We have lost mother: missionary sisters

Hyderabad: India has lost the shadow of Mother Teresa, said sisters at the Missionaries of Charity, following the death of Sister Nirmala. Sister Nirmala devoted her life to the service of the poor, needy and downtrodden. She has shown the path of light with service as motto to mankind.

Following the sad news, the sisters at the Missionaries of Charity held a special Mass on Tuesday morning in the city, followed by prayers in the afternoon. “Sister Nirmala served as the Superior General of the Missionaries for 12 years; she was our mother after Mother Teresa. She had never come to Hyderabad but had visited Vijayawada.

We have lost a mother and so has the country. There are 17 houses of sisters for charity in combined Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,” said one of the sisters at the Clock Tower Missionary.

Mr Akella Venkat Suryanarayana, writer of Mother Teresa, the play, who worked with Sister Nirmala said, “I had the privilege to meet the Sister twice when I visited Kolkata.” “We called her Second Mother Teresa. It’s a great loss to many,” said Mr Suddala Ashok Teja, poet who had several interactions with Sister Nirmala in Kolkata.

Many from the city had visited Kolkata and have been to the sister’s home. One among them was Mr Anup Ruben, music director. He said, “I never had a chance to meet Mother Teresa but I have seen a lot of the mother in sister Nirmala.

I was totally shocked when I entered the house. There were beggars with leprosy, people with wounds on the body, bleeding, pus oozing from wounds and the sisters were personally wiping it. I saw Sister Nirmala consoling each and every person and feeding them like a mother.”