Bhubaneswar, Sept. 4: Today was the most memorable day in the life of Sister Mary Olivet. Along with hundreds of followers of Mother Teresa, Olivet bore witness to the ceremony of the Odisha government naming a road in the state capital after the saint.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today declared the stretch from Janpath junction to Satya Nagar flyover as Saint Mother Teresa Road coinciding with her canonisation in the Vatican.
"Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity to take care of the poorest of the poor. All of us who chose to follow her path believe our lives became meaningful. She has done a lot for Odisha and I feel there could be no better way to pay tributes to her on this day," said Olivet, head of the Missionaries of Charity in Odisha.
"All through her life Mother Teresa served the unserved. She was the quintessence of compassion. She was an angel to the distressed and diseased," said the chief minister.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation took the decision to rename the road on request of Odisha Catholic Bishops' Council chairman Archbishop John Barwa SVD of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar on behalf of the Missionaries of Charity in Odisha.
"We are grateful to the state government for listening to our request. It is our tribute to Mother Teresa for her invaluable contribution to humanity through her service and charity. Through this naming of a road, may we all remember the works of the saint for the people of Odisha and strive to serve humanity in our own way," said Archbishop Barwa.
Mother Teresa first visited Bhubaneswar in 1974 and met the then Odisha chief minister, Nandini Satpathy, and the then Odisha governor, Akbar Ali Khan. Since then, Mother Teresa visited the state several times.
In Odisha, the Missionaries of Charity have nine homes for the sick, abandoned and elders, six homes for children and three centres for leprosy patients.
Recently, the state government had asked the Odisha unit of the Missionaries of Charity to take care of women who were mentally ill and a few homeless men.
"At present, around 90 of them avail the service at four different centres in Odisha. There are many stories of healing and reunion," Olivet said.
Housing and urban development minister Pushpendra Singh Deo, MLAs Bijoy Mahanty, Priyadarshi Mishra, Debasish Samantaray and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation mayor Ananta Narayana Jena were present on the occasion.
Celebrations were under way at the various charity homes in the state with sweets being distributed. A special prayer meeting was also held to commemorate the saint.
A number of people related to the homes and youngsters attended the event.
"She taught us to take care of those who are a burden on society. You do not always have to join the missionary to follow her ideals. All that matters is helping the poor in every little way," said Sreeja Poonam, a 25-year-old architect who was present during the event.
Internationally acclaimed sand sculptor Sudarshan Patnaik created a sculpture at Puri to pay tributes to the "dispenser of mercy".
MOTHER, AN INSPIRATION
My husband is a great follower of Mother Teresa. Once he took me to one of her centres. I was enriched during that visit and since then I visit one of her centres whenever I have free time to serve the needy
Saumya Mahapatra, homemaker
I have always been attracted to the work and life of Mother Teresa. I read stories about how she connected with
the mentally challenged and that has helped me in my job a lot
Asit Kumar Behera, social activist
I once visited a leprosy centre run by the Missionaries of Charity. The sisters were so friendly and I realised what selfless service was. I cherish that experience and it reminds me of Mother Teresa’s contributions to this country
Md Imran Ali, social activist
My grandfather had the privilege of meeting her in Calcutta. He told me tales of how she would pick up anyone from the streets and serve them. Listening to tales of Mother Teresa gave me the inspiration to teach slum children for free
Amrita Patnaik, IT professional
