Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mother Teresa's Centenary Today

Tomorrow, the 26th August is the 101st birth day of Mother Teresa. She completes one hundred years today.  The Week of Malayala Manorama Group, brought out a Special Issue in her honour.

Brief details of her life and achievements on pages 36-37 reveal a high profile saint who was born on August 26, 1910 in Scopje (now the Capital of Macedonia) and had her maiden name as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Just after 18, on Sept 25, 1928 she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish order with missions in India. She arrived in Calcutta on Jan 06, 1929 to begin her novitiate in Darjeeling in May. She went on working as a School Teacher in St Mary's and became Principal too in 1944.  She became an Indian Citizen in 1948 and continued to work for society.  Mother Teresa had heart attacks thrice and died on Sept 05, 1997.

She received several awards in India and abroad. Mother Teresa was awarded Padmashri in 1962 and also Raman Magsaysay Award for International Understanding in the same year.  She was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and Bharat Ratna in 1980 besides several other appreciations. It is one of those rare personalities we have to remember and understand if not emulate to work for others.

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