She may not have been a political leader living in chandeliered opulence with a chauffeur-drive limousine but she was the ‘Empress of Hearts,’ admired and revered throughout the world by people, irrespective of their religious proclivities and social compulsions.
Her work to care for the poor and the downtrodden and the comfort and love that she gave to people in poor health and life were all sources of inspiration to world leaders, almost all of who considered her as a unique gift of God.
For all the attention that she gained through portals of power and men and women of wealth and great means, Mother Teresa remained a simple, honest and dedicated servant of the Almighty, giving the best that a mother could under any circumstance to her children.
Great influence
The Great Mother influenced me and many others to think of the unfortunate and give a little of our time and other means to the poorer sections of the society, even as we enjoyed luxuries in life.
“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat,” she said in many of her speeches and teachings.
To her, every human being was a source of joy, love and care. Nothing mattered to her – not their wealth, knowledge or power – than the love that they bestowed on others so that the world could be a better place to live.
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other,” she said in her many references to the state of the world today.
I have had the greatest honour of knowing Mother Teresa, working with her and learning from her what it means to give, love and see smiling faces.
I learnt that the pain of poverty, sickness and the feeling of rejection that people, especially children, suffered in this materialistic world touched Mother’s heart, motivating her to care for them and improve their lot.
She did not care about personal comfort and desires, which almost everyone, including Heads of Governments and private organisations were ready to provide; all that mattered to her was the betterment of the poor.
She rightly believed that they were also children of God, with the right to live in decent environments, with the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter satisfied.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Mother’s life and dedication to those in need was the way she conquered the hearts of people of different faiths.
Selfless service
Born in Albania on August 26, 1910 Mother was named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu.
She dedicated her life to the cause of the poor and the needy.
Migrating to India, she established the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1950 and for more than 45 years, she served the poor, sick, orphaned and dying.
Starting from a four-room and one hall set up at 14, Creek Lane in the West Bengal Capital, the Missionaries of Charity continued to expand, and now comprises over 4500 sisters and is active in 133 countries.
It runs homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. It also conducts children’s and family counselling programmes and runs orphanages and schools.
Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
The Government of India conferred the highest civilian honour of ‘Bharat Ratna’ (‘The Gem of India’) on her in January 1980.
The world was plunged into sorrow when she died on September 5, 1997.
Interfaith Committee
Encouraged by friends, an Interfaith Committee was formed in 2010, mainly to commemorate the birth centenary of Mother, along with the rest of the world, which paid tributes to her selfless life for the poor.
Sir Anand Satyanand, then Governor General, was the Chief Guest at the Centenary Celebrations hosted by Bishop Patrick Dunn DD at the Catholic Church of Christ the King (260 Richardson Road) in Mt Roskill, Auckland on November 7, 2010. Representatives of the Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh faiths spoke on the occasion, extoling the relevance of Mother’s message of peace and love to everyone in today’s fast-moving world.
The positive response received from various communities and the support and patronage of Bishop Dunn encouraged the Interfaith Committee to make the Meeting an annual feature.
Former Indian High Commissioner Retired Admiral Sureesh Mehta was the Guest Speaker at the Interfaith Meeting held on November 13, 2012 at the same venue.
Gopalkrishna Gandhi
Many faiths will come together again at the Catholic Church of Christ the King at 3 pm on Sunday, November 18, 2012 to pay homage to Mother and listen to an address by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C Rajagopalachari (the first Governor-General of Independent India).
India’s High Commissioner Avanindra Kumar Pandey and Auckland Mayor Len Brown will be among special guests.
This celebration will comprise representatives from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities.
They will recite a verse from their respective Holy Book relevant to Love and Peace, which formed the core of Mother Teresa’s life and service.
Bharata Natyam performance by Michelle Antony, Bengali song by Probasee Bengali Association of New Zealand rendition of the song ‘Make Me a Channel of Peace’ by the students of Marcellin College (Epsom) Auckland and a song by the Sikh youth would be a part of the programme.
The Catholic Caring Foundation would make an inaugural grant of $7000 to the Mother Teresa Sisters in Auckland to support their financial, social and emotional assistance in addressing poverty.
The Conquest Boys Club and the DRC NZ Youth will lead the Congregation in rendering the National Anthems of India and New Zealand.
Wenceslaus Anthony is the Chairman of the Mother Interfaith Committee.
