A Short Biography of Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa also known as the 'mother of the world.' She was a kind, soft-spoken and a dedicated woman. She wore a simple white sari and lead a simple life. She neither had any greed for money nor for property. During her lifespan she built several schools, dispensaries and clinics to look after and care for the less privileged people of the society. Besides, she also built houses for the orphans.

She had the firm belief of serving the people and winning their loyalty was the real wealth she could boast off. Her mission in life was simple and straightforward that is, to serve people without any discrimination of caste, creed, religion and nationality. She carried on the work of serving the poor throughout her life and therefore she is the 'mother of the world'.

She was born on 26th of August, 1910 in the town of Skopje in Albania. She was the youngest member of the family. Her childhood name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She received her education from the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her mother was a religious lady and she inspired her to a great extent. When she was only 17 she had the wish to become a nun.

She came to Kolkata in 1929 and spent more than 17 years teaching as a teacher. In 1946, she decided to move out into the slums of Kolkata adopting children, giving out free medicines to the needy and food to the poor. Soon she started a school in Kolkata, in the Moti jheel area. It was a school without any proper books, furniture and blackboards, but within two weeks she had many followers to join and work with her for her mission of life. Besides, she also started a dispensary for the poor.

In the month of February, 1953, her missionaries of Charity or the Mother House moved to Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road, Kolkata. She established the Nirmal Hriday for the poor, sick and the destitute. Similarly, Shishu Bhavan and Gandhi Prem Nivas came into existence in this fashion.

Soon several charity schools grew up where vocational training sessions were provided. These had the goal to make the people learn while they learn. Mother and the people not only met in India, but in other countries of the world likes Australia, England, USA, Mauritius, New York, San Francisco, etc.

She received several awards and titles for her selfless, pious and saintly work. She received the Nobel Prize in 1979, for her noble work and ideas. In 1980, she was honored with Bharat Ratna. Moreover, she was also the recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru award.

According to her, the poor and the unprivileged people of the society is God and serving them is like doing divine service and worshiping the God. Even during the last years of her life she carried on with her work of social help with full dedication and enthusiasm. Finally, she left us and the world on 5th of September, 1997. She is the mother and saint who transferred ideas into action for the well-being of the common people.