Five rupee commemorative coin on Mother Teresa released

New Delhi, Aug 29 (ANI): The Central Government on Saturday released a five-rupee coin and a souvenir on Mother Teresa to mark her centenary birth anniversary celebrations.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee released the coin and presented the first coin to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

On the occasion, President Patil said: "Mother Teresa was the epitome of compassion and all through her life she served selflessly to spread the message of love and compassion through her work. She was truly the embodiment of the word Mother in its fullest, truest and complete sense."

"She believed in doing simple and ordinary things, in an extraordinary manner by infusing love and care. Mother Teresa came to be known as the Messiah of the poor and abundant because she cared for those who were uncared for," added Mukherjee.

Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, Macedonia on August 26, 1910 and named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu.

She arrived in India in 1929 at the age of 18, took up teaching, and chose the name Teresa when she became a nun on May 24, 1931.

Mother Teresa became an Indian citizen in 1948 and lived in Kolkata. She was popularly known as the 'Saint of the Gutter' for her extraordinary love and dedication to the poor, homeless and diseased.

She received several national and international awards for social service during her lifetime. They included the Bharat Ratna, the Magsaysay Award in 1962, the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971, the John F. Kennedy International Award in 1971 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

She died on September 5, 1997 at the age of 87.

The Pope beatified Mother Teresa in October 2003, paving the way for her canonisation. (ANI)