Thiruvananthapuram (AsiaNews/UCAN) – Kerala has decided that every year August 26—the day in 1910 when the Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata was born—shall be celebrated as Orphan Day in her honour.

Local Hindus and Muslims enthusiastically endorsed the decision by the Indian state, which has a large Christian population (about 20 per cent).

The Blessed Mother Teresa is the founder of the Missionaries of Charity whose vocation is to work for the "poorest of the poor". Caring for orphans and abandoned children is one of the Sisters' many tasks.

"She was a mother of all and we are showing our gratitude in a humble way," said Ibrahim Kunju, a Muslim and Kerala's Minister for Industries and Social Welfare. "The services of Mother [Teresa], who loved humanity" motivated the state's decision, he said.

In Kerala, the state government funds 419 orphanages that house some 25,000 children. Some of these children were found abandoned on streets as infants and the date of their birth is unknown.

One of them, Rajesh Damodaran, is now an adult and he approves of the decision to celebrate Mother Teresa's birthday as Orphan Day.

"We welcome it. Now we too can celebrate our birthday with a saintly person," said Damodaran, who drives a three-wheel taxi in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram (ex. Trivandrum).

As an orphan, he "never celebrated" his birthday since he does not know on what day he was born. He spent his childhood in an orphanage till the age of 16 and was told that his mother had left him in front of it.

"I've never seen my mother or father," he said. "Whenever I think of 'mother', I think of Mother Teresa".

Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003.

The Missionaries of Charity were also happy about the state government's decision. Their regional superior in Kerala, Sister Angelet, remembers that when she was alive her birthday was never celebrated, only her name day.

"We welcome the government decision. It's a good gesture and poor orphans can celebrate their birthday more meaningfully," she said.

For Fr Paul Thelakat, of the Syro-Malabar Church, the government's decision was made in "recognition for the services of Mother [Teresa], who loved all irrespective of religion and caste."