Today when my son
gave a lovely greeting to his mother on Mothers’ day it was a time travel, a
flashback into my childhood. I am not an atheist but a rationalist and being a
rationalist I never believed in any rituals, tenets, astrology, etc. My father
is a retired teacher and was involved in many social welfare activities
especially in the tribal areas. He always taught us about virtues but was a
staunch opponent of superstitions prevailing over there.
One day I asked him
about the most subjective mysteries of the world i.e., “GOD”. My inquisitive mind always wondered does God exist, if yes
how does he manifest? Different people had different views and as a teenager I
was confused with their nebulous notions. Most people associated God with
rituals. I wanted to clarify with my dad. He is a well-read person and had a
deep understanding of theology and literature. He told me most of the people in
the world are agnostic. The believers still may have a doubt in some corner of
their mind and the non-believers as well, only God knows the truth everyone else
is just putting forth theories. But if he ever manifests then it is in the form
of virtuous beings who serve the mankind selflessly. And he told me an
interesting and inspiring true story of one of the mankind’s greatest endeavors
which reminded me of Mothers’ day.
Mother Teresa was
born in Macedonia and she came to India to serve the poor and for the
upliftment of these most neglected strata of society. Her decision to abandon a
happy life in Macedonia and live with the poor and downtrodden to give them a
meaningful life was a divine call. It is said when we develop compassion God
unfolds the mystery.
He continued there
were many wise people in human society who may have served the mankind in their
own way but what makes Mother Teresa the quintessential saint is the fact that
she came to a country which though had great heritage but was of large
diversity in terms of linguistic, cultural, socio-economic status and was
gripped by many social stigmas like – caste based discrimination, blind faith,
male dominated society and antipathy towards foreigners due to colonial rule in
those days. And despite of so many hurdles, constraints and adverse situation she
had a rock-solid determination and achieved something which was considered mere
impossible in those days.
He said God is love,
how he manifests is immaterial but by expression of love we can feel and
realize God. Our commitment to society and relentless service to mankind for
the upliftment of society is the greatest service to God if he ever exists in
whichever form.
He further explained
we can earn a living, gratify our senses and become happy but that is short
lived. After a while we are fed up and the pursuit for happiness goes on, it’s
never ending. But by living and caring for the needy I find perfect bliss and
immense everlasting pleasure.
Every individual
should take inspiration from great souls like Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.
Our heart should be magnanimous; our mind should be full of enlightened wisdom,
fair enough to care for our fellow beings. The journey of life becomes memorable
only if we allow thriving of our brethren, helping them to live and lead a
happy and healthy life. Pluralism, inclusivity and integrating all sections of
society with the mainstream are the key messages form the works of great saints
like Mother Teresa. “One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to
anybody.” was the message of Mother Teresa. Her message to human society can be delivered by our adherence to Ethics
and catering to healthcare needs of the patients as a professional.
After he concluded
with these words I could understand his noble journey in the hilly terrain regions
of remote areas with dense forests for the tribals was a divine call as well. I
still cherish those kind words and feel happy and proud. Although I could not
carry on the baton of my grandfather who provided free medications to tribals
and my father who fought for the rights of deprived children but I decided to
work with healthcare companies which cater to the society for betterment of
mankind and provide them a healthier life. By showing commitment to my work and
ensuring that we comply with the highest standards of Quality I feel that is
how I am living my Credo of life.
I feel blessed to
have world’s most caring mother who taught me to have a vision and keep moving
steadfastly in life and this article is dedicated to all the mothers who make
the life of their children happy and meaningful by their selfless love, compassion
and sacrifice.
"The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World"
- William Ross Wallace
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