Annai and Amma

IN OUR EXCLUSIVE MOTHER'S DAY EDITION, WE EXPLORE INTO A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT IN TAMIL NADU'S HISTORY AS TWO ICONIC FIGURES, MOTHER TERESA AND AMMA (J. JAYALALITHAA), CONVERGED AT THE RESIDENCE OF THE FORMER CHIEF MINISTER, J. JAYALALITHAA, IN CHENNAI. THROUGH THE LENS OF A. X. ALEXANDER, A DISTINGUISHED FORMER DGP OF TAMIL NADU AND EYEWITNESS TO THIS HISTORIC ENCOUNTER, WE UNRAVEL THE PROFOUND EXCHANGES THAT TRANSPIRED DURING THIS REMARKABLE MEETING

- A. X. ALEXANDER

As I was resting a while during the lunch break in my office in Marina in 1994, there was a telecall from Mother Teresa of Kolkata.

I recognised her voice as I had seen and spoken to her once before at her Royapuram convent and had the good fortune also to fly with her in a special plane to Madurai from Madras in the company of Chief Minister MGR, Farook Abdulla of Kashmir and state Minister Late Kalimuthu on 3rd February 1984 as we went to Kodaikanal to inaugurate Mother Teresa University. The Kodaikanal Mother Teresa University was inaugurated by Mother herself.

I was excited to receive the call from the saintly Nobel Laureate and enquired from her what I should do for her.

It was roughly 2.30 p.m and she desired to have a meeting with Jayalalitha, the Chief Minister for five minutes on her way to the Chennai airport and Kolkata. by flight at four pm.

I rang up the Deputy Secretary in charge of Chief Minister's appointments and sought an interview for Mother. Knowing the unpredictability of the Chief Minister he timidly told me that she had just finished her lunch and probably had gone for siesta. I insisted that he conveyed the information to the Chief Minister. Still he was hesitant.