New Delhi, 28th August 2010
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mother Teresa whose, Birth Centenary is being
celebrated, was one of the noblest souls of our times. She was the
epitome of compassion, and all through her life she served selflessly
to spread the message of love and compassion through her work. She was
truly the embodiment of the word Mother in its fullest, truest and
complete sense. It has been truly said that God cannot be everywhere
and that is why he has created Mother.
She began her journey from Skopje, where she was
born and it brought her to India in 1929. Since then she lived here,
worked here for almost seven decades and became a part of India. Her
association with India, the land of Buddha and of Mahatma Gandhi, the
land which believes in the philosophy - 
,
there is no dharma higher than compassion, was deep. She embraced
India as India embraced her. She came to be known as Mother Teresa of
Kolkata. The people conferred on her their love, as well as their
respect and she was honoured with the highest civil honour of the
Bharat Ratna.
Clad in a white sari with a blue border, she and
the sisters of Missionaries of Charity became a symbol of hope to many
- the aged, the destitute, the unemployed, the diseased, the
terminally ill, and those abandoned by their families. Nirmal Hriday -
the home for the pure heart, the hospice at Shanti Nagar and Shishu
Bhawan sought out these very people and gave them hope and dignity.
She taught us that compassion, caring and love, are a universal
language which all human beings understand, and which also ennoble
human existence.
Her Mission, begun small, gradually established
itself and began to grow. Often, we may feel that our efforts are
miniscule as compared to the challenges that confront us, and what we
are doing is just a drop in the ocean. Mother Teresa would say that
the ocean would be less without that drop. As an example, she would
refer to the schools started to teach poor children, and would point
out that if these schools were not there, these children would be left
on the streets. It is a tribute to her work, which was undertaken with
the spirit of wholeheartedly giving of herself to the service of
humanity, that at the time of her death, the Missionaries of Charity
had over 4,000 sisters operating 610 missions in 123 countries. These
included hospices, orphanages, kitchens and homes for people with
HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. The torch she lit brought light
wherever she went, wherever her ideas permeated, wherever her homes
were established, wherever her nuns working selflessly touched the
lives of those around them. She was a social worker to the core of her
heart, attending with care and dedication to the poor, the abandoned
and the dying. Gandhiji may well have been speaking of Mother Teresa,
when he said that where there is pure and active love for the poor,
there is God also.
Mother Teresa used the power of Love to overcome
every obstacle. Her frail and small frame carried within it immense
strength. Her energy was boundless. She gave great attention to the
smallest of tasks that she performed. People came to her with all
kinds of problems. She used to listen to them and contemplate over the
solutions. Her morale and earnestness of purpose were legendary
amongst those who interacted with her. Whoever met her, felt the
absolute concentration and attention with which she interacted with
them, giving of herself and her time freely and generously, with the
consequence that she had the power to touch the lives, not only of
those around her, but also those who even caught a fleeting glimpse of
her. There are numerous examples of those who contributed to her
cause, and those to whose lives Mother Teresa's work gave a meaning
and a purpose.
She was given many honours by many countries.
Honours she wore lightly, for she retained that simplicity of spirit
and humility of attitude throughout her life. In 1979, Mother Teresa
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to help the suffering
humanity. Speaking on the occasion she said, "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". With these words she drew attention to situations of hunger of
the poor and the hunger for love, for often loneliness can be worse
than physical hunger. In this context, she emphasized that it is very
important to love those around us. She reminded that in our own
family, we may have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling
sick, who is feeling worried and who would benefit from us giving them
companionship and understanding, by simply pausing to listen, by
giving of ourselves, by nursing the sick. This is so true in today's
world. In the rush of our busy lives, we often find that we have
little time for people around us, our loved ones, our parents and
grandparents and all those who love us. We need to bring a greater
balance in our lives. This can happen if we follow the path of love,
compassion and harmony. I am reminded here of the prayer which Mother
Teresa used to recite everyday:-
Lord, make me a channel of your peace,
Where there is hatred, I may bring love
Where there is despair, I may bring hope,
Where there is darkness, I may bring light
And where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Mother Teresa left a deep impact on the world. Her
death was mourned across the world. Her funeral was attended by people
from all walks of life, the rich and the poor alike, deeply bereaved
with the passing away of their most revered Mother. As the Birth
Centenary of Mother Teresa is being celebrated this month, I join
others in paying tribute to her. She has shown us the way of living
our life more humanely and meaningfully. I congratulate those who have
received the Mother Teresa Birth Centenary Awards. I convey my good
wishes to Sister Prema, to all the sisters and the collaborators of
the Missionaries of Charity across the world.
May God Bless you.