Pinks Mag 003

?nd Latin Am?r???. Wh?n a ??rr????nd?nt ??k?d h?r 'why are
??u opening ??ntr?? ?n d?v?l???d ??untr??? where th?r? is
h?rdl? ?n? poverty? 'P?v?rt? of ???r?t', ?h? r??l??d.
M?th?r T?r??? h?d b???m? ?n Ind??n ??t?z?n w?? back in 1950
and started ??ll?ng herself an Ind??n. Th? g?v?rnm?nt, in turn,
?h?w?r?d privileges ?nd honors ?n her. Sh? w?? ???u?d a 'red
passport' which ?? reserved f?r diplomats. On r????v?ng ?t she
???d, "It ?? a g?ft from th? G?v?rnm?nt of Ind??. Th?? have b??n
very helpful." H?n?ur? C?m? in ?u??k succession: P?dm??hr??
(1962); P??? j?hn XXIII P???? Pr?z? (January 1971); J?hn F.
K?nn?d? International Award, (S??t?mb?r 1971); J?w?h?rl?l
N?hru Award f?r International Understanding (1972); Templeton
Prize for Pr?gr??? ?n R?l?g??n (1973); N?b?l Peace Pr?z? (1979);
Bharat Rama (1980); Order ?f Merit, fr?m Qu??n Elizabeth
(1983); G?ld Medal ?f th? S?v??t Peace C?mm?tt?? (1987); U.S.
C?ngr?????n?l G?ld M?d?l (June, 1997).
Ind?v?du?l?, the ??r??r?t? ???t?r ?nd even th? g?v?rnm?nt?
h?v? b??n h?r g?n?r?u? d?n?r?. T?t??, Lever Br?th?r?, jet
A?rw??? ?r? ??m? fr?m th? Ind??n corporate S??t?r who h?v?
d?n?t?d hundr?d? ?f th?u??nd? ?f rupees to M?th?r T?r??? ?nd
h?r Missionaries of Ch?r?t? to 'spiritualize' th??r b?ll??n?. A
n?tw?rk ??r??d ?ut ?n m??t ?f th? countries ?f th? w?rld
?r?v?d?ng h?u??ng, ?l?th?ng, f??d and medical care to th?u??nd?
?f n??d? ?nd d??t?tut?? r??u?r?d m?n?? ?nd M?th?r T?r??? got
wh?t h?r m?????n r??u?r?d w?th?ut ??k?ng.
H?w?v?r, ?t w?? n?t ?r???? ?nd glorification all the t?m?. She h?d
t? f??? m?n? ?r?t???. M?n? have ?x?r????d r???rv?t??n? ?b?ut
the ?r???l?t?z?ng w?rk h?r ?rg?n?z?t??n h?? ?ll?g?dl? carried ?ut
?n th? n?m? ?f altruism. Sh?nkr??h?r?? ?f Pur?, N???h?l?n?nd
Saraswati, ?n a scathing attack ?n Mother Teresa ???d th?t: "She
is ?ng?g?d in ??nv?r???n ?n th? name ?f m?n?v S?v? (service to
m?nk?nd.)" In reply to this ???u??t??n she did not d?n? ?t but
said, "Not even G?d almighty can ??nv?rt unl??? th?t ??r??n
w?rm? ?t." Sh? has ?l?? ??nd?dl? confessed, "M? life is devoted t?
Chr??t. It ?? f?r h?m th?t I br??th? ?nd ???. I can't b??r the ???n
wh?n people call me a ?????l Worker. Had I b??n a ?????l w?rk?r,
I would h?v? left ?t l?ng ?g?." Sh? ?? ?l?? ???u??d of g?v?ng
un?l??m?d ?h?ldr?n t? only C?th?l?? couples f?r ?d??t??n.
M?n? B?ng?l?? have lamented the negative ?m?g? ?f Kolkata,
and by ?xt?n???n, the country which th? association w?th the
Catholic nun m?d? ?n?v?t?bl?. It h?? been ???d th?t her
?xtr??rd?n?r? f?m? ?t??lf` w?rk?d India's '???k?g?ng' ?? a ??t? ?f
???th?t?? d?v??t?t??n: disease, ??v?rt?, want ?nd ?l?th. Th?
??ntr?but??n ?f K?lk?t? t?w?rd? Ind??n r?n?????n??, t?w?rd?
Indian ?rt, l?t?r?tur?, ?nd music ?nd fr??d?m movement ?t?nd?
unrivaled. T? d????t this city ?? a vast gutter ?nd consequently
g?tt?ng th? appellation 'S??nt ?f the Gutt?r?' ?? n?th?ng but
d?f?m?ng a gr??t ??t?. H?r opposition t? contraception and
abortion invited ridicule. The most devastating ?nd d?t??l?d
?r?t????m of M?th?r T?r??? ??m? fr?m the writer Chr??t??h?r
Hitchens. He ?u??t??n?d h?r ??ur??? and use ?f fund?, "her
deeply ?rth?d?x views ?n a range ?f ???u?? ?nd th?
'imperialistic' und?r??nn?ng? ?f her evangelizing m?????n. A??rt
fr?m decrying her r?l? as ??n????n?? ??lv?r ?f the world's r??h,
h? has ??ught to '?x????' wh?t h? th?nk? is th? cultural
m?th-m?k?ng th?t h?? gone ?nt? the nun'? ???th????? as messiah
?f th? d?wntr?dd?n". S?m?l?r ?h?rg?? h?v? been d??um?nt?d ?n
Celluloid in th? f?lm t?tl?d H?ll'? Ang?l wh??h w?? t?l????t by BBC
?n N?v?mb?r 1994.
M?th?r T?r???'? beatification ?n 19 O?t?b?r 2003 l?d t? another
controversy. F?r b??t?f???t??n it h?? t? be ?r?v?d that he or ?h?
was ????bl? of ??rf?rm?ng 'miracles'. In this ???? a tribal g?rl
named M?n?k? B??r? w?? '?ur?d' of a ??n??r?u? gr?wth ?n h?r
stomach b? putting a 'm?r??ul?u? medal' bearing th? ?m?g? ?f
Mother Teresa, to h?r stomach. The incident occurred ?n 5
S??t?mb?r 1998 ????rd?ng to th? spokesperson ?f the
M?????n?r??? of Ch?r?t?. Overnight, M?n?k? b???m? f?m?u? ?nd
r??h. Sh? w?? flown to th? V?t???n ?? ?r??f ?f th? 'miracle' dur?ng
th? b??t?f???t??n ??r?m?n? which was attended b? 250,000
????l?. M?n?k? ??nv?rt?d t? Chr??t??n?t? after the 'm?r??l?'.
Another 'Miracle' ?nd M?th?r Teresa w?ll be d??l?r?d a ???nt.
Pr?b?r Gh???, f?und?r ?f S???n?? and R?t??n?l S????t? of India
?ugg??t?d t? th? M?????n?r??? ?f Ch?r?t?: "Wh? d?n't you close
??ur N?rm?l Hridayas ?nd all ?th?r homes ?r?v?d?ng m?d???l
facilities t? the sick and th? d??t?tut? and ???n a huge m?d?l
m?nuf??tur?ng f??t?r? ?n?t??d." He ??ll? the 'miracle' of M?n?k?
B??r? ?? 'one of th? w?rld'? b?gg??t l??? ?f the modern t?m??,
unfl?n?h?ngl? b?l??v?d ?nd br??d???t b? a ?r?f?t-hunt?ng m?d??'.
In??d?nt?ll?, b??t?f???t??n ?n th? Catholic r?l?g??n (which m??n?
bl????ng of the ??ul ?f the d??????d by the Pope) ?? not s r?r? as
is m?d? ?ut t? b?. Sh? will be numb?r 1319 ?n th? r?w ?f th???
b??t?f??d ??rl??r. Art??l? 51A (h) ?f th? Ind??n Constitution ????gn?
Indian ??t?z?n? a fund?m?nt?l dut? t? d?v?l?? the ????nt?f??
t?m??r, hum?n??m ?nd th? spirit ?f ?n?u?r? ?nd r?f?rm.
However, ?t is difficult t? f?ght with f??th ?nd ?u??r?t?t??n
especially in a ??untr? where a l?rg? ???t??n ?f th? ???ul?t??n is
extremely ???r, illiterate ?nd superstitious. Laws don't change
blind f??th. Only r????n can.
In ???t? ?f ?ll th? ?r?t????m ?nd ?nt?g?n??m, M?th?r? h?l? has
r?m??n?d intact. A d?m?nut?v? figure became ?n? ?f the m??t
f?m?u? personalities of ?ur ?g?. When ?h? d??d ?n 13
S??t?mb?r 1997, ?t the ?g? ?f ??ght?-??v?n ?t Calcutta, she w??
accorded a ?t?t? funeral. Princes, Pr???d?nt?, Prime M?n??t?r?,
Ambassadors, celebrities, ??????l r??r???nt?t?v?? of h??d? ?f
St?t?? ?nd thr?? ?u??n? attended th? funeral. Ind?? w??
represented b? h?r Pr?m? Minister I.K. Gujaral ????m??n??d by
h?? wife.