Presbyter Oliver Subotic spoke in an interview with the newspaper Politika about the Orthodox family heritage and spirituality of Nikola Tesla.

About the role of parents in Tesla's life

On 9th January 2022, in the daily newspaper Politika, an interview with Presbyter Oliver Subotic was published. In the conversation, father Oliver talked about the Orthodox family heritage and the spirituality of Nikola Tesla, also touching on the work of the Endowment. The full interview in Politika can be read on the website of the newspaper.

In his interview with Politika, father Oliver emphasises the role of Tesla's father, Protopresbyter Milutin Tesla, in the development of his son's spiritual character. Charity, oratorical skills, encyclopaedic knowledge, the polyglot gift, patriotism and peacemaking are the key qualities that Tesla inherited from his father.

Ingenuity and the inventive gift, as well as incredible dedication to work and extremely little need for sleep, are qualities that, as father Oliver Subotic points out, Tesla inherited from his mother Georgina Tesla (née Mandic).

From the conversation about Tesla's ancestors, we learn that the third key figure for the development of his spiritual character was his uncle Petar Mandic, the later Metropolitan Nikolaj of Dabar-Bosnia, who referred his younger nephew to the writings of Descartes, which would become the basis of the inventive approach of the greatest Serbian scientist. Also, his uncle helped Tesla in the most difficult life situations.

By reading the interview, you will learn about the scientist's relationship to God and Orthodoxy, as well as to his national origin.

Finally, Presbyter Oliver Subotic explains in Politika the goals of the establishment of the "Petar Mandic" Endowment, which are directed towards the affirmation of a balanced education through the comparative development of moral traits and intellectual abilities.