Five minutes before she got onto the altar of the Sant’andrea della Valle Basilica of Rome, Usha Uthup calls her daughter Anjali Uthup Kurian in Kochi. She shares her excitement with her daughter, on how overwhelmed she is getting one of the best blessings to remember for a lifetime.
As the world is keenly looking forward to this day, when the canonisation of the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is to become a reality, this Kolkata-based singer gets a chance, a rare one, as the world marks this day with historic importance.
Several singers from across the world have come to sing for the musical meditation. It is understandable that Usha Uthup, the only singer from India, is over the moon. “Amma called me right before she got onto the stage. She was so overwhelmed with excitement, as it is a very special moment for her,” shares Anjali.
Usha initially planned to sing two songs, one English The Poorest of The Poor and another Bengali song — Lakh lakh, hazar hazar, both composed by her. However due to time constraints, she could only sing The Poorest of The Poor, the song which was composed by the singer when Mother Teresa passed away.
Anjali talks about her family’s association with the Mother even as the testimony ceremony was happening in Rome. “Mother Teresa is someone we grew up with. She has come home for tea, had eaten food in our table, she had eaten idli, she had grown very closely with my amma and amma with her. In fact we have grown up seeing her in our house. So when such an event is happening, we feel very blessed to have such memories with her. Amma can never be more happy in her life,” she signs off.
