UNIT III: HUMAN INTEEST - THE CONNOISSEUR. by Nergis Dalal. D. KRISHNA MOHAN SHARMA

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1 UNIT III: HUMAN INTEEST - THE CONNOISSEUR by Nergis Dalal Nergis Dalal has been writing for over fifty years. She is the author of four novels, a collection of short stories, a book for children, a cookery book, a best-selling book on yoga and, under the pseudonym Aries, a collection of middles that appeared over three decades in the Times of India, the Statesman, the Hindustan Times and other national newspapers. Several of her short stories have been broadcast over the BBC and published in anthologies in India, UK and Australia. Summary: The Connoisseur is a humorous short story about an eccentric and a kleptomaniac old lady, Maya alias Ms. Krishna who has a passion for collecting beautiful items. The Writer and Ms. Krishna meet at an art exhibition. Ms. Krishna, a nervous and hyperactive old lady is quickly, drawn towards the writer who is a widow living singly. The writer develops a kind of sympathy and pity for Ms. Krishna. She even invites Ms. Krishna for a cup of tea at the end of their visit to the exhibition. Ms. Krishna, during that first meeting itself tells the writer almost everything about her past and her family background. She has painful and miserable past an ailing and partisan mother who perversely showered all her love and affection on her younger daughter who, Ms. Krishna thinks, was more beautiful. All her memories about her childhood are ugly poverty, unclean household and especially her mother s attitude. She eventually remains single even after getting her sister married and the death of her mother. She gradually cultivates a hobby of appreciating and collecting beautiful items as if to compensate for her ugly past. In the following days, Ms. Krishna continues her visits to the writer s house on a regular basis. The writer has an attitude of pity and tolerance towards this old lady considering her background. One day Ms. Krishna informs the writer that she is getting her house painted. On an impulse, the writer asks her to come and stay with her for a few days as it is not easy for her to live in the disarray of her house. Ms. Krishna jumps at the opportunity and instantly agrees. She moves with a large array of suitcases and trunks the following day itself. The writer observes that Ms. Krishna has a large collection of many valuable and beautiful little things which she secretly appreciates behind the closed doors of her room everyday. In the next few days she takes the writer into confidence and starts exhibiting some of her prized possessions. On one occasion, she proudly shows a beautifully patterned and apparently expensive tea cup to the writer. She even offers a little gift to the writer in the form of a beautifully patterned small box to keep her stationary items in which the writer politely refuses to take. In the next few days she proves herself to be a very annoying guest - moving about the house, demanding for things, complaining endlessly about many things and constantly irritating the writer with her nonsensical talk and improper behaviour. Even after two weeks, when there are no signs of Ms. Krishna moving out, the writer is forced to ask her to go back to her house as the painting work there is now over. Ms. Krishna reluctantly goes back to her house.

2 Once, during her visit to Mrs. Lal, the writer accidentally makes an astonishing discovery about Ms. Krishna. When the writer asks Mrs. Lal about her expensive tea set, she tells the writer that she actually bought twelve such cups but one of them is now missing. The writer is quick to make a connection between this missing cup and the one that is with Ms. Krihsna. She now understands the secret behind Ms. Krihsna s treasure that she actually steals these little things. One day, the writer goes to see Ms. Krishna on learning that she is not well. But, it is too late and the writer finds her dead after suffering a heart attack. Ms. Krishna s sister arrives in time for the funeral after receiving a telegram sent by the writer. The writer notices that Ms. Krishna s sister looked sullen and understands the reason only later. She reveals that Ms. Krishna left everything she had to the writer through a will that she wrote a few days ago. The writer refuses to take anything as she thinks it is not fair to do so. As both of them have a full view of the treasure of Ms. Krishna, something catches the writer s eye. She asks for the sister s permission to take something in memory Ms. Krishna. Much to the relief of the sister, she takes her own little clock that she lost a few days ago when Ms. Krihsna stayed with her for a few days! The word connoisseur means one who has a good taste for art and appreciates beautiful things. Miss Krishna is surely a connoisseur for she indeed has a very fine taste for beautiful things and has the habit of collecting them. The title perfectly suits her though in an ironical way because this kleptomaniac old lady actually steals any item that she likes and puts them in her large hand bag which she purposefully carries. Comprehension: 1. Ms. Krishna was an unmarried lady of sixty five. She had spent all her life looking after a sick mother. Miss Krishna s mother was partisan and showered all her love on the younger daughter i.e. Miss Krishna s younger sister. Ms. Krishna s struggle did not end even after her sister got married and left home as her mother started missing her and always talked about the good old days. 2. Miss Krishna was not at all a good guest. She was more concerned with her likes and never bothered about the trouble she was creating for her host. The following reasons make it clear that she was not a good guest. a. She cluttered up her host s house with all her belongings. b. She was too demanding about her food and other facilities and complained just about everything. c. She was too intruding and always pestered the writer with questions. d. She was highly ill-mannered and on one occasion she was caught red-handed reading the manuscript of her host s without her permission.

3 3. Miss Krishna was an irritating guest and it had really been unbearable for the writer to continue to stay with her. Even after two weeks, when there were no signs of Ms. Krishna going back to her house, the writer was forced to ask her to leave as the painting work there had long been completed. Ms. Krishna then had no chance but to leave. 4. Once, during her visit to the Lals, the writer accidentally made an astonishing discovery about Ms. Krishna. When the writer asked Mrs. Lal about her expensive tea set, she told the writer that she had actually bought a set of twelve such cups but one of them went missing. The writer was quick to make a connection between this missing cup and the one that Ms. Krihsna showed her. With this, finally the writer realized the secret behind Ms. Krishna s treasure that the kleptomaniac old lady actually stole all those little things and hence never made the collection public. 5. Maya s sister arrived in time for the funeral after receiving a telegram sent by the writer. The writer noticed that Maya s sister looked sullen and understood the reason only later. The sister eventually told the writer that Ms. Krishna had left everything she had to the writer through a will that she had written a few days ago. The writer politely informed her that she was just an acquaintance of Maya and refused to take anything as it was not fair to do so. Maya s sister s attitude changed after this and she behaved politely with the writer since she was the next beneficiary of the property. 6. A connoisseur is someone who knows a lot about the arts, food, drink, or some other subject. Miss Krishna is surely a connoisseur for she has indeed a very fine taste for beautiful things. She also has the habit of collecting such little beautiful things. The title perfectly suits her though in an ironical way because this kleptomaniac old lady actually steals any item that she likes and puts them in her large hand bag which she purposefully carries. MOTHER TERESA: Summary: One of the great servants of humanity, Mother Teresa was born on August 26, Her actual name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was an Albanian Roman Catholic nun, who subsequently acquired Indian Citizenship. She was the youngest of the children of the family from Shkoder, Albania, born to Nikolle and Drana Bojazhiu. Her father was involved in Albanian politics. Her father died when Agnes was only eight years old. After her father s death, her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic. Since her early

4 years, Agnes was inspired by the stories of the lives of missionaries and their service. She was convinced that she should commit herself to a religious life. She left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She arrived in India in 1929, and began her work in Darjeeling, near the Himalayan Mountains. She took her first religious vows as a nun on May 24th, At that time she chose the name Teresa after Teresa de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She started serving as a teacher but she was much disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. A fatal famine in 1943 and the outbreak of communal violence in August 1946 plunged the city into misery, despair and horror. In 1946, Teresa experienced the call within the call while travelling from Calcutta to Darjeeling. She was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order that she could not disobey. She began serving the poor in 1948, acquired Indian citizenship and stepped out into the slums. First, she started a school in Motijhil and soon started attending to the needs of the destitute and starving. Teresa started Missionaries of Charity in 1950 to care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers and all those people who are rejected by the society. This charity, began with 13 members in Calcutta, today has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages, HIV/AIDS homes, hospices and charity centers worldwide caring for orphan children, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless and the victims of floods, epidemics and famines. In 1952, Mother Teresa opened the first Home for the Dying in space made available by the city of Calcutta. With the help of Indian officials she converted an abandoned structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free hospice for the poor. She renamed it Kalighat, the Home of the Pure Heart (Nirmal Hriday). Those brought to the home received medical attention and were afforded the opportunity to die with dignity, according to the rituals of their faith; Muslims were read the Quran, Hindus received water from the Ganges, and Catholics received the Last Rites. A Beautiful Death, she said is for people who lived like animals to die like angels loved and wanted. Mother Teresa soon opened a home for those suffering from leprosy, and called the hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity further established several leprosy outreach clinics throughout Calcutta, providing medication, bandages and food. In 1955 she started the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, the Children s Home of the Immaculate Heart, a haven for orphans and homeless youth. Soon, Mother Teresa expanded her charitable missionaries throughout India as she received donations and support from various quarters. Mother Teresa had become internationally famous as a humanitarian and an advocate for the poor and homeless, due in part to a documentary and book, Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge. Lay Catholics and non- Catholics were enrolled in the Co-workers of Mother Teresa, the Sick and Suffering Co-workers, and the Lay Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa started the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963 and a branch of the Sisters in Mother Teresa also started the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests in 1981 and the Missionaries of Charity Fathers in Mother Teresa s Missionaries of Charity continue to expand nationally and internationally - by 2007 it had 450 brothers and 5000 nuns worldwide operating 610 missions in 123 countries.

5 No wonder, for all her selfless work, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979, and India s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 19th October 2003, with the title, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. COMPREHENSION: 1. Mother Teresa s actual name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was Albanian by birth and she was born on 26 th August 1910 to Nicolle and Drana Bojaxhiu. 2. In 1950 on October 7th, Vatican gave permission to start the diocesan congregation that would eventually become the Missionaries of Charity. 3. Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910 to Nicolle and Drana Bojaxihu. Being a true Christian, Teresa considered her date of birth to be on 27th August, 1910 the day she was baptized and christened as Agnes. 4. Agnes lost her father when she was barely eight. Her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic and used to narrate stories from the lives of great servants to Christianity. Agnes was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service. Inspired by these, she decided to commit herself to religious life. 5. As she already made clear to herself that she would lead a religious life and at the age of 18, she left home to join the sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She never saw her family again. She initially went to Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland to learn English in order to become a teacher in one of the schools run by the Sisters of Loreto in India. 6. She arrived in India in 1929 and began her work in a school of the Sisters of Loretto in Darjeeling, near the Himalayan Mountains. 7. As a child, Agnes was always fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service. On May 24, 1931 she took her first religious vows as a nun and chose the name Teresa after Therese de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She also took her solemn vows on May 14, 1937 while serving as teacher at the Loreto convent school in eastern Calcutta. 8. The great Bengal famine in 1943 brought death and misery to the city. The outbreak of communal violence in 1946 plunged the city into despair and horror. These two tragedies greatly disturbed Mother and inspired her decision to leave the convent and start her work with the poor. 9. The two tragedies, the famine in 1943 and the communal violence in 1946 greatly disturbed Mother. In 1946, while travelling from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, she experienced the call within call which she considered to be the command of God. She thought that defying that call would be breaking her faith in God. Inspired by this call, she left the convent in the coming days and dedicated her life for the service of the poor and orphan children.

6 10. She began her missionary work with the poor in 1948 and eventually adopted Indian citizenship. She went into the slums and started a school in Motijhil. Soon she started attending to the needs of the poor and the starving. 11. She began her missionary work with the poor in To start with, she began a school in Mothijil and also started attending to the needs of the destitute and the starving. Her first year was full of difficulties. She experienced doubt, loneliness and temptation to return to the comfort of the convent life during the early months of her missionary work. However, she overcame this temptation as it was the will of the God and defying it would be breaking the faith. 12. Teresa started the missionaries of charity in 1950 and its primary objective was to care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers and all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout the society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone. 13. In 1952, Mother started the first Home for the Dying in space made available by the city of Calcutta. Later she converted an abandoned structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying a free hospice for the poor. There they were provided the opportunity to die with dignity, according to the rituals of their religious faith. A beautiful death, Teresa said is for people who lived like animals to die like angels - loved and wanted. 14. Shanti Nagar (City of Peace) is the home that Mother established for lepers who are hated, shunned and rejected by the society and often even by their own family members. 15. Malcolm Muggeridge was the author of the book on Mother Teresa Something Beautiful for God which was also made into a documentary film with the same title. These two played a great role in making the Mother known internationally which paved the way for the Nobel Prize to be awarded to her in She offered her resignation to her position as the head of Missionaries of Charity in 1991 itself on account of her failing health. But the nuns of the order, in a secret ballot voted her to stay. On 13th March, 1997 she stepped down from the head of missionaries of charity after suffering a fracture to her collar bone in April 1996 and malaria and heart problem in August.

7 17. A miracle, the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra following the application of a locket containing Teresa s picture was approved by the Vatican which cleared the way for her Beatification in At the time of her death in 1997, Mother Teresa s Missionaries of Charity was operating 600 missions in 120 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. In addition to these, soup kitchens, children s and family counseling programs, orphanages and schools for the under-privileged children were also managed.

Come Be My Light: Mother Teresa's Dark Night of the Soul

New Zealand Catholic Education Convention Come Be My Light: Mother Teresa's Dark Night of the Soul Daniel J. Stollenwerk 09/08/2012 13:55 Venue: Amora 4 Seminar Code:T29 Mother Teresa (1910-1997) Agnes