Lakhs queue up at Mother House on special day

KOLKATA: Every eye was moist, every face smiling. The wait was long, so the jubilation at Mother House on Sunday morning was unmistakable.
On Sunday, the canonization ceremony at St Peter's Square was attended by thousands of people. Back in her hometown, the excitement was palpable. Lakhs of Mother's disciples and well-wishers flocked to various churches to participate in the celebrations and pay obeisance.Mother House, home to the saint, was the epicentre.
Tuberoses placed by disciples and devotees jostled for space at the foot of Mother's statue outside her mausoleum. Hundreds of people, flowers in hand, queued outside Mother House waiting for their turn.
Inside Mother House, people started taking their seats from early morning. The telecast of the entire ceremony was beamed live on three big screens. Even then, it ran out of space. After benches got filled, people sat on the floor. Those who could not get space on the floor stood for over four hours to witness history being scripted.
"Mother went through so many hardships to help others. Standing here for over four hours is the least I can do to pay my respect to Mother," said 62-year-old Pradipta Biswas.
Trinamool leaders Firhad Hakim, Sultan Ahmed and Idris Ali placed flowers at Mother's tomb on behalf of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is in the Vatican City to attend the canonization. Senior nuns at Mother House had a tough time to maintain order amid the surge of emotion.
"Nobody ever returned from Mother's door empty-handed. Even today, there is huge rush but we are not stopping anybody from entering and paying homage," said Sister Priya Mohan, trying to arrange seating for everybody.
Sister Arti Christine Ghosh from a church in Bandel reached Mother House on AJC Bose Road at 7am on Sunday. Minati Hazra, who works as domestic help, took the first train from Sonarpur to reach Sealdah and walked.
"I was inspired by Mother Teresa and decided to walk on the path of God and help the poor. For any follower of Mother, this is a very huge occasion. I want to be praying with other nuns at the moment she is declared a Saint," said sister Arti.
The surge of people continued to swell till late afternoon. A serpentine queue coiled up in parts in the narrow lane leading up to the entrance. Waiting patiently was Gautam Biswas, who brought with him an autograph that Mother gave him in 1994. "I had come to Mother with some problem, which she solved for me. Before leaving, she signed this for me," said the Bagnan resident.
A little after Pope Francis declared Mother as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, the overcast sky opened up, just like the hundreds of eyes inside Mother House. The divine link was impossible to ignore.