Tagore Songs On Lips, Mamata Banerjee Brings Bengal To Mother Teresa's Canonization

Vatican City: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sang popular Bengali devotional songs and walked with members of her delegation to St Peter's Basilica where Mother Teresa today was conferred sainthood.

Sporting a white saree with blue border, much like what the Nobel Laureate used to wear, Ms Banerjee - flanked by Trinamool Congress parliamentarians Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien among others - covered the distance from Rome to the St Peter's Basilica doing a traditional Bengali "prabhat pheri (morning choir)".

As the delegation crossed important junctions and marched through roads and lanes, crowds gathered and passersby stopped to listen to Rabindranath Tagore's immortal creations "Aguner Poroshmoni" and "Prano Bhoriye Trisha Horiye".

They also sang devotional songs like "Biswapita tumi he prabhu" and "Mangaladeep jele", with Ms Banerjee taking the lead.

Mr O'Brien - dressed in the traditional Bengali kurta and dhoti - and Mr Bandopadhyay, clad in kurta-pyjama, matched steps with Ms Banerjee to witness the historic occasion for which dignitaries from across the globe congregated.

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Passionate about walking, Ms Banerjee much like in Bengal, has never let go any opportunity to cover distances on foot during her foreign visits also. During her trips to Singapore and Bhutan, Ms Banerjee and her team would often walk their way to famous tourist attractions.

Sporting small placards with the words "City of Mother Team Bengal", the team reached the famous square where Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a Saint of the Catholic Church. This is sent ripples of joy across the globe, including in Kolkata - Saint Teresa's adopted home.

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Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity also added a Bengali touch to the ceremony when one of the representatives read out a verse in Bengali. Religious and political leaders from across the globe paid rich tributes to Saint Teresa.

Kolkata-based pop singer Usha Uthup, too, performed at the ceremony.