To mark Rotary Foundation month, Rotary Club La Valette Malta presented I Giardini di Calcutta – The Gardens of Calcutta, verses in remembrance of Blessed Mother Teresa by Rtn. Rosa Anna Asaro, at the Italian Cultural Institute, Valletta, on 14 November.

Dr Salvatore Schirmo, director of the Institute, kindly made the historic hall of the Institute available for the occasion which was attended by past governors Tony Coleiro and Alfred Mangion, in the presence of the governor’s assistant Simon Bonello and several Rotarians and friends who are members of the Italian Cultural Institute.

The evening began with a brief film entitled What is Rotary. This was followed by an introduction during which Rtn. Patricia Salomone explained the similarity of intents between the work of Mother Teresa and that carried out by Rotary, which has seen a Rotarian poetess dedicate a series of verses to the “little big woman”.  The poems by R. A. Asaro with the translation by P. Salomone were presented last year at Evanston to the international president by district governor Gaetano Lo Cicero.

The poetry reading followed both in Italian by Rosa Anna Asaro herself and in English by Rtn. Salomone. The poetry reading was rendered more touching by the recounting of the personal experiences of Lilian Miceli Farrugia, Paul Spiteri and Ann Bharwani, all of whom have known and worked with Blessed Mother Teresa. The evening was enriched by a slide show of photos of the different phases of Mother Teresa’s extraordinary life and by Indian background music.  Towards the end of the evening, Rosa Anna Asaro signed her book, while refreshments prepared by volunteer Rotarians were served. 

The book is available against a donation of €10 by sending an email to [email protected]