Devi Shetty with Mother Teresa

Devi Shetty was Mother Teresa’s chosen physician for six years

It is very difficult to turn a man of science into a believer. Only a divine lady like Mother Teresa has the power to change a mindset. My faith in God was reinstated after I met her.

In the six years that I was blessed to be her physician, I found Mother to be a simple, unassuming lady who ate very little and complained even less. Even when she was admitted at the BM Birla Heart Research Centre, Mother would never say what was troubling her health-wise. We often got inputs from the sisters. A model patient, Mother would bear her pain silently, letting the doctors do their task.

It was amusing to watch her introduce herself to people. Once I accompanied her to a hospital where Mother wanted to meet some patients. She walked up to the receptionist and introduced herself, although the whole world knew her! I think she was not aware how big a source of inspiration she was to the world.

There are so many memories.... Once after seeing a blue baby, Mother said, ‘God must have been absent-minded when he made such children. Then he sent doctors to fix them’. It was one of the best compliments I had ever received.

What started as a professional relationship soon became a personal one. I would often drop by at Mother House, sometimes just for a chat or to greet her during a festival.

When I wanted to admit my daughter in Sophia High School in Bangalore, I approached the nuns of the school, armed with a letter of recommendation from Mother. As soon as I showed the letter to the nuns, they snatched it from me. It was so precious to them, they did not know what to say. It was the biggest treasure the school could have!

Mother’s spiritual presence is just what the world needs now. But I don’t want a second Mother. We can only have one lady like her. She will live on through her work.