When Mother Teresa mesmerised Kakatiya University

Warangal: As the Roman Catholics and the admirers of Mother Teresa world over are celebrating her canonisation ceremony at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City by Pope Francis, the people in Warangal have a reason to cherish the moment. Those working at Kakatiya University in particular are a happy lot. The reason: they had a chance of having of a glimpse of the renowned nun walking on the university campus 36 years ago.

She attended the third convocation of the university as guest on March 1, 1980. She was invited by the then vice-chancellor of the university late Prof Jafar Nizam and Telangana ideologue late K Jaya Shankar who served as the registrar at that time.

“It is a very happy moment for us here. Though we haven’t organised celebrations like they are held in other parts of the country, we are really elated at the canonisation of Mother,” said Vedantam Krishnama Charya, the Public Relations Officer of KU, who was fortunate enough to watch Mother Teresa attending the convocation ceremony.

The same is the feeling of Kasula Krisha Murthy, a retired employee of the university. “She was indeed a great personality and yet very humble. The university is privileged to have had such person as guest at the convocation,” he added. “She is truly a great personality and very much desired to be announced as Saint.

Everyone must try to emulate her sense of service to the underprivileged,” opined the parish priest of St Mary’s Church D Raja Reddy and Father K Vijaykumar Reddy. She, during her visit, also inaugurated a convent at Kashibugga, they reminded. Meanwhile, the nuns of Missionaries of Charity and Christians across the district organised programmes to celebrate the canonisation of Mother Teresa and watched the ceremony on television screens.