Signis India’s programme focuses on Mother Teresa as communicator

(February 14, 2011) A 5-day programme is currently underway in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, focussing on the great communicative skills of Mother Teresa of Kolkata. Signis India, the Indian chapter of the international Catholic organization for the audiovisual, film, radio and television apostolate has organized the programme as part of the 8th assembly of Signis India. Former head of the Missionaries of Charity Sister Nirmala Joshi along with Archbishop Lucas Sirkar of Calcutta inaugurated the program on Friday. The two also launched the first exhibition of Christian Art India, a forum of Christian artists in the country. “As we are celebrating the birth centenary of Mother Teresa, we thought it fitting to rediscover her as a person who communicated at different levels,” said Sunil Lucas, President of Signis. He said that Mother Teresa was a spiritual and compassionate communicator who influenced film makers, NGOs and “the sessions are an invitation to listen to her untold stories as a communicator”. Some 120 Catholic communicators from the field of film, television, theatre and folk arts are participating in the programme, Archbishop Sirkar told Ucanews. Describing Mother Teresa as a “super communicator,” Salesian Father Robin Gomes, a media person, said her service to humanity in itself was the greatest communication. Salesian Father George Plathottam, executive secretary of the Commission for Social Communication of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, (CBCI), said the saintly nun communicated through her works and showed us how to live the gospel.