SHILLONG, SEPT 6: Fitting to the celebration of Mother Teresa’s Sainthood, the Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) 2016, a four day film festival highlighting the life and work of Mother Teresa got underway at U Soso Tham Auditorium on Tuesday.
The Festival was inaugurated by Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan in the presence of Principal Secretary to the Governor, MS Rao, East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner PS Dkhar, Shillong Arch Diocese Arch Bishop, Most Rev Dominic Jala, SDB, London based photographer and film maker Gautam Lewis, North East India MTIFF 2016 festival director, Father Francis Stephen, Festival Co-ordinator, Sister Lipika of Missionaries of Charity, Shillong and other dignitaries and officials.
Addressing the inaugural function, the Governor stated that Mother Teresa represents the message of love, peace, enduring strength, hope and service to the world at large. Underlining that understanding the pain of others is no easy a task, the Governor stated that Mother Teresa understood the pain of acute poverty. “She served the destitute, lepers, abandoned children, old people, the poorest of the poor and the downtrodden. Because she understood their pain, she was a solace, a helping hand and a source of comfort to them” he further stated.
Showing his admiration for Mother Teresa for identifying herself with her love for the Almighty, the Governor said that in a world where people identify themselves by the power they hold, or the money they possess, what truly marks Mother Teresa’s greatness is her identification of herself with her love of God.
Applauding the great works and selfless services of Mother Theresa’s followers the Governor further stated that their work must extend to all places.
Arch Bishop Jala in his speech said that for a multifaceted person like Mother Teresa no one film or book could totally capture who she was and what she did .“We in the society today long for many things. There are many social evils amidst us; there’s corruption, injustice, human rights violations” he said, further adding that ‘it is up to us to carry forward her legacy and that we need to recognise the dignity of life in this selfish individualistic world’.
The inaugural function was further adorned by colourful song and dance performances exhibited by students of city schools, each performance depicting the life and work of Mother Teresa through her years.
The MTIFF 2016 celebrates the canonisation of Mother Teresa and the festival will be a four day affair in Shillong from September 6-9 with the festival moving to Jowai on September 14-17. Twenty films, documentaries and short films showcasing the life and work of Mother Teresa would be screened at the festival and similar festivals would be held in different cities in India and in about 50 countries around the world.
In Shillong, the festival opened with the Film “Mother Teresa and Me” made by noted photographer and film maker Gautam Lewis who was raised by Mother Teresa after his parents abandoned him while he was a young infant in Kolkata.-By Our Reporter
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