AN ONGOING MISSION
Despite all she had done, there was residual anger over Mother Teresa’s
presence so near a Hindu temple. One Calcutta city council member intro-
duced a motion that called for moving the home to a more suitable loca-
tion. City leaders debated the issue and then agreed that, as soon as a
suitable location was found for Nirmal Hriday, the facility would be moved.
As most officials were happy with what Mother Teresa was doing, however,
they tended to downplay complaints. And since they did not want Mother
Teresa to leave, no one even proposed an alternate location for Nirmal Hri-
day, which continues to operate in the same location even today.
Most patients at Nirmal Hriday fell into two categories: street cases, or
people who had no family and were destitute, and family cases, where
family members were unwilling or unable to care for those, especially the
elderly, who were sick. In family cases, if the elderly patient recovered, the
sisters made every effort to reunite the family members. Later on, those
patients abandoned by their families were transferred to Prem Dan, a
home established in 1975 for the elderly poor, and those ill but with a
good chance of recovery. No matter the distinctions, the sisters tried
never to turn anyone away who was in need.
Since it first opened in 1952, Nirmal Hriday has rescued more than
54,000 persons from the street. Of that number, half died at the home. Al-
though a mortality rate of 50 percent is high, Nirmal Hriday was a home
for the dying. In this respect, Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Char-
ity succeeded in their mission to provide a sanctuary for those with
nowhere else to go to make their peace with God and to die with dignity.
The home also emerged as one of the most potent symbols in the West for
Mother Teresa and her work. As she later wrote, “In my heart, I carry the
last glances of the dying. I do all I can so that they feel loved at that most
important moment when a seemingly useless existence can be re-
deemed.”^5
EARLY CRITICS
No sooner had the criticism of Nirmal Hriday died down, then rum-
blings about Mother Teresa herself surfaced. These criticisms grew
throughout the decade and followed her for years. As the number of
Mother Teresa’s detractors increased, the debate about her character and
her attitudes toward such controversial topics as abortion and family plan-
ning intensified. As donations to her order increased, Mother Teresa came
under scrutiny for accepting contributions from questionable donors.
KALIGHAT 73