Mother Teresa and Princess Diana

When mankind was ignorant of astronomy, it was thought that the sun and the moon were similar. Mother Teresa and Princess Diana are two entirely different personalities, like the sun and the moon, any comparison between them is totally irrelevant. The Mother is comparable to the likes of Abraham Lincoln or Mahatma Gandhi.

Mother Teresa dedicated her full life entirely to service to humanity -- serving not rich individuals, but the poor and down- trodden, choosing her destination as the slums of Calcutta, Eastern India.

The Mother had only one, straightforward motive -- serving the poor and down-trodden. Absolutely self-less service. She never cared whether anybody photographed her or wrote about her. Nor did she seek any popularity or fame.

In his condolence message, the Indian President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan said Mother Teresa belonged to humanity -- a rich and apt tribute.

People become popular for various reasons. So popular was one South Indian matinee idol that when he died, a few people chose to burn themselves to death, not able to bear his departure. But what makes someone immortal is their selfless actions with one un-mixed motive -- emancipation of the under-privileged common man.

Diana was/is of course a celebrity whom the world will not forget easily. Hers is definitely not a worthless life. The greatest beneficiary of her life, probably, is the media, and the excitement-starved media really feasted on her death.

RANGA NATHAN

Jakarta