St. Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa a name known throughout the world and one that will stay as an outstanding name in the annals of the history of the world. A frail looking foreigner did so much for India and of course for the world, that people of the world are indebted to her for all time to come. Let us just pause to think why the Mother decided to make the headquarters of her activities in India. While she belonged to a far off country of Bulgaria, she decided to settle in India as it was this place where shoe could always find work of social upliftment. This is the country where the population is so large and, poverty of such a magnitude that, the Mother must have thought that no country could offer her the platform of work as much as India could, and so, she settled here. This reason appears to me quite real for, she must have realized that, the scope of service lies maximum in India – so we owe the gratitude to her for first deciding to stay here, and thus be available to us for her service – and secondly of course for her immense service to the Indian humanity. Sometimes I do wonder how, crores Indians in this massive sub – continent, could not produce one Mother like Teresa, and we had to take the services of a puny little lady from a far off land of Bulgaria.
Her service to humanity will for all time go into the annals of History of the world and, she will forever find a place in the pages of Indian History too. The greatness and pedestal acquired by the Mother goes a long way to enlighten the world to the fact that, for being remembered, or, for entering into History books, one does not have to be a king or a queen or a scientist or a leader of some sort. The simple unimposing little woman could achieve all the name and all the fame and glory of an empress by sheer service to humanity. She had to fight no wars, she had to recruit no armies to conquer, her service conquered what no great conquerer could have ever done, such was the work she did that, without any wars, she conquered.
This in turn points to another fact that, even to-day in the world of shine and dazzle the simple can also make a mark on the sands of time, by a sheer dint of service. The Charishma of service, even to-day is apparently greater than all the charishma of a high and mighty inheritance, a sprawling empire or the highest of education. Mother Teresa is thus an exemplary model of service to humanity.
Mother Teresa is one person in the 20th century, who has kept the flag of service to humanity high, and the name and pedestal for people who serve at the highest rung of the hierarchy of achievers. These achievers are also proved to be the most popular leaders as the works of the Mother have proved. Popularity does not come just for nothing, one has to work genuinely with one’s heart and soul, to achieve the popularity of mother Teresa. It is not that, the Mother worked for the popularity she got, but, the work she put in got her the world wide popularity automatically.
The world is even now at this point of depravity, not so blind as to not see work done by her individual, she worked, selflessly, the world saw it and she got the popularity., she rightly deserved. In this regard also, for us, she is an ideal model, for we first want to be appreciated, be known, be awarded and then work may or may not follow. We, it seems to-day just hanker for a name and posters with our names. Photographs and clippings, and then we may consider to work, or not to work. This is just putting the cart before the horse, and thus it never moves. We must work first, and the name and the appreciation will come by itself, if we deserve it.
If we work with our heart and soul, name and fame come, trailing behind, we do not have to do anything for that, it just comes. In this context, we must remember that, we have to set our goals of service like Mother Teresa did. This is why she was able to achieve so much, for, she knew what exactly she wanted to do, and she did it. If our goals are clear, work becomes easier and well defined and easier to follow. What most of us do is that, we work without a clear cut plan and so, the haphazard work yields little or no results.
The simplicity of Mother Teresa was also exemplary, which goes to show to us that, the outward show of dress and body hardly matter if the person is of some stuff, and is bent upon working. If good work is done people are usually apt to overlook the appearance. So I daresay that, in today’s world of show even a plain and simple person can also make a mark if there is some more to his/her credit, work should be our first priority.
If these few qualities of Mother Teresa could be followed by a few, could be inculcated in a few, it is sure, the generation to come, would not need a Bulgarian nun or any other foreigner to help them, they would have produced from within, plenty of hands to serve humanity. It is a real wonder that, the country that has produced so many great men, so many religious leaders, so many social reformers but failed to produce a like of Mother Teresa in the whole Century – the 20th Century. Let us emulate her, and see what happens.