.
It was in this context that sometime in late 1975, that I and the Catholic Bishop of the Shimla, Chandiarh Diocese, Rt Rev Gilbert Rego, decided to invite Mother Teresa to Chandigarh, with the hope of persuading her to open a home in the city. We were not sure as to whether she, accustomed to the appalling slums of Calcutta, would ever come to Chandigarh, perceived as an affluent and beautiful city. Nevertheless, we decided to sent a joint appeal to the Mother for a home for abandoned children, unwanted mothers and dying destitutes.
The appeal must have touched a nerve and the Mother arrived in Chandigarh in December 1975. The Bishop and I took her around and were greatly relieved when the Mother was convinced of the need for a home like “Nirmal Hriday” in the city.
Things, then, moved fast. Temporary accommodation was provided to the home, courtesy the local unit of St John’s Ambulance Association. That was how Mother’s work started in Chandigarh. The Sisters of Charity, with Sister Joya in the lead, immediately plunged into their “mission of love” among the poor, sick, abandoned and the dying destitutes.
Within a year of commencing work, the Sisters made such an impact as to motivate the Chandigarh Administration to find a permanent abode for them in the city. Accordingly, we soon located a two-acre plot for the home in Sector 23, and allotted the land to the Missionaries of Charity on a perpetual lease at Rs 5 per annum.
For this noble act, a large measure of credit must go to T. N. Chaturvedi, M. S. Chahal and Aditya Prakash, former Chief Commissioner, Finance Secretary and Chief Architect, respectively.
The core objectives of the Society of Missionaries of Charity prompted the Chandigarh Administration to make this magnificent gesture: “The society and all its branches, throughout India and outside, work and serve the poorest of the poor, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality, race or place — giving the individual person whole-hearted and free service.” The poorest of the poor were described as “the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, the ignorant, the captives, the crippled, the leprosy sufferers, the unloved, the alcoholics, the dying and the sick destitute, the abandoned, the outcastes and all those who are a burden to society, and who have lost all hope and faith in life….”
I participated in the planning and designing of the spartan home and getting the necessary approvals. Mother made several visits to the city to oversee the progress, and I had the honour of receiving her at my office and residence. When things were ready, on October 3, 1977, Mother came and laid the foundation stone of the home.
The project was to cost Rs 4 lakh. During the function, I promised, on behalf of the citizens of Chandigarh, to raise a good portion of that money. But soon after this, certain unfortunate things happened with my career, and I was unable to keep my promise. But the Mother neither asked me nor reminded me of that promise. Instead, she organised the funds herself, and the work on the home progressed well.
Nevertheless, due to divine intervention, I was partly able to redeem the promise before leaving Chandigarh on voluntary retirement from IAS. This was made possible due to support from volunteers, led by P. U. Kamat and Arun Malhotra, who raised Rs 1.5 lakh in three months.
Mother Teresa, in the meantime, had received the Nobel Peace Prize and had become an international celebrity. She had issued an appeal not to offer any cash donations to her society. Yet, when we made the request in mid-1980s, she came from Calcutta to accept our felicitations, prayers and the small donation.
The fact that the home, named Shanti Dan, has indeed become a soul to the city of Chandigarh is evidence from the kind of people’s participation in providing for the upkeep and feeding of hundreds of inmates. In this service, they are finding an expression of their own inner need for loving and sharing, which, in essence, is the soul that Chandigarh had been searching for.
Besides, the home has become an instrument for the “spread of God’s love and compassion” in and around the city. And the Mother, in her true devotion and humility, had made it possible.
A typical example was that local hoteliers and restaurateurs decided to supply fresh food every day to the inmates, whereas they were requested to contribute the leftover food. It was the beginning of a new experiment in voluntary effort and people’s participation in helping the poor, disadvantaged and the needy.
Mother personally responded by writing to the owners of various hotels and restaurants: “This brings you my prayers and gratitude for the love you gave and the joy you share with the inmates of our home at Chandigarh. What you do for the poor, you do for God...”
“It is in giving, that you receive”. This passage from the prayer of St Francis of Assisi, is the rock on which Mother Teresa had built the infrastructure of “love and compassion’ spanning the length and breadth of this vast universe.” Chandigarh’s Shanti Dan is but a small sparkle of this massive infrastructure.
Some years ego, I had an occasion to visit Shanti Dan. What I saw there moved me beyond words. Young, mentally challenged teenagers, fondly clinging to Sisters; old, homeless and lonely destitutes staring with a warm tinkle in their eyes; and above all, the starry-eyed, tender, abandoned infants, giggling and smiling without a care in the world.
Chandigarh’s Shanti Dan is now part of the world community of Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity, present in 133 countries serving the “children of God” with humility as their credo.
It was John Keble, who had famously said: “God has sworn to raise on high he who sinks himself in true humility.” Indeed, God has stood by His word and that is the message that goes out on the birth centenary of Blessed Mother Teresa, the “Saint of the Gutters.”
(The writer is a former IAS officer)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Mother Teresa Centenary (26-08-2010 to 25-08-2011) Massive infrastructure of love and compassion
Mother Teresa Centenary (26-08-2010 to 25-08-2011)
Massive infrastructure of love and compassion
M.G. Devasahayam
19 August 2010
Planted in a narrow, dingy street in Calcutta, nourished by the faith, compassion and commitment of Mother Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity has grown like the mustard seed of the Scriptures. At the time of Mother’s death in 1997, the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity numbered 3,914 members, and were established in 594 communities in 123 countries of the world. Her work continues and the order has now grown to over 4,500 members in 697 communities present in 133 countries of the world.
As the country celebrates the birth centenary of Mother Teresa, most people would be wondering what motivated this frail and diminutive woman to build and sustain a massive infrastructure of love and compassion. I found the answer during my visit to the Mother House in Kolkata in the mid-eighties.
Mother and I were conversing in the sparsely furnished “parlour’’ and I asked her the question that has been nagging me for some time. Mother took me to the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi - “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace’’ - framed on the wall of the adjacent Chapel, which has been the beacon light of Mother’s mission and pointed out the line, “For it is in giving that we receive”.
A quarter century after my close association with Mother, her core message still rings loud and clear: “Give from the bottom of your heart. Give until it hurts.” Here is a typical example as to how she lived it: “One day, while I was walking along the streets of Calcutta, a priest came up to me, asking me to give a contribution for some worthy project. That morning I had left the house with all the money I had, five rupees, which amounted to about 30 cents. During the day, I had spent four on the poor. I had only one rupee to live on the next day and the following days if something didn’t happen. Trusting in God, I gave my last rupee to that priest. In my mind I prayed, ‘Lord, I don’t have anything more, [but] I must think of You’.’’
- Mother Teresa, as told to Renzo Allegri
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on 26 August, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, she was the youngest of three surviving children of Nikola and Dronda Bojaxhiu. As a teenager, she became interested in missionary work through a youth group in her local parish called Sodality. At the age of 17, she responded to her first call of a vocation as a Catholic missionary nun. She joined an Irish order, the Sisters of Loreto, a community known for their missionary work in India. Thus began the spiritual journey of a frail, shy, and quiet woman, Mother Teresa, which took her to the pinnacle of “selfless service’’.
In today’s hedonistic world, Mother Teresa’s selflessness stands out like the star that guided the Magi to Jesus’ manger in Bethlehem. She led the way into the slums to serve the poorest of the poor. She confronted resistance from the Catholic Church to become an independent nun and start the Missionaries of Charity in India. She decided to set aside the dress she had worn during her years as a Loreto sister and wear the ordinary dress of an Indian woman: a plain white sari and sandals. She followed God’s will every moment of her life to become one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known.
Theories on effective leadership have laid out numerous traits and Mother Teresa had them all. She was selfless, courageous, determined, loyal, just, dependable, and enthusiastic; she was simple, devout, humble, and honest; she endured, took the initiative, was decisive, strong, and convinced of her calling in life; she gave up family life and also a sheltered, peaceful life in the Irish order, all because she believed she could risk taking a road not taken. Mother Teresa kept the faith and moved scores of women and men, young and old to become instruments of God’s peace.
Mother Teresa did not ask for help or money; she received it. As her work earned fame around the world, money poured in from individual and corporate benefactors. She never worried about funding the many expanding activities of her order. “The Lord sends it,” she once said. “We do his work; he provides the means.”
Mother Teresa, however, drew criticism from those who believe, as George Orwell once wrote about Mahatma Gandhi, that all saints should be judged guilty until proved innocent. When criticised for accepting donations from the rich and some infamous, Mother Teresa replied that she had no moral right to refuse donations given for the poor and miserable, and she did not have an intelligence agency to ascertain the background of people who made the donation.
Mother Teresa treated everyone alike as a just leader would. She fiercely defended her beliefs and was often referred to as a religious worker. She openly admitted she was doing it for Jesus and was in love with her own religion. She once said he [Jesus] is “the Truth to be told...the Way to be walked...the Light to be lit.” She took her own advice and lived her whole life by doing it, and not by merely preaching it. She told the Truth; walked the Way; and lit the Light.
The Charter of the Society of Missionaries of Charity reads thus: “The society and all its branches, throughout India and outside India work and serve the poorest of the poor, irrespective of all castes and creed, nationality, race or place - giving the individual person whole-hearted and free service. The poorest of the poor are the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, the ignorant, the captives, the crippled, the leprosy sufferers, the unloved, the alcoholics, the dying and the sick destitutes, the abandoned, the outcastes, all those who are a burden to human society, who have lost all hope and faith in life, and also every Missionary of Charity.”
This is true fulfillment of the essence of Christianity contained in the Bible’s description of the Last Judgment: “Then the King will say to those on his right hand, Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. Then the just will answer him saying ‘when did we see thee hungry, and feed thee; or thirsty and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and take thee in, or naked and clothe thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison and come to thee? And answering the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me’.”
Mother Teresa’s whole life was dedicated to serving “the least of God’s brethren’’ and she has indeed taken “possession of the Kingdom prepared for her from the foundation of the world’’.
I had the privilege of not only knowing but working closely with the Mother in setting up one of her finest “homes’’ at Chandigarh hailed as the “City Beautiful” with its wide vistas, wider avenues, enchanting landscape and lovely gardens. Beneath the veneer of physical beauty, Chandigarh and its neighbouring areas had their share of the wretched, the poor, the unwanted, the mentally retarded, the abandoned, the lepers and the dying destitutes. The City was seeking a “soul’’ to look beyond the physical beauty, a “soul” that touched the poor and the unwanted, and a “soul” that will give meaning and content to a body that is called “beautiful”.
Shanti Dan at Chandigarh, which is the gift of Mother Teresa, has indeed become a “soul’’ to the city as evident from the kind of people’s participation in providing for the upkeep and feeding of the hundreds of inmates. In this they are finding an expression of their own inner need for loving and sharing which in essence is the “soul” that Chandigarh has been searching for.
Besides, the “home’’ has become an instrument for the “spread of God’s love and compassion’’ in and around the city. And there are hundreds of them located all over the impoverished world where the “lesser children of God’’ live. And the Mother in her true devotion and humility had made it all possible.
(The writer is a freelance contributor)
Massive infrastructure of love and compassion
M.G. Devasahayam
19 August 2010
Planted in a narrow, dingy street in Calcutta, nourished by the faith, compassion and commitment of Mother Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity has grown like the mustard seed of the Scriptures. At the time of Mother’s death in 1997, the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity numbered 3,914 members, and were established in 594 communities in 123 countries of the world. Her work continues and the order has now grown to over 4,500 members in 697 communities present in 133 countries of the world.
As the country celebrates the birth centenary of Mother Teresa, most people would be wondering what motivated this frail and diminutive woman to build and sustain a massive infrastructure of love and compassion. I found the answer during my visit to the Mother House in Kolkata in the mid-eighties.
Mother and I were conversing in the sparsely furnished “parlour’’ and I asked her the question that has been nagging me for some time. Mother took me to the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi - “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace’’ - framed on the wall of the adjacent Chapel, which has been the beacon light of Mother’s mission and pointed out the line, “For it is in giving that we receive”.
A quarter century after my close association with Mother, her core message still rings loud and clear: “Give from the bottom of your heart. Give until it hurts.” Here is a typical example as to how she lived it: “One day, while I was walking along the streets of Calcutta, a priest came up to me, asking me to give a contribution for some worthy project. That morning I had left the house with all the money I had, five rupees, which amounted to about 30 cents. During the day, I had spent four on the poor. I had only one rupee to live on the next day and the following days if something didn’t happen. Trusting in God, I gave my last rupee to that priest. In my mind I prayed, ‘Lord, I don’t have anything more, [but] I must think of You’.’’
- Mother Teresa, as told to Renzo Allegri
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on 26 August, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, she was the youngest of three surviving children of Nikola and Dronda Bojaxhiu. As a teenager, she became interested in missionary work through a youth group in her local parish called Sodality. At the age of 17, she responded to her first call of a vocation as a Catholic missionary nun. She joined an Irish order, the Sisters of Loreto, a community known for their missionary work in India. Thus began the spiritual journey of a frail, shy, and quiet woman, Mother Teresa, which took her to the pinnacle of “selfless service’’.
In today’s hedonistic world, Mother Teresa’s selflessness stands out like the star that guided the Magi to Jesus’ manger in Bethlehem. She led the way into the slums to serve the poorest of the poor. She confronted resistance from the Catholic Church to become an independent nun and start the Missionaries of Charity in India. She decided to set aside the dress she had worn during her years as a Loreto sister and wear the ordinary dress of an Indian woman: a plain white sari and sandals. She followed God’s will every moment of her life to become one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known.
Theories on effective leadership have laid out numerous traits and Mother Teresa had them all. She was selfless, courageous, determined, loyal, just, dependable, and enthusiastic; she was simple, devout, humble, and honest; she endured, took the initiative, was decisive, strong, and convinced of her calling in life; she gave up family life and also a sheltered, peaceful life in the Irish order, all because she believed she could risk taking a road not taken. Mother Teresa kept the faith and moved scores of women and men, young and old to become instruments of God’s peace.
Mother Teresa did not ask for help or money; she received it. As her work earned fame around the world, money poured in from individual and corporate benefactors. She never worried about funding the many expanding activities of her order. “The Lord sends it,” she once said. “We do his work; he provides the means.”
Mother Teresa, however, drew criticism from those who believe, as George Orwell once wrote about Mahatma Gandhi, that all saints should be judged guilty until proved innocent. When criticised for accepting donations from the rich and some infamous, Mother Teresa replied that she had no moral right to refuse donations given for the poor and miserable, and she did not have an intelligence agency to ascertain the background of people who made the donation.
Mother Teresa treated everyone alike as a just leader would. She fiercely defended her beliefs and was often referred to as a religious worker. She openly admitted she was doing it for Jesus and was in love with her own religion. She once said he [Jesus] is “the Truth to be told...the Way to be walked...the Light to be lit.” She took her own advice and lived her whole life by doing it, and not by merely preaching it. She told the Truth; walked the Way; and lit the Light.
The Charter of the Society of Missionaries of Charity reads thus: “The society and all its branches, throughout India and outside India work and serve the poorest of the poor, irrespective of all castes and creed, nationality, race or place - giving the individual person whole-hearted and free service. The poorest of the poor are the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, the ignorant, the captives, the crippled, the leprosy sufferers, the unloved, the alcoholics, the dying and the sick destitutes, the abandoned, the outcastes, all those who are a burden to human society, who have lost all hope and faith in life, and also every Missionary of Charity.”
This is true fulfillment of the essence of Christianity contained in the Bible’s description of the Last Judgment: “Then the King will say to those on his right hand, Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. Then the just will answer him saying ‘when did we see thee hungry, and feed thee; or thirsty and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and take thee in, or naked and clothe thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison and come to thee? And answering the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me’.”
Mother Teresa’s whole life was dedicated to serving “the least of God’s brethren’’ and she has indeed taken “possession of the Kingdom prepared for her from the foundation of the world’’.
I had the privilege of not only knowing but working closely with the Mother in setting up one of her finest “homes’’ at Chandigarh hailed as the “City Beautiful” with its wide vistas, wider avenues, enchanting landscape and lovely gardens. Beneath the veneer of physical beauty, Chandigarh and its neighbouring areas had their share of the wretched, the poor, the unwanted, the mentally retarded, the abandoned, the lepers and the dying destitutes. The City was seeking a “soul’’ to look beyond the physical beauty, a “soul” that touched the poor and the unwanted, and a “soul” that will give meaning and content to a body that is called “beautiful”.
Shanti Dan at Chandigarh, which is the gift of Mother Teresa, has indeed become a “soul’’ to the city as evident from the kind of people’s participation in providing for the upkeep and feeding of the hundreds of inmates. In this they are finding an expression of their own inner need for loving and sharing which in essence is the “soul” that Chandigarh has been searching for.
Besides, the “home’’ has become an instrument for the “spread of God’s love and compassion’’ in and around the city. And there are hundreds of them located all over the impoverished world where the “lesser children of God’’ live. And the Mother in her true devotion and humility had made it all possible.
(The writer is a freelance contributor)
Wife not entitled to claim marriage expenses, if marriage fails-Mumbai High Court
The Division Bench of Mumbai High Court,rejected the wife's claim for marriage expense on the ground there is no provision of law to claim such amount. The Judgement is as follows:
The Family Court has rejected the claim of Rs. 31,876/- which was incurred by the parents of the' applicant-wife for the purposes of marriage expenses on the ground that there is no provision to return such amount. At the time of argument of this matter, the learned Counsel for the appellant-wife fairly conceded that there is no provision for return of such marriage expenses and therefore, unless there is a provision to that effect, the trial Court was justified in rejecting the claim for the marriage expenses to the extent of Rs. 31,876/-.Sudha Suhas Nandanvankar vs Suhas Ramrao Nandanvankar on 15 September, 2004
The Family Court has rejected the claim of Rs. 31,876/- which was incurred by the parents of the' applicant-wife for the purposes of marriage expenses on the ground that there is no provision to return such amount. At the time of argument of this matter, the learned Counsel for the appellant-wife fairly conceded that there is no provision for return of such marriage expenses and therefore, unless there is a provision to that effect, the trial Court was justified in rejecting the claim for the marriage expenses to the extent of Rs. 31,876/-.Sudha Suhas Nandanvankar vs Suhas Ramrao Nandanvankar on 15 September, 2004
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
