The Mother House, Kolkata
AN ELGIN EXCLUSIVE FEATURE By Aanchal Lulla & Tarusi Saluja
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier” – Mother Teresa
“The spirit of Mother is sure to inspire us to journey from culture of fragmentation to the culture of communion, from culture of indifference to the culture of compassion.” – A comment in the visitor’s book of the Mother Teresa House, Kolkata
Mother Teresa is the epitome of peace, love, and happiness. When she arrived in India, she started as a teacher but she was gutted by the widespread poverty in Calcutta, and this led to the establishment of the “The Missionaries of Charity” in 1950. Their purpose is to aid mankind with the oath of “Wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor”.
The house consists of 4,500 members of the congregation known as sisters who have unconditionally dedicated their lives to assist the crippled, the addicts, the ones who are mentally challenged or are dying, former prostitutes, abandoned children and those who have fallen prey to natural disasters.
Image by @yorker516_, Instagram
This is the room where she slept, she dreamt & she poured out powerful prayers for the multitudes that she loved. Her name is praised all over the world for the good works that she did, but I‘m convinced the way she lived serves as a model for us all. She was someone who sought after a life of God filled purpose, and she spent herself doing everyday what we are all made for; to receive love and to give it away and to keep on loving and never stop.
Connected to the main building is a mini-museum named ‘Mother Teresa’s Life, Spirit and Message’ which displays Mothers’ epochal white saree with a blue border, her sandals, her enamel dinner bowl, rosary, crucifix, and her handwritten letters and spiritual exhortations.
After Mother Teresa’s demise in 1997, she was put to rest in a tomb that honours the life of hard work and compassion that she lived. The overall look of the tomb is plain yet it emanates immense amounts of virtue and goodness that fills the heart with tranquillity.
Mother’s tomb has become a quiet place of pilgrimage and reverence and offers the quiet amidst the chaos of Kolkata.
This holy place is located near Ripon Street which is in close proximity to The Elgin Fairlawn, Kolkata and having a travel time of just 6 to 7 minutes by car. Visiting the Mother House would be a great idea if you are searching for peace and simplicity in the city of joy.
