As a country with 1.25 billion people and a large Christian population, India will soon receive a saint who spent most of her life in the streets of the city, Calcutta.
The work she did was not only limited to this one city, but instead spread throughout the whole country and even continues today.
ANIL WADHWA
Ambassador of India
'I think it was a tremendous impact that Mother Teresa had on India, because she was involved in a lot of work with the less priviledged sections of the population. In many parts of India, in fact, not just in West Bengal and Calcutta, which she's known for. But in the latter part of her life, she was also traveling around India.â?
Her impact spread not only through serving the poor, but also through her work as a teacher, caregiver to the elderly and those with incurable diseases. She even left an impression on the Ambassador of India, who met her during a trip to the Embassy in Bejing.
ANIL WADHWA
Ambassador of India
'What struck me most about her was that she was extremely modest and simple in her way of life and dressing, and also, very soft-spoken. She was someone who when you met, she left a lasting impression on you because of her simplicity and because of her modesty and kindness.â?
While she was modest, she was powerful. She left large impacts on India and even helped turn around Calcutta, which the Ambassador said was in such a bad condition, nobody wanted to visit the city in those years.
ANIL WADHWA
Ambassador of India
'At the time that she worked in India, Calcutta was not going through a good time, economically. But over the years, things have improved in the same place that she worked. After the 1990 reforms in India, the Indian economy has picked up and is doing well, West Bengal is doing well now, as a state in general. So the ammenities available for people have improved a lot and the government has paid a lot of attention to the slum areas.â?
Now, the Indian government continues to help and works closely with the Missionaries of Charity with new hospitals and facilities. For the canonization, the government has sent a 17-member delegation to Rome, to honor the future saint and her work in India.
ANIL WADHWA
Ambassador of India
'People have a sense of pride in the fact that Mother Teresa is going to be canonized and that she will be remembered as a saint. Of course, they are already very proud of the fact that she's a nobel audit and when the beautification took place, they were already very happy with that. So this is one next step. All over India, whenever this happens, there's a feeling of happiness. It also inspires a lot of people to follow that model of life.â?
Mother Teresa becoming a saint gives the Indian people a great sense of pride. They hope that people around the world will see the change that she brought to Calcutta and want to come see the city where the saint lived for themselves.
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