Mother Teresa, the saint of the gutters

Dubai - Exactly 19 years ago, Mother Teresa passed away in Calcutta, her adopted home. Now, a saint is born.

On September 5, 1997, I was working for a newsmagazine called Sunday, that was published out of Calcutta (it became Kolkata only in 2001). That high-energy evening, we were putting the final touches on a cover story package on Princess Diana, who had been killed in a car crash in Paris five days ago. Then, news broke: Mother Teresa, who had been ailing for a while, was no more. A few of my senior colleagues (one of whom had met Mother Teresa in person) spontaneously broke down. The cover story, obviously, got changed - it was a no-brainer as to who'd win the People's Princess vs Saint of the Gutters toss-up. Mother Teresa belonged to us; and by 'us', I meant, we, the people of Calcutta. in the Sunday office, a motley crew of us were suddenly united; we had to bring out the best tribute possible - and we had less than 24 hours to put it together.
Watch: Pope Francis declares Mother Teresa a saint

It was past 10pm, I remember, and a few of us stepped out of the Ananda Bazar Patrika building (Sunday was part of the ABP group) to buy dinner; we immediately noticed the hush that had descended upon the usually-bustling heart of the city. There were little impromptu gatherings of Calcuttans on sidewalks; as the streetlights picked up the cues, I saw people's faces tinged with sadness, their voices weighed down by "the shocking news". News updates were still coming in - when would Mother Teresa's body be taken to her beloved Missionaries of Charity; when would it be open for public viewing?


When I reached home, well after midnight, my parents were glued to the television set; series of montages of Mother Teresa were being played out on every channel. I tried to put up the volume, only to be told by my mother, "Keep it down, it's a time of mourning." Next morning, a colleague and I undertook a bumpy ride up to Mother House at 6am on his scooter. It was just after sunrise, yet the place was bursting at the seams: crowds had gathered for a glimpse of the woman who they referred to as 'Ma' (mother) - and who was no more; nobody had told them that the body hadn't actually arrived yet; when somebody did, they didn't care, they just wanted to wait.

The burial - on September 13 - was widely televised and followed all over the world. In fact, it was for the first time that a death of "international magnitude" had "shaken" the city (even 'infrastructure' had to be given a quick facelift before the funeral - roads were tarred, pavements painted, the route of the hearse procession spring-cleaned). A few years later, the city's "most famous" thoroughfare, Park Street, was renamed Mother Teresa Sarani (sarani is Bengali for road). She remains, she walks through the city's soul, many said.

Mother Teresa is officially a saint! Here's a portion of the Pope's declaration! #MotherTeresa https://t.co/Q80ihsT3nx
- Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) September 4, 2016

Today, I read about how Mother House in Kolkata erupted in joy after news of the canonisation poured in. There are celebrations all across the city - there are WhatsApp messages coming in every five minutes from friends in Kolkata; Facebook is full of St Teresa. Exactly 19 years after a heartbroken city bid farewell to the 'Saint of the Gutters', a saint has been born.

sushmita@khaleejtimes.com

• India

Sushmita Bose

• sushmita@khaleejtimes.com