When ‘Punishment’ Turns a ‘Blessing’

It was on September 4, 2016 - 10 years ago - that Pope Francis canonised Mother Teresa at The Vatican, formally declaring a saint the frail, tiny nun whose life of compassion had transcended religion, nationality and borders.

Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, later Mother Teresa, was born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, North Macedonia in Europe and became eternal on September 5, 1997 (aged 87) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

As a teen, Anjeze joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland in 1928, from where she was transferred to Kolkata. Established the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, to serve the poorest of the poor, and is now spread to over 135 countries.

Nearly three-and-a-half decades ago, I had the extraordinary privilege of meeting Mother Teresa in Mumbai - and, more incredibly, receiving her blessing and a gentle touch on my shoulder.

The story began rather unromantically.

In the early 1990s, Mother Teresa had come to Mumbai to attend a private NGO function at the Y.B. Chavan Auditorium at Nariman Point.

I was then working as a Sr. Reporter with The Indian Express. My boss, Chief Reporter (the late) D. K. Raikar - later Group Editor of Lokmat Media Ltd. - scanned the newsroom, spotted me lolling around in a corner and promptly declared: “Go and cover this.”

Hoping to dodge it, I protested mildly that I was busy on another story, but Raikar didn’t budge. I scowled behind him and reluctantly, I trudged the half-kilometre from Express Towers to the auditorium, feeling I was given a ‘punishment’ assignment.

At the venue, cheerful young female volunteers in saris smiled brightly and ushered me, oblivious of my current black mood. One of them escorted me right in the centre of the front row, under a conspicuous “PRESS” sticker.

It soon dawned on me in the darkness that I was the only reporter covering the event - all other media seats were unoccupied. I was alone in the crowd – with no escape route.

Resigned to my chore, I sat through the two-hour function, almost frozen in the full-blast air-conditioned atmosphere. Finally, the event ended, the curtains fell, I started thawing, and raring to rush out.

Just then, one of the smiling volunteers hurried towards me and chirped. “Sir, Can you please come… Mother Teresa would like to meet you backstage.”

I again protested, saying I had to rush and file my report, but her sweet insistence melted all my resistance, and like a sheep, I followed her, from the right-side entrance onto the stage.

Under the glaring arclights, I had my first-ever, close-up ‘darshan’ of Mother Teresa, in her trademark white sari with a blue border. I noticed her fair and bare wrinkled hands, her deeply lined face, a warm glow and penetrating eyes, perpetually in a sweet smile.

Dazed, I simply kept staring at her. Seeing her in flesh-and-blood, I felt a new surge of energy inside me and I looked forward to My Encounter With Mother Teresa.

There were a couple of others waiting and I nervously joined the short queue. Then came my turn.

A female volunteer introduced me. Mother Teresa instantly made me comfortable with her unforgettable, radiant, almost toothless smile, welcoming me as her powerful eyes gazed at me lovingly - and beckoned me closer.

She touched my shoulder and gently asked: “What is your name, son?”

I replied, and she looked at me and said: “Pleased to meet you… God bless you, my son.”

I thanked her, murmured that it was an honour to meet her, bowed in gratitude and slowly walked back down the stage. It was over. A few seconds, a few words, a gentle touch and a wealth of blessings. Decades have passed, yet that brief tete-a-tete  remains astonishingly vivid.

Today, looking back, the significance seems almost surreal: I had met a woman who would one day be formally declared a Saint, revered by millions across the world.

Something else remarkable – when a delicate but powerful woman looked up at a young reporter, called him ‘My Son’, patted and blessed him.

After the soothing spiritual experience, my earlier defiance at the ‘punishment assignment’ evaporated as it turned out to be a richly rewarding and memorable mission. I reached the office that evening and quietly filed my report.

The brief rendezvous became a lifelong memory. Even today, I remain profoundly grateful - and humbled - to count among the fortunate few whose lives were, however briefly, touched and haloed by Mother Teresa.