Mother Teresa: a biography

SHISHU BHAVAN
To Mother Teresa, the sight of so many unloved children was heart-
breaking. It was not enough to rescue as many children as possible from
the streets, the gutters, the garbage heaps, and the alleyways. What was
needed was a refuge where the children could be taken, nurtured, and
loved. For Mother Teresa, these children were nothing less than a symbol
of the Christ child. Although other charities in Calcutta did their best to
deal with the problem, it was clear that they needed help. As with Nirmal
Hriday, Mother Teresa had once again identified a problem that was caus-
ing the city officials of Calcutta a great deal of embarrassment. As a result
of her previous successes, she received recognition and cooperation from
the highest offices in the city.
During one of her many forays through the city, Mother Teresa made
the acquaintance of Dr. B. C. Roy, Chief Minister of West Bengal and a
medical doctor. Dr. Roy often gave free consultations at his home office
and Mother Teresa lined up with the rest of the poor every day at 6 
A
.
M
.
More often than not, her requests were political, rather than medical. She
told the doctor about the needs for water or electricity in a slum area that
she had visited. Dr. Roy dutifully wrote memos to the official responsible,
informing him of the problem. In time, he began to pay closer attention
to the tiny nun who showed such great concern for the poor of his city. He
then told her to come to his office, where he helped open the doors of var-
ious city offices to her. Mother Teresa now could call on him freely; in
turn, Dr. Roy trusted her completely. With his help, she began to imple-
ment her latest project for the children of the poor.
And so it was on September 23, 1955, Mother Teresa opened the first
Shishu Bhavan, a home for children. Located near Creek Lane, and just a
short walk from the Motherhouse, the small unpainted bungalow was the
first of several children’s homes established by the Missionaries of Charity.
Like Nirmal Hriday, the sisters had to clean the house thoroughly to get it
ready for its new occupants. Though the house was small, it opened into a
spacious courtyard; Mother Teresa had rented the home from a Muslim
who had left the city.
When the first Shishu Bhavan was ready, the sisters went about in
search of residents. They did not have to look far; most everywhere they
went, they found children in need, many of them infants, some not even
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a day old. The infants were brought back to the house, cleaned, fed, and
given medical treatment, as many suffered from malnutrition and tuber-
culosis. Those that survived were dressed in green-and-white checked
clothing, then placed in boxes, packing crates, or even on the floor.
Those who were too sick were held lovingly by the sisters until they
died. Like the home for the dying, Mother Teresa wanted these small in-
fants and children to be cleansed, held, and loved, even though death
was imminent. As crowded as the Shishu Bhavan was, Mother Teresa
never turned away a child, even if it meant that infants slept three to a
cot; for those fighting for their life, a box heated by a light bulb was
used.
By 1958, the Missionaries of Charity had established Shishu Bhavans
to care for more than 90 children. In addition, Mother Teresa accepted a
government grant that provided 33 rupees for each child. But after a few
months of working within the government guidelines, Mother Teresa de-
cided to stop taking the grant money. She believed she could do just as
well spending 17 rupees per child; this allowed her to take in more chil-
dren and provide them with the care they needed.
Besides seeking out children themselves, the Missionaries of Charity
also sent letters to all medical clinics and nursing homes in Calcutta, stat-
ing that they would welcome any child without a home. Periodically,
young pregnant women, many of whom had been cast out of their homes,
would show up at a Shishu Bhavan seeking refuge. The sisters took them
in, and the expectant mothers worked in the homes until they gave birth.
If for some reason the new mother could not care for her child, the sisters
took the child, but only as a last resort. The home also acted as an after-
noon high school for young boys who would otherwise have been on the
streets learning to rob and steal.