A young missionary, Sister Teresa, arrived in 1929 and moved to the town of Darjeeling in Lower Himalayas. She began teaching at a local school there. Later, almost a decade later, she moved to Loreto School in Kolkata (then Calcutta) to continue teaching there. Here, she grew as a teacher as well as a human being. She served at Loreto for about two decades and became the headmistress of the school in 1944. This is where she learnt Bengali, and was able to connect with the local people.
She served at Loreto for about two decades and became the headmistress of the school in 1944. This is where she learnt Bengali, and was able to connect with the local people.
During the famine of Bengal in 1943, she was moved by the apathy of the people and their condition. She writes in her diary that on one of the train journeys to Darjeeling she had an inner calling to serve towards the poor people of Bengal. She had a simple thought in her mind that defying this calling would be going against the will of the divine, and so she chose the path to serve the needy ones.
In 1946 she left the school to serve to her purpose. In the initial years she faced a lot of hardships. There were no funds, no money and she literally had to beg for food and supplies, and faced a lot of difficulty. There were moments of temptations to return to the comfort of the convent. But she had already chosen this path.
There were no funds, no money and she literally had to beg for food and supplies, and faced a lot of difficulty. There were moments of temptations to return to the comfort of the convent. But she had already chosen this path.
She had given up the Loreto habit and adopted for a simple white cotton sari with a blue border. She also had adopted Indian citizenship. And, it was a simple choice. Defying this choice meant doubting her faith and the chosen path. With that simple thought she continued her stride to serve the poorest of the poor.
For this simple choice that she made, there were no reasons, no conditions. Like love, a choice too is simple, unconditional and firmly rooted. That path took her a long way. Today the world knows her for her work. But, that never mattered. What mattered (and still does) is her choice to work and cause a difference to the lives of many.
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