When I think about selfless care for others, the first name that comes to my mind is that of Mother Teresa. The first time I saw her picture, I thought if God had a face, this would be it. Such an angel like appearance.She had lived her whole life for the welfare of others. She became the support of the poor, sick, and helpless people.

Mother Teresa was born on 26 August 1910 at  Skopje. When she was only 9 years old, her father Nikola Bojaxhiu had died. After Nicola’s death, his business partners ran away with all the money. Her mother, Dranafile Bojaxhiu never lost hope. Mother Teresa  childhood name was Agnes. Agnes and her mother helped others as far as possible and also they always prayed for the others. After her graduation, Agnes decided that she wanted to be a Nun.

Mother Teresa came to India in  and started teaching. When the second world war happened, Teresa was stunned by this decay of humanity. The partition of India, was also a very crucial period when Mother Teresa and other Missionaries helped each and every one. On 7 October 1950, Teresa established ‘Missionaries of Charity’ in Calcutta. Later, they opened many institutions across the globe. She received the Jewel of India, India’s supreme civilian honor, Bharat Ratna in 1980. Mother Teresa received the world’s highest award, Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work “in providing relief to humanity’s suffering. In her old age, she had faced many health issues. And on 5 September 1997, at the age of 87, she died in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Mother Teresa stands out as the greatest human of the 20th century. She aligned her vision of empathy and humanity and treated everyone with compassion. Her efforts helped millions of people who were suffering from disease, poverty, homelessness and starvation.

By: Hema Nair (Volunteer At RSKS India)