India harshly rejects sending Mother Teresa’s remains to Albania

NEW DELHI, Oct 13 – The remains of Mother Teresa of Calcutta will not be transferred to Albania, as requested by Tirana, but will remain in the courtyard of the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity ‘in Kolkata (Indian state of West Bengal) where they are currently buried.
The Indian Express newspaper quoted an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman reacting on the proposal of the Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha to return the remains of the Nobel Peace Prize 1979 to mark the centenary of his birth.
Spokesman Vishnu Prakash said that, “Mother Teresa was a citizen of India and will remain ‘in her country, her homeland.”
Mother Teresa was a Kolkatan, part of the city’s heritage and one could not give history away – be it intellectuals, Christian organizations or the common person, according to Kolkatans.
Mother Teresa – born Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Skopje in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on Aug 26, 1910, to an ethnic Albanian family – made Kolkata her home for 68 years caring for the poor and the infirm. After her death on Sep 5, 1997, she was buried in Mother House, the global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity (MoC) founded by her, in central Kolkata.
Berisha’s request has sparked outrage and consternation in the city she made her home.
“She may have been an Albanian. But she became Mother Teresa because of her work in Kolkata. She came to India, and then selected Kolkata as her home and workplace.
“She lived here by choice. She also died here. So I think in respect to her memory her remains should be allowed to remain here,” Magsaysay award winning litterateur Mahasweta Devi said.
Added eminent filmmaker Mrinal Sen: “I do understand the Albanian government’s sentiments. But she started her work in Kolkata. And this city remained the epicenter of all her activities. So, I don’t see any reason why her remains should be taken out of the city.”
Mother Teresa’s grave – a simple rectangular cement tomb three feet high in what was earlier a dining room – is a big draw for foreigners as also Indians visiting the city. A biblical verse is carved on a white marble marker: “Love one another as I have loved you”.
The long, narrow room faces the street, and has received dignitaries ranging from heads of state, world famous sportspersons and top cultural celebrities from across the globe.
Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), the apex body of Christians in West Bengal, also strongly opposed the Albanian prime minister’s move.
“What he has said is baseless. The Mother took Indian citizenship. So she was an Indian by choice. Nobody can support the Albanian government’s stand,” BCP general secretary Herod Mullick said.
Tulsi Prasad Dutta, a banker, was visibly angry too. “Mother is an inspiration for us. For us, she is a part of Kolkata’s heritage and history. How can we give away a piece of our history to foreigners?”
A top state government official said the decision on the matter rested with the central government, but it seemed unlikely that New Delhi would agree to the request from the former communist nation.
In 2003 Mother Teresa was beatified by the Vatican as a first step towards canonization. Beatification is the recognition given by the Catholic Church of a dead person’s accession to heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name. It is the third of the four steps in the process of canonization, which accords sainthood on the person by including his name in the canon or list of recognized saints.
Ahead of Mother Teresa’s birth centenary next year, the Centre putting all apprehensions and speculation to rest, has said under no circumstances would the government allow anyone to exhume her remains and hand these over to the Albanian government as demanded by that country.
Though the state government maintained that the final decision in this regard will be taken by the Centre, Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said, “It is highly unlikely and extraordinary that the Centre will ask the state government to send the remains to that country.”
When asked to comment, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, “The issue comes under the Ministry of External Affairs. You better check with them.”
Intellectuals, on the other hand, fumed over such a request from the Albanian government.
“For as long as they were Communists, they did not accept Mother Teresa. Now they come with this request. It should be thrown into the waste paper basket,” said Sunil Gangopadhyay, literatteur and president of Sahitya Academy.
Filmmaker Gautam Ghosh also voiced similar sentiment.
“It is sheer meanness. Mother Teresa worked all her life in Kolkata and was an Indian citizen. How can they now claim her? It is strange that it is an official request,” he said.