Mother Teresa International Award Committee completes 20 years

Kolkata, Jan. 20, 2020: Free Voice India spoke with the Award Committee Chairperson Anthony Arun Biswas who admitted that while the Missionaries of Charity objected in promoting Kolkata’s very own Mother Teresa, he and his organisation used the name of the Saint to get name and fame.

Mother Teresa International Award Committee today reached its 20th year and gave away awards in different fields to achievers at EZCC auditorium.

The programme was attended by the Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar and the former Governor and former Chief Justice Shayamal Kumar Sen.

What exactly did Anthony Arun Biswas, Chairman, Mother Teresa International Award Committee, had to say about his Award Ceremony?

Here are the selected excerpts from his interview:

Q: The Award ceremony is being held for 20 years. What is the force behind it?

Anthony Arun Biswas: After Mother Teresa passed away in 1997, one year passed, and on her first death anniversary, nothing was done by the Government of India or the State Government. They forgot Mother Teresa. Then I, along with some other people met the then Mayor Prasanta Chatterjee and proposed to name a street after her and institute her idol. I sent him a letter and he gave permission in writing.

You had no connection with the Missionaries of Charity…

They were not in the picture. They were silent. When the Mayor allowed, Sister Nirmala, the then Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity said that we cannot do this and that they want nothing to be done, no idols, nothing. Then there was an altercation between me and Sister Nirmala. I told her that I will not listen to her.

So there is no connection between your organisation and the Missionaries of Charity?

No. When the Missionaries of Charity saw that we are not listening to them, they approached the then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. The CM then asked the Mayor to tell us to stop our work.

We then went to the High Court. The High Court ordered a status quo.

We approached Pratap Chandra Chandra, who as the Chairman of the Committee that renamed roads. He resulted in renaming Park Street after Mother Teresa.

In 2000, we thought of instituting an award in Mother Teresa’s name. From 2001, Mother Teresa International Award and Mother Teresa Ratna, in the lines of Bharat Ratna was instituted.

If the Missionaries of Charity were with you, would things be different?

I wanted their support. We are not doing anything wrong. We are spreading the name of Mother Teresa in the market.