Friday, September 08, 2006

The birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo

News from Branches and Centres
The Nairobi Centre
On 1st August 2006, Sri Aurobindo Society, Nairobi Centre, presented 1100 booklets on eleven different titles to Edelvale Home, at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan. Edelvale Home is run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, to uplift the dignity and worth of women by giving them shelter and preparing them for a productive future. The Sisters found the Bhavan very peaceful and they received the booklets with gratitude.
3,300 mini booklets in eleven different titles were presented to the Change Youth Group - Kenya (AFDCHAK) at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Nairobi, on 20th August 2006. The Change Youth Group is a National Youth Organisation working throughout Kenya promoting participation of youth in public, social and community work of the country. The founder of the organisation expressed his deep gratitude on receiving the booklets which, he is certain, will help and guide in enhancing the character building of the youth.
The Centre celebrated 15th August, 134th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, at Sri Aurobindo Bhawan. The programme started with the reading of the Mother's prayer of 30th March 1914 followed by bhajans and concluded with distribution of Darshan message, brass symbol of Sri Aurobindo and prasad.
News from India
Kuttappalayam (Tamil Nadu)
Collective Meditation at the Centre
The Kuttappalayam Branch celebrated the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo on 15th August 2006 with collective meditation, chanting of Anandamayi and reading from Savitri. Shri Malayappaswamy, Ex-MLA, Karur, spoke on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Shri K.S. Sivasenapathy, Secretary of the Branch, spoke on Sri Aurobindo and His yoga.
Celebrations during birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo
It was followed by cultural programme consisting of dance and songs on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Certificates and prizes were distributed to the students of Anoor Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kuttappalayam, who participated in this programme.
Bangalore (Karnataka)
A 3-day residential youth camp was held at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan of Sri Aurobindo Society, Bangalore Branch, from 7th to 9th July 2006. Free boarding and lodging were provided by the Bangalore Branch. Shri M.M. Bhattacharjee was the coordinator. Shri Kaivalya Smart, who conducted the camp, introduced the topics viz. "What is Youth and Aim in Life", "Different Personalities Within Us", "How to Meditate", "Religiocity - Morality - Spirituality" etc. in line with the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and from time to time gave illustrations with interesting examples and appropriate quotations from Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's writings. 11 boys and 11 girls participated in the programme out of which two were from Tamil Nadu, two were from Hubli and the rest were from Bangalore. About ten observers also took part in the programme. All the participants took keen interest, and the programme was participative and interactive.
Noida (U.P.)
On 11th June 2006, a special collective meditation was held on the occasion of Guru Purnima which was well attended. On that day, books of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, agarbatties and other Ashram products were sold.
Noida Branch distributed sixty sets of mini booklets to members of Lioness Club, Noida. Each set consisted of seven booklets on different topics covering in brief the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
The Branch organised a talk on "Healing Powers of Mantra" by Ms. Shruti on 5th August 2006. She explained the healing powers of Mantra through chanting. She also explained the benefits of different Mantras. About 150 persons participated in the programme.
The Noida Branch also organised a talk by Shri Ram Krishna Goswami, covering Sri Aurobindo's speech at Uttarpara and the teachings of the Gita, on 15th August 2006 which is Sri Aurobindo's birthday. About 80 persons participated in the programme. Many devotees offered their pranams at the Shrine where Sri Aurobindo's sacred Relics have been enshrined.
Mathura (U.P.)
The Mathura Centre of the Society celebrated the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo on 15th August 2006 with meditation, bhajans and talks. The films "Sri Arvind Ek Divya Jeevan" and "Sri Arvind Ek Bhavishya Drishtaa" were shown.
On this occasion the Mathura Centre organised the following competitions for school students:
- Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's quotations writing for classes 6th to 8th.- Maa Sri Arvind Ka Divya Sandesh paragraph writing for classes 9th and 10th.- Essay writing on the "Life of Sri Aurobindo" for classes 11th and 12th.
About 1600 books and magazines based on the life and teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were distributed. 180 members from two Centres of Mathura participated in this programme.
Neyveli (Tamil Nadu)
The Neyveli Centre of Sri Aurobindo Society arranged participation of the Ashram's book agency SABDA in the 9th Neyveli Book Fair-2006 conducted under the aegis of Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd., from 30 June to 9 July 2006. Books by and on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were under display. Around two lakhs of people visited the Fair. Large number of visitors came to the SABDA stall and purchased books.
Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu)
Shri M.S. Sundararajan of Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, gave a talk in Tamil on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother at the Sri Aurobindo Mother Mirra Trust, Tuticorin, on 23rd July 2006. It was well attended.
Delhi
Shri Deshpande, a scholar of Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's philosophy and teachings and Prof. of Physics at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry, conducted a series of talks on "Evolution and a Vision for Future" based on Sri Aurobindo's epic poem 'Savitri', on 9, 10 and 11 August 2006 at the Delhi Branch.
Sri Aurobindo's birth anniversary was celebrated on 15th August 2006. The programme started with meditation at 10 am followed by floral tributes at the Shrine and distribution of Darshan message cards. Navakriti students performed Krishna dances for about half an hour. Ms. Nehal Garewal, Coordinator of Navakriti, initiated the programme with a talk on Sri Aurobindo and His teachings and the importance of His birthday. This was followed by bhajans by Mrs. Mittal and her daughter and a mantra chanting by Ms. Shruti for about 20 minutes. The lighting of lamps was done in the evening.
Indore (M.P.)
An All Religion Book Fair was held in Indore on 3, 4, 5 June 2006 under the auspices of Shri Pragya Pustakalaya and Vachanalaya. The Indore Branch put up a stall there of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's books.
Rustamji Armed Police Training School, Indore, arranged a Shivir on "Yoga and Dhyana" from 5th to 9th June 2006. Dr. Suman Kocher was invited to give training. Pradeep Baxi assisted her.
On Sundays a regular study group has been started from 2nd July 2006 for girls of Devbala Sangh, which has been actively involved in different activities of the Branch since 1988.
Ratlam Branch (M.P.)
The Ratlam Branch of Sri Aurobindo Society organised a lecture on "Future of India and Descent of Supramental" on 23rd July 2006 at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Meeting Hall. The speakers were Dr. Murlidhar Kamalakant Chandaniwala, Block Development Education Officer, Dist. Ratlam, Dr. Surendra Soni, Lecturer (Vyakhyata), English Literature, Vikram Universiry, Ujjain, and Shri Suresh Chandra Sharma, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Gwalior. Shri Vijay Poddar, Member Executive Committee, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, presided over the function.
Chinchwad, Pune (Maharashtra)
The Chinchwad Centre, Pune, celebrated Sri Aurobindo's Birthday on 15th August. The function started with the hoisting of flag. Dr. Gokhala, a devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, was the Chief Guest. Students, teachers, parents and members of the Centre took part in the proceedings. The Chairman of the Centre spoke on "Education". A collective meditation and reading were conducted. The programme concluded with the distribution of prasad.
Ranchi (Jharkhand)
The Ranchi Branch celebrated the 134th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo on 15th August 2006 with the Mother's flag hoisting at 10 am. Shri K.P. Sinha, Chairman of the Jharkhand State Committee, read out the Darshan day message sent from Pondicherry. Smt. Sucharita Ghosh and Smt. Sanchita Dasgupta enchanted the audience with devotional songs dedicated to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The book "Sri Aurobindo and the Advent of the Supermind" - a collection of the lectures delivered by Shri Gopal Bhattacharjee, Jt. Secretary of Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry - was released by Shri N.K. Singh, Ex-Director of CIL. Shri J.N. Singh, Ex-Director of CIL, released the biannual magazine 'Prajnan'. Shri K.P. Sinha, Chairman of the Jharkhand State Committee, gave a talk on "Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga". Shri R.K. Bhatnagar, Chairman of the Ranchi Branch, and Shri P.C. Roy, member of the Managing Committee of the Ranchi Branch, also spoke on the occasion.
Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
The first phase of the construction of the school at Jodhpur, which began over a year ago, has been completed. The school started functioning in April 2006 with approximately 40 children. The school named "Sri Aurobindo Centre of New Education" at present comprises nursery to class V. It was inaugurated on 15th April 2006 by the Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur. After the summer holidays a few more children joined and at present the total strength of the students is 52.
Hindi Zonal Conference - 2006
Zonal Conference of the Hindi speaking areas will be held in Noida on 7th and 8th October 2006. For further enquiries, write to Shri Suresh Gupta, Sri Aurobindo Bhawan, C-56/36, Sector 62, Noida-201 301 (Phone No.0120-3963313).

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