Mumbai

This is the biggest city in India with population about 20 million people, but a large part of them live in total poverty, and according some statistical data, they are approximately 12 million people, who live in the city’s suburbs in terrible conditions of life. This poverty appeared after Indians from other parts of the country heard that Mumbai has higher level of life. Thus, duped by this rumor, they sold everything they have in the village and went to look for a job in Mumbai. But even Mumbai as the most industrially developed city in India cannot offer job for the villagers and after few months of searching unsuccessfully they spent all their savings then suddenly ended in the street and their main “work” became begging.

At the train station the Christians with whom we had to work together ministering exactly to such poor people, were waiting for us. It was raining heavy, because every year about the middle of June the monsoon begins. Getting two taxis, we departed to the base that we had to stay few days.

Two days after our arriving in Mumbai the local Christians asked us if we want to visit Mother Theresa’s home and be introduced with her activity. Mother Theresa is Albanian by nationality and Catholic by religion. Few decades ago she has come in India to show God’s mercy to the poor people in Calcutta by her charity. Thus little by little in she builded homes for orphans. There were many such homes in the bigger cities of India, made by her and her mission. So there was such one in Mumbai. The day when we had to visit it was Friday and it was raining heavy. All we had umbrellas, but only 10 minutes later they became useless, because this rain, forced by the wind, made us wet everywhere. After we passed about a kilometer, we realized that water level was increasing and little by little covered the asphalt of the roads. After more distance walking no road could be seen anymore and we were forced to walk in 20 cm deep water, in which various things were floating: drowned mice, cats, human and animal shits. In the same dirty water the Indian children with jolly clamor were swimming, playing and splashing each other. Finally, tired from walking, wet to the bones and wondering what happened with the canalization of this city, and how is possible these people to have such low criteria about hygiene we reached Mother Teresa’s home.

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