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The apostle of true love
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Another book on the Mother is just out. Rukmini Chawla Kumar's effort is interspersed with moving episodes drawn from her personal experiences with the Mother, says APS MALHOTRA
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REMEMBERING THE MOTHER Author Rukmini Chawla Kumar (centre) with Sisters from Missionaries of Charity in New Delhi PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY
Sometimes in the history of humankind are born individuals who create a place in the collective conscience of we all, which even the forbidding tides of time are unable to erase. This acceptance, spanning continents, people and societies, attains greater meaning when accomplished without the help of pelf or power. Mother Teresa, eulogised the world over, is one such person, who, from a humble beginning, transcended barriers of culture and nationality to carve a niche, which is nothing short of a miracle.
There have been numerous books and articles written on the life and works of Mother, which have touched aspects pertaining to her in great detail. While her life has been a source of inspiration for the generation which had the privilege of living in the times when Mother did most of her work, it will be a misfortune of immense proportions if this amazing saga is relegated to the footnotes of history, particularly for the generation born after Mother passed away in 1997.
"When Penguin approached me sometime in 2003 to write a biography of the Mother, targeted at the generation born after 1997, I was excited and agreed immediately," says Rukmini Chawla Kumar, the author of the recently released book "Apostle of Love - the Life of Mother Teresa". "What made the effort even more precious for me is the close interaction which I had with Mother, personally as also with other projects of the Missionaries of Charity, since I was a kid," says Rukmini. Not surprisingly, the narrative of the book is interspersed with moving episodes drawn from the writer's personal experiences.
As Anil Wilson, Principal of St. Stephen's College, recounted after reading passages from the book for a select audience at the India International Centre this week, "It is a book which appeals even to adults, the storyline is made all the more poignant by Rukmini's insight inspired from her close association with Mother and her work". Dr. Wilson, who was effusive in his praise for his former student at Stephen's, was presented a copy of the book. Another noted personality, Syeda Hameed, was also presented a copy by Rukmini.
Dr. Hameed, who also read excerpts from the book, recounted that at times "my eyes dampened while reading, so evocative is the writer's style - simple yet very personal". As Rukmini said rather pensively, "In effect, I digressed from the brief which Penguin gave me, that was to write a book in Mother's memory for the current generation, so that her redoubtable contribution is not consigned to a few lines in history books. I deliberately added facets which have made the book readable even for those not so young," she added.
Interesting sketches
The text in the biography, written straight from the heart, is richly complemented by interesting sketches by two young girls who have encapsulated Rukmini's thoughts into drawing.
The book reading session was attended among others by the Archbishop of Delhi and Sisters from the Missionaries of Charity. "Blessed is the era in which people like Mother Teresa are born, for they manage to affect the lives of so many of God's children, by their caring thoughts and tender touch, whom, otherwise, an increasingly self centred and materialistic world deems fit to ignore. It is this spirit of compassion for the dying and the destitute, for whom Mother was God's angel, that needs to be made known, and relevant to the current generation," said Rukmini.
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