Kolkata Street Renamed After Mother Teresa

Kolkata – Kolkata's most popular street, the Park Street, was finally named after Mother Teresa, albeit seven years and three months after the death of the ‘Saint of the Gutters’ who trod the City’s streets day in and day out caring for the poor.

An arterial road in the heart of the city, Park Street links the city's sprawling brigade parade ground and Park Circus, one of Kolkata's biggest parks.

Nightclubs, bars, five–star hotels, shopping malls, churches and schools are situated along the stretch of the road, which was named after a deer park that no longer exists.

"Park Street has been named after Mother Teresa as she once used to live in a building on the road," said Kolkata mayor, Subrata Mukherjee, during the renaming ceremony on December 11, 2004. “It has been our policy to name streets in honour of outstanding human beings and not politicians. Park Street is long associated with Mother Teresa as she has a house on 90 Park Street, besides the archbishop’s house, St. Xavier’s College and Loreto College on the same street, which were the hub of her activities.”

"It's a great day for Kolkata. Mother Teresa was called a living saint for her work in the slums of the city," said the visibly emotional mayor.

"The road will now be on the international map and become a special tourist attraction," he added.

“We have blessed ourselves by naming Park Street as Mother Teresa Sarani,” said Kolkata Mayor, Subrata Mukherjee, presiding at the function along with Municipal Corporation chairman, chairman Borough Committee VII, and the local councillor.

"It's a small tribute to Mother Teresa, who spent her life in the city tending to the poor and dying," Mukherjee said.

The citizens of Kolkata have also installed a statue of the Mother on the city’s most colourful road, at a public function attended by over one thousand people.

Unveiling a bronze bust of Mother Teresa, Sister Nirmala, who heads the Missionaries of Charity, said: "It's a privilege to have a city's most famous road named after Mother Teresa.”

"We are very happy about this. Mother Teresa loved the city and its people. They will be inspired when they will travel through the road and see her statue," Nirmala added.

“Kolkata was the most beloved city of Mother. This city she called her home,” said Sister Joshi, thanking the Kolkata Municipal Corporation for honouring Mother Teresa.

The Missionaries of Charity’s superior general, Sister Nirmala Joshi, arriving half an hour early, granted spot interviews to several media persons. Also present were the Italian Consul General, Agostina Pinna, Salesian Archbishop Lucas Sircar of Calcutta, quizmaster of national fame, Derek O’Brien, and sculptor of the statue, Sanatan Dinda.

The Trinamool Congress chief and Member of Parliament, Mamata Banerjee, unveiled the name plaque of the newly named ‘Sarani.’

The Kolkata Corporation had commissioned renowned painter of classical art, Sanatan Dinda, who completed the 200–kg bronze bust in 45 days. Placed on a 12–ft granite pedestal, Blessed Teresa’s bust valued at rupees 250,000 (USD 5,500), greets the onlooker with folded hands and a bewitching benign smile.

The 33–year–old Dinda now dreams of executing a 20–ft sculpture of Mother fitting the Sarani.

While O’Brien played with the acronym KMC – Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Kolkata Missionaries of Charity, Member of Rajya Sabha and former Round Table of India president, Dinesh Trivedi, said KMC means, Kolkata Mother’s City.

“The pride street of the British Raj, Park Street, which is known for its affluence and glitterati, lights and colour, star restaurants, cabarets and discos will be blessed by Blessed Teresa who continues to invite people to serve the poorest of the poor,” said a Therese Guthrie, a visitor from England who had joined a group of school children arriving at the venue in a procession.

However, many skeptics are now wondering whether the renaming would suffer the same fate as the earlier renamed Shakespeare Sarani, Abanindranath Tagore Sarani, Sarat Bose Road, Mirza Ghalib Street and Jawaharlal Nehru Road which are still known by their old names Theatre Road, Camac Street, Lansdowne Road, Free School Street and Chowringhee Road respectively.

Many admirers of the “Saint of the Gutters” are also pained because they say the authorities have chosen to name a street after Mother Teresa that cannot be associated with charity, love or spirituality – emotions she embodied.

"This would be an insult to her," said Charles Haldar, a Christian convert and an ardent admirer of Mother Teresa.

"How could they think of naming a street associated with food, revelry and nightclubs after our Blessed Mother?" exclaimed another. "If they want to honor her they should name the road in front of Mother's House after her."