Page 131 - SST Class 05

Mother Teresa (1910 AD - 1997 AD)
Agnes Gonxha Bejaxhia, popularly known as Mother Teresa, was
born in Yugoslavia in 1910. When she became a nun, she arrived in

India in 1929 as a teacher and taught in Kolkata for about 20 years.
When she saw the pitiable condition of the poor and the sick, she
was moved and decided to serve humanity. Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa gave up the job of the teacher and set up her own Order, called the
Missionaries of Charity . She had no money, but she managed it anyhow. She started
her mission to serve the poor and the needy. She set up a number of orphanages,
hospitals, old-age homes, homes for the dying, homes for lepers etc. Her Order works
in most of the Indian cities, as well as in numerous cities all over the globe.

Her service made her a popular figure, but she continued to lead a very simple life.
Mother Teresa died at a ripe age in 1997.

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace , the Bharat Ratna and many
more awards. She has been beatified, that is, she is believed to be a Saint . Even after
her death, her Order continues to serve the humanity.

Nelson Mandela (1918 AD - 2013 AD)

Nelson Mandela was a black man, so he suffered discrimination at the

hands of the Whites, so he decided to raise his voice. He was born on
18 July, 1918 in South Africa. He studied the law. He noticed that the
Whites discriminated against the Blacks everywhere. Their social,
professional and economical rights were not given to them. This Nelson Mandela
policy of discrimination in South Africa was called apartheid . To fight apartheid,
Mandela joined the Youth League of the African National Congress, which was already
fighting for the Blacks’ rights. The Whites were very ruthless. They crushed the voice of
the Blacks. A large number of Blacks were either killed or subjected to inhuman cruelties.

During the course of the movement, Nelson Mandela had to go to jail a number of
times; and finally in 1964, he was sentenced for life. He continued to guide the
movement from inside the jail itself.

The long struggle compelled the white rulers to change their minds. As a result,
general elections were held in 1994, in which both the Blacks and the Whites
participated on equal terms. The African National Congress won these elections. With

this, Nelson Mandela became the first black President of South Africa.

superstitious : blind faith without any reason.
slavery : the practice of making slaves.

The World’s Great People 131