Plain & Simple

Authentic, verifiable, balanced and truthful

2012-01-22T11:08:00.002+05:30

We are a group of individuals who have come togetherto initiate a service of providing information that is as authentic,verifiable, balanced and as truthful as possible.

We prefer not to be named and identified, notbecause of a lack of courage or straightforwardness, but because we believethat this website belongs to all those who want to make the effort to find andget closer to the Truth. This website is therefore an open source andbelongs to all those to participate in this effort.

Moreover, we believe that the moment identities arerevealed people look for motives and agendas and one gets stereotyped. We mayget categorised as pro-establishment or anti-rebels or seekers of favours orwhatever. Somebody will dismiss our work based on our identity, or we willcreate enemies. Instead we want people to focus on the information and the workand not the people doing it.

Lastly, we do not claim to posses the Truth, but webelieve that we can help remove those obstacles that come in the way of orobfuscate Truth - especially those obstacles that are in the form ofdeliberate misrepresentation and distortion of facts or the creation of myths –by providing more reliable, accurate and complete information.

Introduction:Introduction to Dubious Websites:

As the internet isbecoming increasingly accessible to a larger number of people, aplethora of websites, blogs, internet discussion groups, etc., related to SriAurobindo, The Mother, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the larger Aurobindoniancollective are also ever-increasingly springing up. As a result of that a largeamount of information on these subjects and related matters is being propagatedthrough cyberspace.

While many benefit from the availability of suchinformation, there is however a flip-side to the ease withwhich information, especially inaccurate, erroneous and even deliberatelymisleading information can be created and diffused on the internet.

Because like in everything else, there are a fewindividuals or small groups of like-minded people who are more interested andkeen to promote their personal ideas, views and opinions as well as theirpersonal agendas and interests, which more often than not go contrary to theideology that they claim to espouse. In fact, such individuals land upusing an ideology – to which they may have an affinity or dedication – also asa prop to promote themselves. While lip-service is given to the ideology, it isin reality given a back seat as their personal preferences take over, determineand drive all their actions.

The evident and inevitable outcome of the mixing ofideologies with personal preferences is: confusion. This is made worse with the deliberate creationand diffusion of misinformation with the intent to confuse and muddle issues.Thus unfortunately in recent times, the names of Sri Aurobindo, The Mother, TheSri Aurobindo Ashram as well as the Aurobindonian collective have foundthemselves surrounded by rumours, myths, even blatant lies all designed topromote an individual’s or a small group’s personal preferences.

As the internet has provided a convenient platformfor the diffusion of all kinds of information, this blog attempts to verify,analyze, demystify and critique some of the information, especiallythat which is dubious, inaccurate, misleading, biased, etc., that is beingpropagated on some of the websites and blogs that associate themselves to SriAurobindo, The Mother, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Aurobindoniancollective.

Nama-Japa in the Yoga of Transformation by Ramkrishna Das

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Nama-Japa in the Yoga of Transformation by Ramkrishna Das at Vedic Books: 'via Blog this'

Translated and revised from the original Odia text, this book is a passionate argument for the effectiveness of nama-japa in Sri Aurobindo’s yoga. The author’s premise is that through all the difficulties and arduous trials of the yoga of transformation, the safest and least difficult path is that of complete surrender to the Mother, and that the most direct way to achieve such a surrender is by the constant repetition of the Mother’s name. In concise and affirming language, he describes how to use nama-japa in work, in worldly life, to overcome obstacles from within and attacks from adverse forces, and how to make its practice natural, spontaneous, and effective.

Newsletter - Sri Aurobindo Society - October 2011

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News from Branches and Centres

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)
28th August 2011: Seminar on ''Role of Women in changing time''

Sri Aurobindo Society centre Jabalpur organised a seminar on ''Women'' at Regional training centre Jabalpur.

Dr Ranjana Gupta presided over the function. Shri Manoj Sharma(Bhopal),Dr S.C.Sharma (Gwalior) and Dr Suman Kocher (Indore) were the guest speakers.They covered the Subject in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Programme began with Bhajans of Shri Jitendra Bajpai. Secretary of the centre Smt. Kalpna Arjaria welcomed the guests. Ms Ankita Shrivastava conducted the programme.

Audience at the Seminar ''Role of Women in changing time''

Hindi translation of the book ''Prenation Natal Education'' (Prasav Purva Shiksha) distributed to all participants.

Shri Vijay Poddar presiding over the State Committee meeting

In the afternoon State committee meeting of SAS Madhya Pradesh has taken place. Shri Vijay Poddar jee presided over the meeting.
Hanamkonda (Andhra Pradesh)
7th August 2011: Elocution and Essay writing competition on "India of My Dreams"

To celebrate Sri Aurobindo's birth anniversary the Branch organized an Elocution and Essay writing completion among the school and college students at the premises of the Branch. The topic was "India of My Dreams". About 100 students participated from different schools and colleges.

On 15th August at 9.30 a.m. flag was hoisted and at 10 a.m. collective mediation was conducted. 35 people participated in the programme.

Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
15th August 2011: Seminar on 'Savitri'

The Sultanpur Branch celebrated Sri Aurobindo's birth anniversary on 15th August with collective mediation in the hall of the Branch where Sri Aurobindo's Relics are installed.

In the evening the Branch organized a Seminar on 'Savitri' at Ram Raji Balika Inter College, Sultanpur. Dr. K.S. Verma, Director, K.N.I.T. was the Chief Guest. About 80 persons participated in the programme. The Branch also organized a questionnaire competition on "Sri Maa & Sri Aurobindo" at the college in two groups (Sr. Div & Jr. Div.)

Noida (Uttar Pradesh)
22nd August 2011: Shree Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations

On the occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, a talk on 'Shree Krishna' by Shri Viswa Mohan Tiwari, Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) was organized in which about 15 devotees participated.

Gomti Nagar (Uttar Pradesh)
21st August 2011: Seminar on "Spirituality and Morality"

The Centre organized a Seminar at Vijayant Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow on "Spirituality and Morality". Chief Guest was Shri B.P. Singh, I.G., CBCID, Lucknow. About 100 persons participated in the programme. Booklets were distributed to the participants.

Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu)
15th August 2011: Cultural Programmes and Talks

The 139th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo was celebrated by Chengalpattu Branch. About 400 persons attended the function. Since this Branch is situated in a rural area, many enthusiasts from these areas attended the function. On this occasion cultural programmes were presented by the students. Kalaimani - Thiru Nagai Mugundan delivered talks on "The Life of Sri Aurobindo" and "Right Upbringing of Youth in the Present Days".

Bhagalpur (Bihar)
4th September 2011: Meeting of Sri Aurobindo Society State Committee

The meeting of Sri Aurobindo Society State Committee, Bihar was organized by Bhagalpur Centre. Dr. Durga Prasad Khaitan, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society Bihar State Committee chaired the meeting.

The Committee discussed as to how we could reach out to more and more people. 24 members from different Centres of Bihar in addition to the members from the local Centre attended the meeting.

Teliamura (Tripura)
15th August 2011: Centenary Celebrations, Talk on "Divinity of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother"

The Teliamura Centre celebrated the 139th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo on 15th August 2011, with the hoisting of the National flag and the Mother's flag.

In the evening the members of the Society and other devotees offered prayers to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother at the Society House. The chief guest, veteran educationist of Teliamura, Shri Kalisankar Ganguli delivered a speech on "Divinity of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother". The Chairman of the Society explained the importance of 15th August. The programme was attended by approximately 40 persons.

Hindi Zone Annual Conference at Varanasi
17th-18th September 2011: 11th Annual Conference of Hindi Zone

Annual conference of Hindi Zone

11th Annual conference of Hindi Zone was held at Banaras Hindu University campus Varanasi. The central theme of the conference was "Sri Aurobindo and Future of Humanity". The conference was well attended by members from all over the Hindi speaking states.

Dr B.D.Singh, Rector of B.H.U. inaugurated the conference. Shri Vijay Poddar, Chairman of Sri Aurobindo Society Hindi Zone presided over the function. Prof.P.N.Jha ,Director Management Institute, Prof. Kamal Sheel Dean and Dr Shashi Kant Dixit were the special guests. Dr J.P.Singh briefed about the subject.

The subjects discussed were "Future of Education and Futuristic Education", "Towards Integral Health" and ''Future of Society and Futuristic Society''. The Speakers were Shri A.P. Khare from Panna, Shri D.N. Dani from Udaipur, Dr. J.P. Singh from Sultanpur, Dr. Archana Modi from Mahoba, Shri K. Pawan from Patiala and Shri Manoj Sharma from Bhopal.

Cultural Programme in progress

Dr Suresh Chandra Tyagi concluded the conference. On 17th evening a cultural programme also was arranged. Participants visited Sarnath after the conference.

Sri Aurobindo Complex, Sri Aurobindo Marg, J.P. Nagar, Bengaluru
9th August 2011: "Ankur Fest" Inter-school Competition

Mirambika School for New Age (MSFNA) organized "Ankur Fest" interschool competitions. Programme was inaugurated by Dr.C.R.Chandrashekar, Prof. of Psychiatry and Deputy Medical Superintendent, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Science. Shri Ajit Sabnis, Chairman, presided over the function. Children from 20 schools of different age groups participated in the various competitions viz., Dance, Music, Painting and Calligraphy. Senior Students of High School Section compered the program.

On 15th August 2011, MSFNA & SACT jointly celebrated the 65th Independence day and 139th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. Shri Ravi Shankar hoisted the National flag followed by invocation. Students sung patriotic songs and spoke on the significance of Sri Aurobindo's birth day in relation to Indian Independence day. Thereafter, meditation was held at Meditation hall from 10.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. Message card along with prasad were distributed.

28th August 2011: A talk on "An Overview of Savitri"

Talk was delivered by Shri A.S.Rajanikath, Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Complex trust. About 50 Devotees attended the function.

25th September 2011: A talk on "All Life is Yoga in the Light of Science"

Shri Rajiv Nadig delivered a talk along with powerpoint presentation. About 50 devotees attended.

International

Singapore

The centre regularly conducts programmes with the following themes-
a) Silent Reading
b) Morning walk and brunch
c) Meditation with Savitri
d) Readings from "Vignettes of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother" and "Om" Meditation
Nairobi (Kenya)

On 26th August 2011, Nairobi Centre presented 3000 booklets in ten titles to SOS children's Villages, Nairobi. The Village Director, Mr. Wabara received the booklets on behalf of the Villages. The booklets will be distributed in Mombasa centre of the Villages as well.
SAS Newsletter - Sri Aurobindo Society
www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/oct11.htm

3 day Sadhna Shivir conducted by Dr. K.N. Verma from Mahsua (Madhya Pradesh)

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August 2011 News from Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry)

Upcoming Events Sri Aurobindo, in Pondicherry

139th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo: 15 August 2011

This 15th of August is a triply special day for all of us. It is Sri Aurobindo's birthday as well as the birthday of free India. In a message to India given on the eve of its Independence, Sri Aurobindo mentions about the coincidence of this day with his own birthday as:

"August 15th is my own birthday and it is naturally gratifying to me that it should have assumed this vast significance. I take this coincidence, not as a fortuitous accident, but as the sanction and seal of the Divine Force that guides my steps on the work with which I began life, the beginning of its full fruition."

We present here the full text of the Message given by Sri Aurobindo on the eve of India's Independence to All India Radio where he speaks of his five dreams.

Here is an extract from Sri Aurobindo, where he powerfully emphasises the course India must take in order to fulfil its role & mission:

"India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to do for herself and the human peoples. And that which must seek now to awake is not an anglicised oriental people, docile pupil of the West and doomed to repeat the cycle of the Occident's success and failure, but still the ancient immemorable Shakti recovering her deepest self, lifting her head higher towards the supreme source of light and strength and turning to discover the complete meaning and a vaster form of her Dharma."

It is our happy privilege to work for a new India and a new world according to the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Programmes at the Society House

On 13 and 14 of August 2011, a series of talks will be organised by Sri Aurobindo Society at its Society House, Puducherry.

From 16 to 20 August 2011, Dr. Alok Pandey will conduct study sessions on one of the Works of Sri Aurobindo at the Society House, Puducherry. Sessions will be held from 5:00 to 6:45 pm. All are welcome.

Seminar on Integral Health
Sri Aurobindo International Institute Of Integral Health And Research (SAIIIHR): A seminar on Integral Health will be conducted by the SAIIIHR team on 14th August 2011, at Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry. Some important issues that would be discussed include the vision of Integral Health, its heuristic potentials, and the application of its consciousness paradigm in practical areas like clinical medicine, homeopathy, counseling, dealing with the terminally ill and death. For further information please write to:
vandana@sriaurobindosociety.org.in

All are welcome to the above programmes.
Women's Council Seminar on Beauty – 21 to 23 Nov. 2011

In everything, everywhere, in all relations truth must be brought out in its all-embracing rhythm and every movement of life should be an expression of beauty and harmony. Skill is not art, talent is not art. Art is a living harmony and beauty that must be expressed in all the movements of existence. This manifestation of beauty and harmony is part of the Divine realisation upon earth, perhaps even its greatest part.
The Mother

This year, the Society's Women's Council is embarking on a beautiful adventure to find and manifest beauty in all the movements of our existence.
The 'Power of Beauty' is the subject chosen for our annual Seminar, to be held at the Society House (Beach Office), 11, Saint Martin Street, Puducherry, on 21, 22 and 23 November 2011.
All interested are welcome to participate in the Seminar. For details, write to:
              The Secretary
              Women's Council
              Sri Aurobindo Society
              11, Saint Martin Street
              Puducherry-605001.
              E-mail: sushila@aurosociety.org
For accomodation, contact the Society Accommodation Section.
               Email: accommodation@aurosociety.org
               Phones: (0413) 2336396/7.
These Seminars are aimed at introducing the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's teachings which serve as a beacon-light in our day-to-day life and help us to go deeper within to know ourselves better and move forward.
Beauty, you are my way to the Divine.
                                                 The Mother

Recent Events

News from Puducherry

14th to 18th June 2011: Annual Youth Camp of Andhra Pradesh

4th Annual youth camp of Andhra Pradesh was held at Society House, Puducherry from 14th to 18th of June 2011. Thirty young participants studying Engineering, Pharmacy and other PG courses, belonging to various Centres and Branches of Andhra Pradesh, attended the camp. During these four days physical exercises, talks, interactive sessions, power point presentation on Art and activities of the Society, mind games, visit to the Ashram departments and visit to Auroville took place in the camp.

Inaugural session was started by Shri Pradeep Narang and Prof. Kittu Reddy.

July 2011: Talks by Prof. Saikat Sen, Safim, Puducherry

Prof. Saikat Sen, Director, Sri Aurobindo Foundation For Integral Management (SAFIM), Puducherry, spoke to representatives of 8 corporates and 11 management colleges. There were 42 persons to hear Prof. Sen's talk on "The Relevance of Consciousness in Today's Business" on 15th July 2011, at Coimbatore.

Saikat Sen addressing the participants in Coimbatore

Prof. Saikat Sen, delivered the Key Note Address in the Valedictory Session of the 12th National Conference of Practicing Company Secretaries at Ootacamund, Tamilnadu on 16th July 2011. He elaborately discussed the role of human values in professional work. It was well received by the 250 professionals who participated in the conference.

Key Note Address at 12th National Conference of ICSI
Prof. Saikat Sen, Director, Sri Aurobindo Foundation For Integral Management(SAFIM), Puducherry delivered the Key Note Address in the Valedictory Session of the 12th National Conference of Practicing Company Secretaries at Ootacamund, Tamilnadu on 16th July 2011. He elaborately discussed the role of human values in professional work. It was well received by the 250 professionals who were the participants of the conference.

The mid-week of July was winding up for the corporates and academicians in Coimbatore, but for 42 of them who gathered at Sri Aurobindo Society, Coimbatore centre in the evening on July 15, a new dawn opened up as Professor Saikat Sen, Director, Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management (SAFIM), introduced them to 'The Relevance of Consciousness in Today's Business'. The gathering consisted of officials from 8 corporate and 11 Management colleges. The response was good, and most of them were positive to have two-day workshops in future.

Faculty Development Programme at Auro University, Surat
Two-day Workshop on "Management by Consciousness" for the Faculty Members of Auro University at Auro University Campus, Surat was conducted on 21st & 22nd July 2011 by Prof.Saikat Sen and Ms. Smita Gupta of Sri Aurobindo Foundation For Integral Management (SAFIM), Centre of Excellence in Management of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry.

Vice Chancellor, COO and Facilitators with participants
Youth Camps for Self Development (2010 - 11)
For more than 25 years Sri Aurobindo Society has been conducting regular youth camps called All India Youth Camp in Puducherry. From last year this youth camp is being carried out at state levels as well by its branches and centres. The main objectives of the Camps are to:
- inspire the youth to discover their aim in life and help them in realising it;
- awaken the youth to their great future and prepare them to play their true role in all aspects of life;
- make the youth conscious of the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of India and work for a united and awakened India.

Last year's camps both in Puducherry as well as at the state level were sponsored by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), New Delhi. A complete report of the youth camp in Puducherry and the youth camps held at the different centres and branches around the country are available here.

Some Special Days in August 2011

13th August 2011 - Raksha Bandhan

The festival of Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is celebrated this year on 13th August. On this day, sisters tie an amulet, the Rakhi, around the right wrist of their brothers, praying for their long life and happiness. Raksha means protection, and Rakhi - a special ornamental bracelet - is a symbol of the chaste bond of love between the brother and the sister. In the northern parts of mediaeval India, women used to tie Rakhi round the wrists of men they could count upon, regarding them as brothers. The festival is an occasion to strengthen the bond between a brother and a sister.

Raksha Bandhan

Here is a luminous answer from the Mother when someone asked about human relationships:

Q: What is the best relationship between two human beings? Mother and son? Brother, friend or lover, etc?
All the relationships are good in principle and each one expresses a mode of the Eternal. But each can be perverted and become bad due to the selfish falsehood of human nature which prevents the vibrations of love from manifesting in their purity.

22 August 2011 - Sri Krishna Janmashtami

Sri Krishna, as a child

Janmashtami (also known as Krishnashtami or Gokulashtami) is a festival dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna to commemorate his birth on this earth. This year it falls on 22th August, and on this day during midnight, the whole story of Sri Krishna's birth will be enacted by the devotees in their houses and many delicacies, prepared out of milk and curd, will be distributed as prasad (food made sacred by offering to God) to everyone.

In his letters to sadhaks, Sri Aurobindo mentions about Sri Krishna:

Krishna as a godhead is the Lord of Ananda, Love and Bhakti; as an incarnation, he manifests the union of wisdom (Jnana) and works and leads the earth-evolution through this towards union with the Divine by Ananda, Love and Bhakti.

The boy with the flute is Sri Krishna, the Lord descended into the world-play from the divine Ananda; his flute is the music of the call which seeks to transform the lower ignorant play of mortal life and bring into it and establish in its place the Lila of his divine Ananda.

News from Branches and Centres

News from India

Bangalore (Karnataka)
25th to 27 March 2011: Workshop on Self Healing - "To Know Oneself" and "How to Remain Healthy"
First one was organized from 25th - 27th March 2011, and the second from 21st - 23rd May 2011. Mr. Sundararajan and Ms. R. Akhila from Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry conducted the workshops. It was explained that if harmony is maintained within one can remain healthy as revealed by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. 35 persons including 18 ladies attended the workshop.

Biaora (Madhya Pradesh)
A Programme on "Rural Development in the Light of Sri Aurobindo"
Sri Aurobindo Society Biaora Centre (Madhya Pradesh) organised a public programme on "Rural Development in the Light of Sri Aurobindo". More than 100 people from rural area attended the programme. Shri Desh Narayan Sharma (Bhopal) talked about the life of Sri Aurobindo. In his introductory speech Shri Manoj Sharma (Bhopal) explained the different thrust areas particularly the Integral Rural Development, taken up by Sri Aurobindo Society to spread the message of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He briefly informed the different activities of 'SARVAM' also.
The main speaker Dr. Suresh Chandra Sharma explained the subject in detail. He said that an open and aspiring heart can do miracles even in the field of farming.

Dehri-On-Sone (Bihar)
30th June to 2nd July 2011: 3 day Sadhna Shivir

The Shivir was conducted by Dr. K.N. Verma from Mahsua (Madhya Pradesh). The topics covered in the shivir were "Secret of Divine Descent in Sri Aurobindo's Yoga", "Aim of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga", "Divine Ascent and Transformation" and "Divine Descent and Transformation". About 50 persons attended the shivir.

Jabalpur - Baldev Bag (Madhya Pradesh)
13th June 2011: Seminar on Pre-Natal Education
Baldev Bag, Jabalpur Centre of Sri Aurobindo Society organised a seminar on 13th June 2011. The topic of the seminar was ''Pre-Natal Education''. The venue was Victoria Hospital Campus. Smt. Jyoti Bala Mishra, Principal of Nursing training centre was the chief guest and Dr. Suman Kocher (Indore) the main speaker of the programme. Dr. Suman Kocher explained the importance of Pre-Natal Education to the present and future generations.

The programme was attended by approximately 125 persons. This seminar got a good coverage by the media.

Noida (Uttar Pradesh)
10th July 2011: Talk on 'Spirituality & Morality' by Dr. JP Singh
A talk on 'Spirituality & Morality' by Dr. J.P. Singh, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society State Committee for Uttar Pradesh & Uttrakhand was organized from 10AM to 11AM followed by Question - Answer session. About forty devotees and their families took part in the programme.

Dr. J.P. Singh delivering his talk
A view of the participants of the Program "Spirituality & Morality"

Rajasthan Kalyan Parishad organized a programme of 'Children's Talent Award Ceremony' at which the booklets relating to Sri Aurobindo & The Mother were distributed.
Discussion on Gita: Lead by Shri Viswa Mohan Tiwari, Air Vice Marshal(Retd.):
Every Sunday from 11AM to 1PM, discussion on Bhagawad Gita took place at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan. There were about 10 participants in the programme.
Programme of Yogasan & Pranayam (every Monday to Saturday):
Programme of Yogasan & Pranayam for one hour daily from Monday to Saturday - is being held at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida. A total of about 10 - 12 participants are taking part in the programme.
Sewing & Tailoring Classes:
Sewing & Tailoring classes are being conducted thrice a week at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan.
Free Eye Check-up/Consultation:
On every Sunday from 11.00AM to 1.00PM by Dr. P.S. Chauhan.
Free Acupressure Treatment:
Acupressure Treatment for two hours daily from Monday to Friday by Sh. Girish Prakash Shukla at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan is going on well.

Rishikesh (Uttarakhand)
One day Workshop at Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd. (THDC) Rishikesh on 9th July 2011: 16 executives doing the certificate course in Management of Resettlement, Rehabilitation and CSR attended a workshop conducted by Ms. Smita Gupta, Senior Associate, Sri Aurobindo Foundation For Integral Management (SAFIM) under the aegis of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar. Topics covered included
1) The Power of Self-Awareness-Who am I?
2) How externalised or internalised am I? How can I lead a more conscious life?
3) The Concept of Integral Management and the Relevance of Consciousness in today's business.

Activity session in progress

Participants of workshop at Rishikesh

Surat (Gujarat)
21st to 22nd July 2011: Faculty Development Programme at Auro University
Two-day workshop on "Management by Consciousness" was conducted by Prof. Saikat Sen and Ms. Smita Gupta at the Auro University Campus, Surat on 21st & 22nd July 2011. The subjects covered were "Relevance of Consciousness in Today's Business", "The Concept of Integral Management", "Powers Within", "The Power of Understanding", and "The Power of Action".

Vellore (Tamil Nadu)
12th June 2011: Celebration of 7th Anniversary
The programme started with meditation followed by the inaugural speech by Mr. N.R.R. Radhakrishanan, Secretary, Sri Aurobindo Society, Coimbatore.

A CD of Golden Jubilee of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry was shown. More than 80 members attended. Magazines, books were distributed to devotees.

News from Centres and Branches - Abroad

Nairobi (Kenya)
The Secretary of the Centre was invited by the management of Oshwal Senior High School to address their teachers on 15th June 2011. The talk was based on The Ideal Child, The Ideal Parent, The Ideal Teacher and The Right Upbringing of Children and teachers acting as agents of change. Copies of these booklets were distributed to all present. The talk was well received.

In May 2011, booklets in ten different titles were presented to the Prison Headquarters by the Nairobi Centre. On 12th July 2011, the senior staff of the Welfare Committee of the Prison Headquarters revisited Sri Aurobindo Bhavan and three thousand more booklets were presented to them.

13th July 2011 - Eighth anniversary of Enshrinement of the sacred Relics of Sri Aurobindo at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Nairobi - this auspicious event was observed by the devotees at the Bhavan

Bangladesh

Sri Aurobindo Society, Bangladesh has acquired a property in Chittagong on a lease of 30 years from the Government of Bangladesh. This is the headquarters of the Society in Bangladesh. The address of the Sri Aurobindo Society, Bangladesh at Chittagong is given below:

Sri Aurobindo Society Bangladesh
Chittagong Centre
Maitry Bhavan, 370/A-378, Momin Road,
Chittagong - 4000, Bangladesh.
E-mail: vivekananda.chy@gmail.com

Faculty members in group presented the theme in a theatrical way

2011-08-05T05:26:00.000+05:30

Faculty Development Programme at Auro University, Surat

Two-day Workshop on “Management by Consciousness” for the Faculty Members of Auro University at Auro University Campus, Surat was also conducted on 21st & 22nd July 2011 by Prof.SaikatSen and Ms. Smita Gupta of Sri Aurobindo Foundation For Integral Management (SAFIM), Centre of Excellence in Management of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry.

In the day one, the meaning of Consciousness and the Relevance of Consciousness in Today’s Business, the concept of Integral Management have explained through audio-visual presentation, movie clippings and discussion. Video case was shown and all the participants analyzed the case and presented it in group. They interacted and share ideas and opinions with others. Present scenario of Management Education in India was discussed and analysed. Faculty members in group presented the theme in a theatrical way.

In the second day concept of a new education system based on Integral Education was discussed through audio-visual presentation. Resource persons discussed the usefulness of the module called “Powers Within” and given a brief introduction of the module. Various tools of Powers within were demonstrated and participants took part in each activity like questionnaires, interaction, games and live demonstration. Sessions of activity based learning “Powers Within” helps the participants to distinguish inner being from outer being and understand the inner potentiality through different types of activities like practice of concentration, concentration games and the like. The brief introduction of The Power of Understanding, The Power of Action was presented there. In this process the participants visualize and workout the methods of practice and implementation. All participants interacted very nicely amongst them and with the facilitators. All participants chalk out the future action plan about how they implement this new approach at Auro University.

Report of Seminar at Coimbatore

The mid-week of July was winding up for the corporates and academicians in Coimbatore, but for 42 of them who gathered at Sri Aurobindo Society, Coimbatore centre in the evening on July 15, a new dawn opened up as Professor Saikat Sen, Director, Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management(SAFIM), introduced them to 'The Relevance of Consciousness in Today's Business'. The gathering consisted of officials from 8 corporate and 11 Management colleges. The response was good, and most of them were positive to have such workshops in future.

Key Note Address at 12th National Conference of ICSI

Prof. Saikat Sen, Director, Sri Aurobindo Foundation For Integral Management (SAFIM), Puducherry delivered the Key Note Address in the Valedictory Session of the 12th National Conference of Practicing Company Secretaries at Ootacamund, Tamilnadu on 16th July 2011. He elaborately discussed the role of human values in professional work. It was well received by the 250 professionals who were the participants of the conference.

The Power of Inner Attitude Editorial The Inner Attitude and the Outer Events The impact of the outer events and circumstances on our consciousness and life depends on our inner attitude to them.

Release of Jitendra Sharma's book by P Valsala in Kozhikode

2011-08-02T19:40:00.000+05:30

A book on Sri Aurobindo released R. MADHAVAN NAIR NEWS » STATES » KERALA KOZHIKODE, August 2, 2011

Literary scholars have been fascinated by Sri Aurobindo’s poetic genius, particularly his epic poem Savitri . To this group belongs Jitendra Sharma who teaches French at St Joseph’s College, Devagiri in Kozhikode. His doctoral thesis, published as a book titled “Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo’s Poetry” is being released by novelist P Valsala in Kozhikode on Saturday.

It comes as no surprise that Jitendra Sharma became an ardent admirer of Sri Aurobindo’s life and poetry. For, he had stayed at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Puducherry for his graduation studies, before joining Karnatak University Dharwar for his post-graduate course in French. He is now trying to implement Sri Aurobindo’s education methodology in teaching profession .

A salient feature of Sri Aurobindo ‘s philosophy, reflected in his poems, is his strange concept about Man. Man, he believed, heralded the emergence of a new species of Superman. Practice of yoga convinced him through an “adventure of consciousness” man will finally attain divinity.

Says Jitendra Sharma: “Aurobindo considered Man to be a transitional being constantly driven by an impulse to exceed himself and evolve towards divine consciousness, harmony and joy. In his poems Sri Aurobindo prophetically describes the transcendence of man as the consummation of a supra - mental race on earth”.

The books is also replete with a biographical sketch. Sri Aurobindo, born on August 15 -1872 in Kokotta, was educated in United Kingdom from the age of seven . But, even during his stay in England, he became disgusted with British rule in

India

On his return home, he wrote ICS examination under pressure from his father but deliberately got himself disqualified in riding test because he wanted to live as a writer, not as an administrator .

Aurobindo, who died in December 5 -1950 is now revered as an outstanding figure in Indo - Anglian literature , a yogi, a seer , and a true patriot who demanded total freedom for India from British rule.

The release of Jitendra Sharma’s book is an occasion to recall the greatness of an eminent Indian. The book is sure to be hailed as a welcome addition to the growing body of scholarly works on Sri Aurobindo and his poetry.

Sri Aurobindo reclaims a lot of meaning for modern people

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A new approach to sustainability - Auroville

Auroville is expected to undergo a big change in the near future; by this social and physical infrastructures will be affected as well as the natural ...

SPA are you Aurovillian ? (28641)

They were inspired by texts written by Mirra Alfassa, who is better known by the name “The Mother”. This French woman, who was Indian philosopher and yogi, ...

Sri Aurobindo and The Mother are the founders of Auroville. Their portrait is in most houses, public places and shops in Auroville and in all places linked to Pondicherry's ashram.

YouTube - Vijay Bhai opening speech at Beyond the Present
Chairman Sri Aurobindo Society. ... Please try again later. Uploaded by SACACIndia on Jun 8, 2011. Chairman Sri Aurobindo Society ...

Peeling Back the Layers of Sanskrit and Vedic Chanting Suhag A. Shukla, Esq. Co-Founder/Managing Director, Hindu American Foundation

Case in point: this past weekend, my family had the privilege of spending a relaxed, yet intellectually exhilarating evening with renowned Sanskrit scholar, Dr. Lakshmesh V. Joshi, a professor emeritus and former head of Sanskrit at Gujarat University with numerous publications, awards and recognitions to his name.

Jelle NL on HuffingtonPost sandalwood on Jun 20, 2011 at 09:22:30

“I was born and raised within the culture, found it full of depth and have been happily consumed in trying to bring the teachings into a modern context and language, as the archaic language is opaque to many in the modern world.

Sri Aurobindo's work has great resonance for me as he was very successful in delving into the literature and bringing out a lot of meaning for modern people, including myself.” Permalink

Pankaj Jain, Ph.D.: The Caste System of Hindu Society

as brahmins by their life-styles and teachings: Mahätmä Gändhi, Swämi Vivekänada, Sri Aurobindo, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Swämi Chinmayänanda etc. ...

Hymns on Creation and Death: In the Veda and Upanishads by Dr ...

He has to his credit six major books on the Veda. He is the Honorary Director of Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic culture, Bangalore.

PURANIC COSMOLOGY UPDATED

Sri Aurobindo's seclusion precisely from 1926 revealed that intense concentration ... This occurred in the years following Sri Aurobindo's passing in 1950. ...

Chapter by Chapter psychological understanding of The Life Divine

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry has graciously allowed MIRRAVISION TRUST to use as a logo for the Institute for Integral Yoga Psychology, ...

rainbOwther: Integrating Wisdom, Strength, Harmony, & Service Monday, June 20, 2011 - This mire must harbour the orchid and the rose. Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother.

Sri Aurobindo examines the problem from three angles : […] The four‑fold personality ...

Maya | The web of World News Central and definitive

Maya has spent the last 14 years studying with an anonymous enlightened teacher who wishes to remain that way, while also investigating and working with a number of other models, teachers, books and theories. The two main theories which have impressed her the most significantly are Osho and Sri Aurobindo. These two philosophies appear to be polar opposites, but have reached a meeting place within Maya, she is extremely grateful for these experiences which have been great blessings on her spiritual path.

Life in AV Forest

Sri Aurobindo · The Mother · Integral Yoga · The Path · Beyond Religion · Evolution ... Soundscape · Spanish · Sport · Sri Aurobindo · Story Telling · Tamil ...

Howrah-Puducherry Aurobindo Express/12867 Train Kolkata Howrah/HWH ...
India Rail Info - Howrah-Puducherry Aurobindo Express/12867 Train Arrival/ Departure/Running Status & Schedule Departs @ 23:30 Arrives @ Journey Time:33h 20m ...

Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother

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Tusar N. Mohapatra says:June 9, 2011 at 12:18 pm

Dr. Mangesh Nadkarni’s reply to Ameeta Mehra (Gnostic Centre) regarding the impact of Relics on the larger collective atmosphere, 31 May 2007:
http://serfrat.blogspot.com/2007/06/relics-are-often-like-flame-that-is.html
+++
Idol worship is not an idle ritual! Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, The Economic Times, Thursday, June 28, 2007:
http://evergreenessays.blogspot.com/2007/06/enlightened-masters-imbued-them-with.html

YouTube - Plenary Session II: Goutam Ghoshal

Centenary Celebrations of Sri Aurobindo's Arrival in Pondicherry, (April 4, 2010) A National Seminar Organised by Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research ...
Independence Day Celebrations - General News | The Mother's ...

We had a speech on our Master Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo was also a ...There was a recital of a poem written by Sri Aurobindo, the students of 7th class. ...

The Grand Old Man - General News | The Mother's Integral School ...

Dadaji's brother, Mr. Madhusudhan Reddy established the Sarnath society in 1938. It was from then that Dadaji's interest in spiritual issues increased. In the year 1965, Dadaji completed his graduation in Philosophy and returned to his village. From the money he earned through a temporary teacher's post, he visited the ashrams of the saints during his days. He visited the Ramana maharshi ashram and stayed there for about 15 days. From there he went to Pondicherry. There he met The Mother. …

The next time, when Dadaji visited Sri Aurobindo ashram, there was a great change in his ideals. He decided to follow the path of spirituality. ...

Claude Arpi: What you need to start a war now is not a trigger ...

Panchen Lama (7); Russia (9); Sarkozy's visit (11); Sri Aurobindo (12);

Claude Arpi: Will China dam the Indus?

Integral psychology (Sri Aurobindo) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Few people, however, are aware of the links between physical Integral psychology, in the adaptation of Sri Aurobindo's spiritual teachings, ...

Mithilaonline….Gateway to Mithila and beyond

Sri Aurobindo translated about 41 poems of Vidyapati from a very old Bengali... This is an early work of Sri Aurobindo, while staying in Baroda soon after ...

Sri Aurobindo Darshan: The University of Tomorrow - About Us

V. Madhusudan Reddy's devotion to the great contemporary spiritual masters of India ... the establishment of the Sri Aurobindo Centre of Advanced Research (S.A.C.A.R.), ... The founder of the University, Professor V. Madhusudhan Reddy, ...

Tusar N. Mohapatra Says: May 21, 2011 at 8:24 am

[Principles of the Evolutionary Process from Sri Aurobindo Studies

Sri Aurobindo has outlined this very succinctly in this chapter:]

Rod on Issues of inclusion v exclusion in Auroville

Note the following words—“presumably”, “does not seem”, “seems to have”, “may have”, “would have”. Is this history or guesswork?

Savitri Era Devotees: The Mother and the biographer's dilemma

Mirra Alfassa, the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, was, by any measure, an extraordinary woman. An intelligent student, gifted painter and musician, ...

Savitri Era: Urge for global citizenship is sure to grip people

Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother. ... The synthesis accomplished by The Mother & Sri Aurobindo in the field of religion, ...

Tusar N. Mohapatra is blogging since 2005 Thursday, June 09, 2011

Anurag Banerjee - Nolini Kanta Gupta Smriti Puraskar for Anurag Banerjee

Anurag Banerjee awarded 2011 Nolini Kanta Gupta Smriti Puraskar

VAK The Spiritual Book Shop Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on

India

and her future ... Bestsellers 01. Invitation to Sri Aurobindo's Savitri 02. Letters on Poetry, Literature and Art 03. Savitri 04. Sri Aurobindo's Savitri-a legend and a symbol 05. The Mother-the story of her life. The Mother's vision Rs.230, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on India and her future Rs.250

Sri Aurobindo's Writings - The Mother's Collected Works

Maggi Lidchi-Grassi’s rendering of the Mahabharata

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One war, two existential heroes | The Asian Age May 29, 2011 - Aloke Roy Chowdhury

It was then that she discovered a French translation of Sri Aurobindo's Essay... Some years later she went to live in Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry. ... [The Great Golden Sacrifice Of The Mahabharata Maggi Lidchi-Grassi (Hardcover - May 20, 2011)] [The Mahabharata : Volume 3 Bibek Debroy (Paperback - Apr 10, 2011)]

Savitri Era Learning Forum: Reasoning and logic are a mask ...

Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. ... Sri Aurobindo has outlined this very succinctly in this chapter: [...] ...

Savitri Era: The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are principal guides of ...

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are indisputably the principal guides of the humanity at present. Their ideas have travelled far and wide with a cross section of ...
Savitri Era: Savitri Era option for Dalits

Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother. ... Sri Aurobindo: A Contemporary Reader Edited by Sachidananda Mohanty, Routledge India, ...
Transitions in the Evolution of Consciousness Through Forms, Part ...

As Sri Aurobindo continues his review of the stages of evolution, he comes across similar types of “gaps” in the manifestation of consciousness as ...
Newsletters | Matagiri Sri Aurobindo Center

Matagiri Sri Aurobindo Center. Center for the Evolution of Conciousness. Skip to content ... Matagiri Sri Aurobindo Center 1218 Wittenberg, Mt. Tremper, ...
Savitri Era Devotees: A Rare Press Interview of the Mother in 'The ...

All life is Yoga. – Sri Aurobindo .... Jitendra Sharma: Professor of French and Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society of Calicut at St. Joseph's College, ...
Sri Aurobindo - A Contemporary Reader - Google Books

Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education, Kolkata India - StudyNation.com

StudyNation - Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education, Kolkata. ... I want to Know about the approvals of the college Sri Aurobindo Institute Of Education, ...
Sri Chakra - Encyclopedia

Sri Aurobindo Circle · Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research · Sri Aurobindo Mandir Annual · Sri Aurobindo Memorial School ...
Sri Lanka Military Academy - Encyclopedia

Sri Aurobindo Circle · Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research · Sri ...

Sri Aurobindo Medical College | What Are The Courses Offered In ...

What Are The Courses Offered In Medicine. Ask Questions on various education & career topics or find answers to questions related to education and career ...
Savitri Era Religious Fraternity: Talk on Integral Yoga by V. S. …

Sri Aurobindo Society: Talk on 'The Mother-Sri Aurobindo: Their Integral Yoga ' by V. S. Balakrishnan, 3 Lajapathi Roy Road , Chinna Chokkikulam, ...
Marketime: History of armed struggle against the colonial rule

Sri Aurobindo (from the message broadcast on the eve of August 15, 1947). Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. ...
Mirror of Tomorrow :: 022: The Yoga of the Cells by the Mother

Sri Aurobindo speaks of it very often, and each time I read that sentence of his it's like an icy shower. I no longer know the exact wording, ...
Overman Foundation

A colleague of Sri Aurobindo at the National Council of Education, ... And then he went to take pictures of Sri Aurobindo sitting in the chair. ...

Comment on Signs of spiritual apitude by Sandeep from Comments for Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother by Sandeep

Here is an instance where Sri Aurobindo evaluates the spiritual signs of Vinoba Bhave, an Indian advocate of non-violence and human rights, based on his photograph:

Journey With Myself

Sri Aurobindo "The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad‐Gita is the ...

Sri Aurobindo's Writings - The Mother's Collected Works

Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872

2011-05-21T19:05:00.000+05:30

Readings in the constitutional history of India, 1757-1947 - S. V. Desika Char - 1983 - 789 pages - B. Philosophic radicalism of Aurobindo Ghosh, 1907-081 Bande Mataram, 14 April 1908 The present conditions of Government in this country are full of the germs of the Occidental malady, and if India is to escape from it, it must be,...

Dayanand commemoration volume: a homage to Maharshi Dayanand ... - Har Bilas Sarda (Diwan Bahadur) - 1933 - 418 pages - DAYANAND The man and his work ( Sriyui Aurobindo Ghosh ) AMONG the great company of remarkable figures that will •**> appear to the eye of posterity at the head of the Indian Renaissance, one stands out by himself with peculiar and ...

Famous Indians of the 21st Century - Page 177 - Vishwamitra Sharma - 2007 - 225 pages - India will be a spiritual guide for the rest of the world. • There will be progress towards man's ultimate development and he will become capable of solving his problems himself. Aurobindo Ghosh ...

Freedom fighters of India (in four volumes) - Page 91 - Lion M. G. Agrawal - 2008 - Aurobindo Ghosh, Mahatma Gandhi, and came to this country to serve it. 'Here reposes Sister Nivedita who gave her all to ... She was a member of the Central Council of Action formed by Aurobindo Ghosh and took up the editorship of the ...

Philosophical Found. of Edu. - Page 251 - Y.k Singh - Preview

PLACE OF CHILD According to Aurobindo Ghosh, each child has his own inherent capacities and special abilities. To fully develop these divine gifts is the chief purpose of education. In his opinion to. develop the latent faculties, ...

Educational thought - Page 287 - Johri, P.K - Preview

Past Experience Aurobindo hailed from Ghosh family which had come from Punjab and settled in Bengal. The name of his father was Dr. Krishna DhanGhosh and the name of his mother was Swaranlata Devi. Dr. Ghosh was a great admirer of ...

Indian Hist (Opt) - Page C-198 - Reddy - 2006 - Preview

Most of them, led by Aurobindo Ghosh, thought that the time has come to part ways with the moderates, push them out of the leadership of ... When it came to the crunch, he had to go with the more extreme leaders likeAurobindo Ghosh. ...

The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti): Volume 2 - Page 1402 - Amaresh Datta - 2006 - 914 pages - Preview

He joined the Bandemataram, an extremist weekly edited by Aurobindo Ghosh (Sri Aurobindo of later days) in 1906. Thereafter, he edited a Bengali monthly named Aryavar- ta. In 1914, he became the first editor of the daily Basumati and ...

Thinkers Of Indian Renaissance - Page 205 - S A Abbasi - 1998 - 476 pages - Preview

Life Aurobindo Ghosh was born on August 15, 1872, at Konanagar, West Bengal. He began his early education at Loreto Convent School in Dar- jeeling and was taken to England at the age of seven. There he was put under the care of a ...

Language forum: Volumes 1-4 - 1975 - Snippet view

But let me assure you tl this is not the reason why Punjabi poets, writers and intellectuals hi failed to respond to the phenomenon of Sri Aurobindo GhoshTb| are much deeper reasons for this failure, if failure that might be. ...

Thoughts from the Cosmic Field in the Life of a Thinking Insect [A ... - Page 383 - Haresh Patel - 2009 - 396 pages - Preview

The great Sayajirao Gaekwad the III was the one who gave a job to Aurobindo Ghosh, and brought him to Baroda to help him in his Reign as a benevolent ruler of the then-Baroda state. I am proud to be associated with Sri Vinaysinh,...

Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, V4.2 - Page 2 - Ken Wilbur - Preview

These include the Indian sage philosopher Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, the German poet-historian Jean Gebser, both writing in the mid-nineteenth century, and the contemporary American sage and philosopher Ken Wilber. Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo ...

The Great Indian patriots: Volume 1 - Page 207 - P. Rajeswar Rao - 1991 - 558 pages - Preview

Strenuous attempt by a westernised father to groom Aurobindo Ghosh as a civil servant had the opposite effect of shaping him into an ardent nationalist. Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872. His father, a medical officer with foreign ...

History - Page 179 - Raghunath Rai - Preview

Baroda: When Aurobindo Ghosh was the principal of a college at Baroda, he organised a revolutionary society. ... The extremist leaders Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Pal followed the method of constitutionalism. ...

Bhatkhande's contribution to music: a historical perspective - Page 26 - Sobhana Nayar - 1989 - 362 pages - Preview

At this time Aurobindo Ghosh flung himself into this movement and organised Sabhas, Samitis Akharas and Ashrams everywhere to ... Aurobindo Ghosh was a first class honours graduate from Cambridge. He gave up his lucrative job with the ...

A Text Book of General Studies Vol II - Page 120 - H.L. Luthra - Preview

The extremists met separately under the chairmanship of Aurobindo Ghosh and reaffirmed their unshakable faith in Swaraj, Swadeshi, boycott and national education. The extremists were fortunate in having some outstanding leaders like Bal ...

Constitutional History of India - Page 20 - Preview

(c) In Bengal, the terrorists were inspired by the writings of Aurobindo Ghosh and Bhupendranath Dutta, brother of Vivekananda. ... (e) Aurobindo Ghosh and 38 others were arrested in connection with Alipore Bomb Case. ...

Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology - Page 72 - Lewis Spence - 2003 - 556 pages - Preview

The Mystery of the Human Aura, The Spiritualist Association of Great Britain, 1972 Aurobindo, Sri Famous Hindu mystic, philosopher and poet. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh ('Sri' is an honorific, pronounced 'Shree') was born in 1872 and educated ...

History Modern India - Page 138 - S. N. Sen - 2006 - 244 pages - Preview

Aurobindo Ghosh The early nineties of the nineteenth century were the seed time of extremism. It was Aurobindo Ghosh who decried the Congress policy. In one article he said 'A body like the Congress which represents not the mass of the ...

The religious, the spiritual, and the secular: Auroville and ... - Page 134 - Robert Neil Minor - 1999 - 208 pages - Preview

"Thoughts and writings of this yogi, Aurobindo Gosh are recognised all over the world." Those who come to Auroville, he said, therefore, do so "considering it a sacred place, a 'Tirath,' because the spirit of Aurobindo Ghosh still ...

The Bengalis: the people, their history, and culture. Bengali ... - Page 140 - S.N.. Das - 2002 - 319 pages - Preview

"(according to the observation made by Chief Justice Jenkins in his judgement in the Alipur bomb case).51 Aurobindo Ghosh also believed that armed revolution was necessary to liberate the mother-land from the foriegn yoke. ...

Immortal Sarvoday - Page 28 - N. hazary - 2007 - 260 pages - Preview

4 Tilak, Gandhi and Aurobindo Sarat Kumar Dora Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920), Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) and Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950) were the three leaders of India who considered . India's liberation from foreign rule as the ...

Humanity, truth, and freedom: essays in modern Indian Philosophy - Page 78 - Raghunath Ghosh - 2008 - 164 pages - Preview

Chapter 4 Sri Aurobindo on Time, Change, Humanity and Aesthetics Parti Sri Aurobindo' s Concepts of Time and Change ... First, we shall lay down Sri Aurobindo's idea of Time, the role it is intended to play in his metaphysical scheme. ...

History Of Freedom Movement In India (1857-1947) - Page 79 - S N Sen - 1997 - 418 pages - Preview

AUROBINDO GHOSH The early nineties of the nineteenth century were the seed time of extremism. It was Aurobindo Ghosh who decried the Congress policy. In one article he said 'A body like the Congress which represents not the mass of the ...

Swami Dayanand Saraswati: an assessment - Aurobindo Ghose, R. R. Bhardwaj - 1987 - 62 pages - Snippet view

INTRODUCTION i As already noted, the present work is an assessment of the life and work of one greatman — Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1824- 1883) by another great man— Sri Aurobindo Ghosh* (1872-1950). Before we see what the assessment ...

The international Eliade - Page 124 - Bryan S. Rennie - 2007 - 318 pages - Preview

Also incorrect is the statement made here that “Sri Aurobindo shut himself away for seventeen years at Pondicherry.” 20. “Let us take an example tiresomely common in the Vedas to which Sri Aurobindo Ghosh draws attention: cattle (go). ...

History of Sirsa Town - Page 215 - Preview

1910) A renowned and emulable freedom fighter and a staunch advocate of SriAurobindo Ghosh, Ganpat Ram Talwaria, was born in 1910 at Talwara Khurd in the Sirsa district. After completion of his primary education, he joined his father, ...

General Studies History 4 Upsc - Page D-57 - Reddy - 2005 - Preview

When it came to the crunch, he had to go with the more extreme leaders like Aurobindo Ghosh. ... that the four resolutions would be passed, the extremists decided to object to the duly elected President for the year, Rash Behari Ghosh. ...

Longman History & Civics ICSE 10 - Page 61 - Singh - Preview

With this in mind, the National Council of Education (NCE) was established by Raja Subodh Chandra Mallik, Brajendra Kishore Roychowdhury, Sir Rash Behari Ghosh (first President of NCE), Rabindranath Tagore and SriAurobindo Ghosh. ...

Sri Aurobindo and his contemporary thinkers - Indrani Sanyal, Krishna Roy, Jadavpur University - 2007 - 349 pages - Snippet view

The moderates felt alarmed at the political views and activities of Aurobindo Ghosh. Those at the helm of affairs at the Council could not approve of the call that Aurobindo Ghosh used to give to the students to inspire them, ...

Sri Chaitanyadev and Sri Gadadhar - Page 187 - Rādhu Gosvāmī - 2010 - 203 pages - Preview

He was a famous Bar-at-Law and out of many important cases he pleaded for Sri Aurobindo Ghosh against the British Empire. Once he wrote— ". ... Sri Aurobindo ( Aurovinda Ghosh) (15/08/1872 - 5/12/1950) Sri Aurobindo (Aurovinda Ghosh ...

The Indian imagination: critical essays on Indian writing in English - Page 223 - K. D. Verma - 2000 - 268 pages - Preview

See Karan Singh, Prophet of Indian Nationalism: A Study of the Political Thought of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, 1893-1910 (London: Allen, 1963); Vish- wanath Prasad Varma, The Political Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo (New York: Asia, 1960); ...

Power unlimited: relation of man with God - Page 387 - D. N. Saraf - 1996 - 393 pages - Preview

Aurobindo Ghosh, Sri. "The Message & Mission of India." Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1964. Aurobindo Ghosh, Sri. "Savitri." Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Society. Azzan, Abdul Rahman. "Eternal Message of Muhammad....

Nationalism and social reform in a colonial situation - Page 105 - Aravind Ganachari - 2005 - 254 pages - Preview

BPPAlfXXMo.26/ 6 July 1907/ 567 (a): During 1907-8, Vithal Balkrishna Joshi used to work as a teacher under the name of Rahalkar in the nationalist school called Gananath Vidyalaya founded by Aurobindo Ghosh and his Cambridge friend Bar ...

Indian struggle for freedom - Satyavrata Ghosh - 1988 - 183 pages - Snippet view

Barindra Nath Ghosh, the younger brother of Aurobindo Ghosh and Bupendra Nath Datta, the younger brother of Swamy ... It influenced many, including ShriAurobindo Ghosh, who preached that "the whole moral strength of country is with us, ...

Teacher in Emerging Indian Society - Page 213 - Srivastava - 2006 - 320 pages - Preview

Sri Aurobindo's main ideas on Education Aurobindo Ghosh was against the prevalent education of his times. He showed to mankind the way to the highest spiritual growth. According to Sri Aurobindo the aim of education is spiritual ...

Foundations of Indian Psychology - Page 229 - Cornelissen R. M. Matthijs - Preview

To understand the nature of authenticity with this perspective, an analysis of the life stories of Sri Aurobindo and Mahatma Gandhi was carried out. Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950) is known both as a freedom fighter and a great thinker. ...

Significance of Indo-Russian relations in 21st century - Page 263 - V.D. Chopra - 2008 - 328 pages - Preview

Reformist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Dayanand and others ... Aurobindo Ghosh, in the spirit of such European nationalists as Mazzino, saw a divine expression of God in the nation. ...

Rediscoveming Gandhi (vol. 1 : Hind Swaraj : Gandhi's Challenge To ... - Page 153 - R. P. (Rameshwar Prasad) Misra - 2007 - 428 pages - Preview

The second group consisted of persons like Shyamji Krishnavarma, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, (Bal, Pal, Lai) and a host of other well known revolutionaries who laid down their lives for ...

Subhas Chandra Bose: man, mission, and means - Subhash Chandra Chattopadhyay - 1989 - 153 pages - Snippet view

Even in 1921 in a letter written to his elder brother Sarat Bose on the 16th February he alluded to the noble, inspiring, lofty and unselfish path trod by Aurobindo Ghosh in his attempt to liberate the motherland from the foreign yoke. ...

Sri Aurobindo, his life unique - Rishabhchand - 1981 - 427 pages - Snippet view

Aurobindo Ghosh with his clear insight into the swadharma (law of action) of his own people was suffusing it with a spiritual ... "Aurobindo Ghosh was now out of prison, and Nivedita had her school decorated... to celebrate his release...

Journal of Commonwealth political studies: Volumes 2-3 - 1964 - Snippet view

Aurobindo Ghosh represented both in his person and political writings these twin aspects of radical Indian nationalism in the ... Aurobindo Ghosh's career in active politics was very brief— from 1905 to 1910 — but he created a profound ...

South Asian affairs: Volume 2 - Raghavan Narasimhan Iyer - 1966 - Snippet view

Although Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh were unanimous in disparaging the methods of the ... 79 " Aurobindo Ghosh, The Doctrine of Passive Resistance (first published in Bande Mataram, 9-23 April 1907) ...

Sri Aurobindo: archives and research: Volume 11 - 1987 - Snippet view

When speaking about the nationalist movement in South India my brother mentioned to Aurobindo Ghosh that we were conducting 1 Srinivasachari is referring to the decision of his family to finance the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company. ...

The search of a prime minister: multiple voices - Page 6 - S K Ghosh - 1999 - 130 pages - Preview

6 The Search of a Prime Minister : Multiple Voices The extremists who also contained a galaxy of celebrities like Tilak, Aurobindo Ghosh, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai had no faith in bona Jides of the British Indian government ...

The Movement for national freedom in India - Soumyendra Nath Mukherjee, St. Antony's College (University of Oxford) - 1966 - 114 pages - Snippet view

Although Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh were unanimous in disparaging the methods of the Moderates, they differed ... 79 27 Aurobindo Ghosh, The Doctrine of Passive Resistance (first published in Bande Mataram, ...

Netaji, a realist and a visionary - Amita Ghosh - 1986 - 276 pages - Snippet view

In Bengal the seeds germinated and sprouted with the arrival on the scene of the early stalwarts like Surendranath Banerjee, Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh. The libertarian winds from abroad also helped the germinating process. ...

Social and cultural history of India since 1556 - Page 182 - N. Jayapalan - 2000 - 237 pages - Preview

The extremist thinkers and writers like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, BC Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh did ... The lead was taken by Barinder Kumar Ghosh (brother of Aurobindo Ghosh) and Bhupendranath (brother of Vivekanand). ...

Learning Hiistory-Civics Standard Eight - Page 75 - Shantashree Shetty - Preview

The organization was headed by Barindrakumar Ghosh, brother of Aurobindo Ghosh. Anusheelan Samiti received counsel and guidance from Aurobindo Ghosh. The organization even had a bomb manufacturing centre at Maniktala near Kolkata. ...

icse history & civics - Page 111 - - Preview

The Anushilan Samiti was the first revolutionary organization in Bengal spearheaded by a small band of young men, led by Barindra Ghosh, Aurobindo Ghosh and Chittaranjan Das. They had centres at Calcutta, Dacca and Jessore. ...

Nationalism and internationalism of Gandhi, Nehru, and Tagore - Mool Chand - 1989 - 195 pages - Snippet view

2 Aurobindo Ghosh was not only a staunch nationalist but a spiritual internationalist also. In the editorial of Bande Matram on September 9, 1907, he wrote "Patriotism is only a phase of that universal brotherhood which humanity aims at ...

The Vedanta kesari: Volume 60 - Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras - 1973 - Snippet view

Sri Aurobindo emerged from the jail with a sense of widened horizons which profoundly influenced his future life. Aurobindo Ghosh was born in Calcutta on 15th August, 1872, as the third son of Dr. Krishnadhan Ghosh and Swarnalata Devi. ...

Essays on hinduism - Page 34 - Karan Singh - 190 pages - Preview

Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) Born on 15 August 1872 in Calcutta, Aurobindo Ghosh was sent to school in England at the age of seven. There, first at the Manchester Grammar School, then at St. Paul's in London and finally at King's College, ...

Dwell - Dec 2004 - Page 94 - Vol. 5, No. 2 - 192 pages - Magazine - Full view

Story by Pankaj Vir Gupta and Christine Mueller Most devotees at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram maintain limited contact ... Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, a prominent Indian activist, renounced his pursuit of India's independence from the British, ...

India's struggle for freedom: role of associated movements: Volume 1 - Pran Nath Chopra, Xavier Arakal - 1985 - 843 pages - Snippet view

Aurobindo Ghosh on his return to India after fourteen years in England wrote a series of articles in the Journal Indu ... In the third series of articles published under the caption "New Lamps for the Old" (1893-94), Aurobindo Ghosh ...

Indian philosophy since independence: Volume 1 - Page 114 - Dale Maurice Riepe - 1979 - 397 pages - Preview

History and study of man... lead towards the perception of the eternal and universal power and Being whose thought and will work out through cosmic and human evolution.21 This is a sample of what Aurobindo Ghosh thinks about philo- sopy ...

Jouissance as Ananda: Indian Philosophy, Feminist Theory, and ... - Page 112 - Ashmita Khasnabish - 2006 - 239 pages - Preview

Sri Aurobindo (Aurobindo Ghosh, 1872-1950) is one of the modern philosophers of India. I emphasize Sri Aurobindo’s name in relation to Indian philosophy quite strongly, because it is through his philosophy of ...

Art and nationalism in colonial India, 1850-1922: occidental ... - Page 116 - Partha Mitter - 1994 - 475 pages - Preview

Aurobindo Ghosh, soon to emerge as the theoretician of Hindu revolutionary politics, was a student in England a little earlier. Highly gifted, his unhappy years at a public school and university had alienated him from the West. ...

The Modern review: Volumes 130-131 - 1972 - Snippet view

At this Aurobindo himself is reported to have remarked, "It seemed Narayan himself has come to my release". ... still and superb oratory, CR Das was able to have his client, Aurobindo Ghosh, acquitted of all charges and released. ...

Sri Aurobindo's Writings - The Mother's Collected Works

Kireet Joshi is Educational Advisor to the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

2011-05-19T13:24:00.000+05:30

About Kireet Joshi

1981-90 - Considering the importance of philosophical studies in the task of the promotion of Indian culture, he played a major role in the establishment and development of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research. He shouldered the responsibilities of Member-Secretary of this Council, during which Indian philosophical tradition came to be encouraged and supported through original research and publication programme.
1981-90 - He assisted Professor D.P. Chattopadhyaya, the foremost Indian philosopher of the country, in formulating a National Project on History of Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture, and worked as its Member-Secretary during its formative period.
1987-93 - Considering the importance of Vedic knowledge, he initiated and developed Rashtriya Veda Vidya Pratisthan and served as its Founder Member-Secretary. He organised national and regional meetings of Vedic scholars and promoted the recording of Vedic recitations of various Vedic Shakhas. He also framed and implemented scheme of financial assistance to Vedapathis and also for providing scholarships to students of the Veda and Vedic knowledge. He secured form the Government of India an endowment of Rs. 7 crores for the Rashtriya Veda Vidya Pratishthan, as a result of which the Pratisthan has been able to develop a number of activities connected with Vedic research and various cultural aspects of the Vedic tradition.
1976, 1980, 1984, 1985 and 1988- He was a member of India’s delegation to UNESCO’s conferences. He has made valuable contributions to the field of education at international level.

1976-78 - He was elected Vice-president of International Commission on Education at Geneva for a period of two years.
1983-87 - He was Chairman of UNESCO Committee on International Education.
1986-90 - He was Vice-Chairman of the UNESCO Institute of Education, Hamburg.
1983- He was concurrently appointed Special Secretary to the Government of India. He was responsible for programmes and activities relating to all aspects of education, particularly, in relation to higher education, youth services, UNESCO affairs and language development.
1987 - In order to develop studies in Hindi at national and international levels, he proposed a massive programme of training of teachers in Hindi and initiated and developed the concept of International Hindi University, Wardha. A National Committee on Hindi was constituted under his Chairmanship, which submitted a comprehensive report on various aspects relating to the promotion of Hindi in the country. He also made valuable contributions to the promotion of Hindi as the official language.
1984-86 - In the field of Sanskrit, he guided the activities of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and was its Vice-Chairman.
He framed new constitutions for Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, New Delhi and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupathi. Subsequently, he played a crucial role in getting both these institutions recognised as deemed universities.
He made schemes for the promotion of studies in Sanskrit in different universities of the country and for establishment of several Sanskrit Pathashalas and institutions related to the promotion of Sanskrit and Sanskrit Vidyapeethas in different parts of the country. He was for several years a Member of the Board which makes recommendations for President’s Certificate of Honour for scholars in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Arabic and Persian.
He made special contributions to promote the synthesis of science and spirituality, and he was the Chief Organiser of a major national Seminar on Yoga, Science and Man, which for the first time brought at the national level scientists and practitioners of Yoga to come in one large assembly. He was also one of the editors, along with Dr. D.S. Kothari, for producing a volume containing the proceedings of this Seminar.
1982 - The Institute of Advanced Studies at Shimla was redesigned under the recommendations of the Kriplani Committee of which Dr. Kireet Joshi was the Member-Secretary. This report had specially emphasised the need for interdisciplinary studies and advancement of the synthesis of various disciplines of knowledge.
1983-89 - He was Member of the Executive Board of this Institute of Advanced Studies at Shimla
1981 and 1990 - The theme of value-oriented education came to be developed in the country largely because of the leadership provided by him and through various national and regional conferences, which he organised throughout the country.
1992 - A national conference was organised which decided to establish Value Education Centre, and Kireet Joshi continues to be the Founder-Chairman of this Centre.
He has supported programmes of child education and advocated that the child should be the centre not only of the educational system but of the whole nation. He provided guidance and impetus to the Bal Bhavan movement in the country.
1974-77 - Member of the Children’s Film Society.
1977-2001 - Kireet Joshi was Managing Trustee of The Mother’s Institute of Research from, and under his guidance a task was undertaken to translate from French thirteen volumes of “Mother’s Agenda” in Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Gujarati, and some other Indian languages.
1993-98 - During the five years, he organised twelve working groups and a number of seminars, conferences, and workshops in different parts of the country. Extraction of knowledge from the Vedic Samhitas, Upanishads and the Gita as also study of Yoga as science and linking the Vedic Yoga with the entire tradition of Yoga right up to Sri Aurobindo have been the central focus of his research work. He organised a number of youth camps in different parts of the country where the results of the research have been diffused among a large number of youths. A large number of scholars and others are also participating in the programmes through publications and correspondence.
He also recently formulated, in conjunction with several educational institutions, a National Agenda for Education which provides a detailed outline of the way in which the present system of education in the country can be radically altered so as to unite the Indian spiritual and cultural heritage with the contemporary contributions of the modern world.
He has also undertaken the programme of clinical research in Ayurvedic treatment with the help of eminent allopathic and ayurvedic practitioners.
Kireet Joshi has written on a number of subjects connected with culture, science, spirituality, yoga and education.
1989 - He is recipient of award of the Indian Council for Child Education for outstanding contribution in this field.
1989 - He is also recipient of the National Citizen’s Award.
1996 - The degree of D.Litt (Honoris Causa) was conferred upon him by Rahstriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati.
1997 - He was awarded Sewa Ratna Award set up in the memory of Parmacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.
1998-2000 - He was nominated recently as a Member of the Indian delegation by the Government of India to participate in the International Conference of UNESCO to be held at Paris on 5th October, as also in November.
1999-2004 - He was appointed as Chairman of Auroville Foundation in March, for a period of four years.
2000-06 - He was Chairman of Indian Council of Philosophical Research.
2006-08 - he was Editorial Fellow of the Project of History of Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture (PHISPC). Currently, he is Educational Advisor to the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
He was appointed as first executive chairperson of the Gujarat Educational Innovations Commission (GEIC).
2009 - Gujarat Educational Innovations Commission Bill was passed.

A Philosophy of Evolution for The Contemporary Man

Contents Pre-Contents

Sri Aurobindo's Writings - The Mother's Collected Works

Transforming 21st Century Education

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News from Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry)

January 2011

Upcoming Events
133rd Birth Anniversary of the Mother - 21 February 2011
The Mother at Pondicherry

On 21 February 2011 we celebrate the Mother's 133rd birth anniversary. The Mother's room will be open for darshan for devotees on that day. There will also be a collective meditation in the Ashram from 6:00 to 6:30 am.
The Mother came to the earth with a great spiritual mission. Sri Aurobindo has said that:
"The Mother comes in order to bring the Supramental."

"Her embodiment is a chance for the earth-consciousness to receive the Supramental into it and undergo the transformation necessary for that to be possible."
The Mother first met Sri Aurobindo in the year 1914. After their meeting, Sri Aurobindo said that he had never seen anywhere a self-surrender so absolute and unreserved as that of the Mother. Later, Sri Aurobindo mentioned about the significance of the presence of the Mother on earth in the following words:

"The great work of the Avatar is to manifest the Divine Grace upon earth. To be a disciple of the Avatar is to become an instrument of the Divine Grace. The Mother is the great dispensatrix - through identity - of the Divine Grace with a perfect knowledge - through identity - of the absolute mechanism of Universal Justice.
And through her mediation each movement of sincere and confident aspiration towards the Divine calls down in response the intervention of the Grace."

The Mother herself has emphasised that "I am on earth because it is on earth that the divine work must be done, and for no other reason."
Talk in Tamil - 21 February 2011
Shri M.S. Sundararajan of the Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry will deliver a talk in Tamil, 'Andraada Vaazhkaiyil Annai' at the Society House Hall on 21st February 2011, at 10 am as part of the Mother's birthday anniversary celebrations.
SAFIER Annual Guest Lecture - 8 & 9 February 2011
The Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Education and Research (SAFIER), a unit of the Society, will have a two-day talk on 'Transforming 21st Century Education: Interacting Ideas and Practices from India and America' as part of its 2011 Annual Guest Lecture Series. The talk, by Dr. Maureen P. Hall, will be held at the Society House hall in Puducherry. Dr. Hall, a Professor of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, US, is in India as part of her Fulbright Scholarship from 1st to 16th of February. All are welcome to attend the talk and interact with Dr. Hall. For more details please contact Shivakumar on +91-94426 25637 or Dr. Sampadananda Mishra on +91-99528 88350.

Recent Events News from Puducherry
1. Bonne Année

Decoration with lamps

New Year's day was observed by the Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, at its Society House hall at 10 am with the lighting of lamps and a collective meditation. This was followed by invocations and songs by a few devotees and local staff, invoking the Presence and Grace of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and a re-dedication to their work.
Women's Council Seminar "Opening to Sri Aurobindo's Force": 21 - 23 November 2010
Pradeepbhai, Chairperson of Sri Aurobindo Society, addressing the participants

A view of the participants

The Sri Aurobindo Society's Women's Council held its annual seminar last year from 21 to 23 November. It was a particularly special event as it was held to commemorate the centenary of Sri Aurobindo's arrival in Pondicherry and the Society's Golden Jubilee. Thus the theme of the seminar was 'Opening to Sri Aurobindo's Force' as that is the best way to pay homage to Sri Aurobindo, according to the Mother. The 60 delegates, men and women, who attended the seminar, held at the Society House in Pondicherry, spent the three days reflecting on how to open up to Sri Aurobindo's force. Delegates were welcomed by Shri Pradeep Narang, the Chairman of the Society and Ms. Lachmanben Melvani. Shri Narang introduced the main topic and explained what our relationship with Sri Aurobindo should be and how we can come into contact with His force and light. This was followed by a self-introduction by delegates.
Each day started with a one-hour physical movement session from 6am, led by Ms Datta, a teacher from the Ashram School. The sessions started at 8.30 am with meditation and an invocation by different people each day and ended with an inspiring collective chanting led by Surabhi, who chose different hymns - the first day on Sri Aurobindo, the second day a Sanskrit verse and on the third day Sri Aurobindo's Gayatri Mantra. There was also a power-point presentation by Maitreyee on 'Flower of the Day' where every day different flowers with spiritual significance to Sri Aurobindo according to the Mother were highlighted. Every morning also saw the delegates, who had been divided into eight groups led by a group guide, discuss and introspect on selected passages from 'Savitri'.
Talks were given on different subjects but in the context of the seminar's topic by various devotees of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother:
21 November:
a) Richard from the Ashram School narrated anecdotes on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and gave some practical observations and guidelines on reading Savitri.
b) A power-point presentation by Sagarika on Sri Aurobindo's life from His boyhood days to His life in Baroda as a professor showed some rare pictures and not very well-known facts on the life of the Master.
c) Dr. Alok Pandey gave a synopsis of Sri Aurobindo's works. He began with the importance of Sri Aurobindo's books and how to use this gift in our daily lives, then went a little deeper into how to read Sri Aurobindo by quietening our minds and understanding the meaning of what He says with our deeper self.
d) Sushanto and Rathi took up some less-known aspects of Sri Aurobindo by sharing glimpses of His humour from books by Nirodbaran and other sadhaks.
e) Bharati Dhar spoke on 'Application of Sri Aurobindo's Vision on Economics' where each person was given an opportunity to undertake the work of his/her choice.

22 November:
a) Prof. Saikat Sen spoke on 'Opening to Sri Aurobindo in all Aspects of Life', and shared some inspiring and deep insights from the Collected Works of the Mother.
b) Shakuntala Manay of Bangalore gave a powerful presentation titled 'Opening and Offering' which was essentially a compilation of points on Integral Yoga from Sri Aurobindo's book 'Letters on Yoga'.
c) Krishna Modi offered a beautiful presentation on '100 years of Sri Aurobindo's arrival in Pondicherry', narrating how He came to Pondicherry, the places He had stayed, etc.
d) Rathi and Sushanto presented a very different and interesting aspect of 'Sri Aurobindo - the Gentleman'.
e) Lachmanben shared her personal experiences and a few anecdotes on her contact with the Mother.

23 November:
a) The day started with an invocation from 'Sri Aurobindo's Upanishad', recited by the Society's Sai Baba
b) Dr. Maya Kirpalani gave an interesting talk on the subject of the seminar, 'Opening to Sri Aurobindo' with examples from daily life.
c) In the afternoon session guides or representatives of each group shared insights, learning and experiences on 'Introspection on the Savitri'.
d) It was a profoundly moving and satisfying experience when Latha spoke about her personal experiences on 'Opening to Sri Aurobindo'.
e) In the open session, Vasant Das from the U.S.A and Sharda Goenka from Rajasthan expressed their views and feelings on the seminar.
f) Sudarshan from Auroville read passages from Savitri, while Mangaikarasi narrated two inspiring short stories.
g) Sushilaben completed the sessions by summing up with her reflections on the experiences and insights achieved in the course of the three days.

News from Branches and Centres
News from India
Mumbai Branch (Maharashtra)
a. 22 & 23 October 2010
Prof. Manojdas from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry spoke on 'How Far is Spiritual Life from Worldly Life?' and 'Faith and Friendship in the era of Changing Values' at the evening talks arranged by the Sri Aurobindo Society Mumbai Branch on 22nd and 23rd of October at the CCI Club. The talks, held in the evenings from 4 to 6:30, were followed by a questions and answers session. Prasad was distributed at the end of the talks to around 70 persons who attended the talks on both evenings.

b. 24 November - 1 December 2010, Artists Camp
Some of the Art works on display

More Art works on display

The Sri Aurobindo Society Mumbai Branch organised an Artists Camp in Ramgarh, Nanintal from 24th November to 1st December. Twenty-five artists from Bombay, Surat, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Baroda and Meerut participated in the camp which included interactive talks and presentations on various topics:
" Abhipsa Rami - Appreciating Indian Art; and The Divinity Hidden in Indian Art - its deep spiritual content, value and inspiration
" Jesal Thacker - Inspiration - its source and different planes; and The Artworks of the Mother and Her views on Art.
" Rajarshi Smart - Popular Art - Its Past, Present and Future
" Kaivalya Smart - Intuition and its role in creativity; and Sri Aurobindo on Intuition.
It was not only a good learning experience but at the end of the camp many of the participants showed keen interest in getting involved with the Society's activities.

c. 19 December 2010, Ikebana Workshop
Ms. Jesal Thacker, interacting with the participants
A display of Ikebana, done by the participants

The Mumbai Branch organised an Ikebana workshop on 19th December as part of the Society's Golden Jubilee Celebrations . It was attended by about 18 participants from the different centres of Mumbai. Ms. Jesal Thacker, who conducted the workshop, explained that Ikebana is a kind of concentration and one has to feel the flowers, its colour, its fragrance and its form and beauty and before arranging the flowers one has to look at all the possibilities, then go for the best arrangement one can visualise. Ikebana, meaning living flowers, is also known as kado or the way of flowers.
She then demonstrated three or four Ikebana arrangements, followed by the participants, who got to do two arrangements each. Each arrangement was given a quality like Sincerity, Devotion, Faith, Courage, Humility, Endurance, Gratitude, etc. Participants were given three to five flowers each as per their need and once everyone got their flowers, other materials like sticks, paper and vase, and their own space, as per the seating arrangements, they set to work, taking their time and some of the arrangements came out really beautiful. Once everyone had completed their arrangements there was a concluding session, where participants were free to share the feelings or thoughts they had discovered in the course of the workshop or about their arrangement. The result was a happy and joyful response, a manifestation of the beauty generated in the atmosphere. The arrangements were displayed for two days at the centre. The workshop was followed by meditation and Prasad distribution.
d. 13 & 14 December 2010, Talk by Dr Alok Pandey
Dr Alok Pandey, speaking to the audience

Dr Alok Pandey of the Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry was the guest speaker at a two-day talk on Savitri arranged by the Society's Mumbai Regional Committee at the Churchgate Centre. The talks, attended by about 50 devotees and members of the public, were followed by a question and answer session.
Noida (U.P.)
1st January 2011: A special collective meditation was held on new year's day from 9.30 to 10am by the Society's Noida Branch. About 35 devotees and their families took part in the meditation, after which sweets and calendars of the Mother were distributed to all.
Republic Day Celebrations at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida

Seen here: Shri Vijay Kumar Sharma, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Noida Branch (5th from Right). Also seen are Shri V.P. Goyal, Dr. Puneesh Taneja, Shri O.P. Dani, Ls. Shoba Dani, Smt. Seema Ahluwalia and other distinguished guests
A view of the audience

26 January 2011, Republic Day Celebration: Noida Branch celebrated Republic Day with members, their families and students of nearby schools at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Sector 62, Noida. The function began with the hoisting of the National Flag by Shri Vijay Kumar Sharma, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Noida Branch in the presence of Shri V.P. Goyal, Shri O.P. Dani, Ms. Shobha Dani, Mrs. Seema Ahluwalia and other distinguished guests. This was followed by the students singing patriotic songs and Ms. Shobha Dani and Mrs. Seema Ahluwalia reciting bhajans on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Shri Vijay Kumar Sharma, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Noida Branch,
addressing the participants of the Youth Camp

A view of the participants

One day Youth Camp, 29 January 2011: A one-day Youth Camp was organised at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan for 35 students from different colleges. Shri K. Pawan from Sri Aurobindo Society, Patiala Branch and Shri Arun Naik from Noida conducted the camp where participants were enlightened on such topics as 'Youth & the powers within'; 'Youth and India'; 'Youth and Sri Aurobindo' and 'Youth and the Spiritual Dimensions of Life'. The youngsters evinced keen interest and participated actively in programme.

In addition to these specific programmes the Noida Branch is also busy with the following regular activities:
Meditation, spiritual reading and bhajans - every Sunday from 10 to 11am.

Discussions on the Gita - every Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 1pm with about 12 participants led by Shri Viswa Mohan Tiwari, Air Vice-Marshal (Retd.)

'Our Prayer' - recitation of a prayer given by the Mother for those who wish to serve the Divine, followed by meditation is done daily at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan.

Yogasan & Pranayam programme - Monday to Saturday, for one hour, is being held at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida. The programme, conducted by Acharya Virendra Nath Pandey, a scholar of Sanskrit and the Gita, is attended by 10 participants.

Free eye checks/consultations - every Sunday from 11.00am to 1.00pm by Dr. P.S. Chauhan.

Free Acupressure Treatment - for two hours daily from Monday to Friday by Shri Girish Prakash Shukla at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan.
Madhya Pradesh State Committee Meeting: 22 January 2011
The Madhya Pradesh State Committee meeting was held on 22nd January 2011, and presided over by Shri Vijay K. Poddar. The meeting was held to look into the activities of the State's Centres and Branches and how the activities could be extended further to include nearby villages.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)

Anniversary of the installation of Sri Aurobindo's sacred Relics, 15 - 17 December 2010:
A 3-day celebration was organised by the Bhopal Branch of the Sri Aurobindo Society to commemorate the anniversary of the installation of Sri Aurobindo's sacred Relics.
- On the morning of 15th December a talk, 'Life Management' was held at the Sagar Institute of Research and Technology. The speakers were Shri Kaivalya Smart and Shri Manoj Sharma. In the evening Shri Kaivalya Smart spoke on 'Sri Aurobindo on the Upanishads' at the Branch.
- On 16th morning, at 9.30 am Shri Kaivalya Smart inaugurated a science exhibition at the Sri Aurobindo School, Bhopal. He also spoke on the 'Important events in Sri Aurobindo's Life'. Later in the morning Shri Kaivalya Smart and Shri Manoj Sharma spoke on 'Concentration' at the Model School. In the evening a question and answer session was held at the Branch.
- On the 17th talks on 'Gita in the light of Sri Aurobindo' by Dr. D.N. Joshi and Shri Satish Chitwar were held at the Branch premises.

New Year Celebrations, 1 & 2 January 2011:
Meditation was held around the Relics on New Year's day, followed by distribution of the message card. On 2nd January Dr. D.N. Joshi spoke on 'Purusha' as the topic for the month.

Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

Workshop on 'Life Management', 1 January 2011:
The Indore branch celebrated the new year by holding a half-day workshop on 'Life Management in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother' for the faculty and staff of Prestige Institute of Management, Indore. Dr. Suman Kocher, Chairperson of Sri Aurobindo Society, who conducted the workshop, explained the concept with a PPT Presentation. Dr. Kocher also delivered a lecture on Naturopathy, health and balanced diet. The Workshop ended with participants doing asanas and meditation.

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)
28 December 2010: Dr. Meeta Bisen, Chairperson of the Society's Lucknow-Jopling Road Centre addressed a group of 40 students involved in the social and economic development of rural women. They discussed the problems which they are facing in the area and were given the following booklets in Hindi for distribution - Nari Ko Uske Bare Mein; Bachchon Ka Sahi Lalan Plan; and Shri Ma Ek Jeevan Parichay. They were also introduced to the work of SARVAM which inspired the students to plan to work along the same lines.
Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh)
9 January 2011: A programme was organised at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra on 'The relevance of Sri Aurobindo' and 'Aims and Objectives of the Sri Aurobindo Society'. The function was presided over by Prof. Mayank, a noted scholar of Azamgarh while the main speaker was Dr. J.P. Singh. Booklets and the 15th August Darshan message cards were distributed to the 53 participants who attended the function.
Mathura Centre (Uttar Pradesh)
The Mathura Centre of the Sri Aurobindo Society celebrated the beginning of 2011 with a 'Prakash Utsav', where members lighted candles for the invocation of Mother's grace upon everyone. The ceremony concluded with a collective meditation.

New Delhi
a. 3 January 2011:
On the first working day of 2011, Monday, 3rd January, all the sadhaks, volunteers, devotees and teachers of the Navakriti School gathered in the meditation room for a collective meditation following which Darshan cards and Prasad were distributed.

b. 9 January 2011:
A programme for senior citizens, 'Grand Parents Day', was organised by the Delhi Branch on 9th January. Mr. S.L. Mittal, Executive Committee Member, gave a talk on Rhythmic Breathing Exercises, explaining how regular exercise can help reduce stress. Around 40 senior citizens, including some grandparents of Navakriti students, participated in the event.

News from Abroad Nairobi (Kenya)

a. 17 December 2010:
The Society's Nairobi Centre presented 2000 booklets of ten different titles to The Karen Hospital on 17th December. The hospital, which has a main hospital and two satellite clinics in Nairobi, has agreed to place the booklets in all the main reception areas for patients while some will be distributed to the hospital staff.

b. 20th December 2010:
Two members of the Nairobi Centre, Sri Aurobindo Society, visited the Physically Disabled Society of Kenya in Nairobi on 20th December where they were welcomed by the Deputy Director and other officials. After a brief introduction on the aims and activities of Sri Aurobindo Society, 2000 booklets of ten different titles were presented to the PDSK to be kept at its main outlets in and around Nairobi.

Abandon dogma and embark upon individual journeys of inner discovery

2011-02-08T12:30:00.000+05:30

AV today Current issue January 2011

In the section economy we publish an interview with Professor Emeritus Dr. Henk Thomas from The Netherlands and Chartered Accountant Manuel Thomas from Chennai on their forthcoming monograph on 40 years Auroville economy, the result of almost 12 years of research into the development of the Auroville economy from1968 till 2008, which will be published this year.

Another article dealing with the Auroville economy is about the introduction of the Aurocard, a credit-card size smart card that will gradually replace the guest card and guest account which have been used for many years.

In the section ‘references' Alan talks about the pressing need that antagonistic and mutually exclusive approaches be harmonized, where each can comprehend the truth of the other. This requires the courage to abandon dogma and embark upon individual journeys of inner discovery…December 2010

Development challenges for Auroville are the main theme of the December 2010 issue of Auroville Today... November 2010

For those adults who don't have teenagers of their own or who lack regular contact with Auroville teenagers, the youth of Auroville are something of an enigma. What are they really like? What are their preoccupations and their goals? What do they find to celebrate about this place and what frustrates them? And what is the nature of their relationship to Auroville? To find out more, Auroville Today spoke to two classes of 18 – 20 year olds at Future School . Some had joined Auroville relatively recently, but almost half of them were born in Auroville.
Are the youth losing faith in Auroville? Carissa J. Devine, a Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholar from the USA who did a research project on the Auroville youth, believes so and writes that ‘the youth are subject to despair, disconnection and frustration'. This opinion, however, is not shared. And if we look at what the current generation of young adults in Auroville are doing, we see that the majority of those who left Auroville for some time, be it for studies or work experience, came back and are now pioneering new communities and starting businesses and service units. None of them seem to have lost the faith.

AurovilleRadio - Sharing Auroville`s life and spirit 5 Feb 2011

Auroville Radio provides daily information about life in the international community of Auroville. Need to Celebrate

Krishna from Solitude Farm, and leading man of Emergence talks about past festival in Auroville.

Women as keepers of tradition Deccan Herald

“There I got a chance to see Auroville. I observed old-timer Aurovilleans doing lot of work in healing of the earth, land restoration and food farming. ...

Something old, something new, something borrowed — all for you Daily News & Analysis - Anindita Mitra

She worked as a textile designer for Auroville, where she handled mostly organic fabric and then came back to Bangalore to work for a textile studio. ...

Performances come straight from the heart Bangkok Post

Israel

who are studying drama at the Performing Arts Studios in that city; the other by the Mohanam Performing Arts Group from Auroville in Chennai. ...

AUP Calendar

AUP students, who spent their winter break 2010 in Auroville, ... The Auroville Sustainable Development Practicum takes a practical approach to teaching ...

Dailymotion - Perfecting Humanity through the Divine - P2/3 - a ...

Film: AUROVILLE - The city the earth needs ... Auroville is an ambitious experience, a kind of laboratory from where will perhaps come out the ideal town of ...

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Went around to the Auroville Ashram where you find the mammoth Matri Mandir, ... The route to the Auroville Ashram is covered with a Green Canopy almost as ...

July tour to all 30 districts of Odisha

2010-10-24T17:19:00.000+05:30

Report of July Tour 2010 - The Mother's Work in Orissa, 2010

This is the first year of July Tour during which our dear Dada is not materially present. He was and is the guide to all our activities of organisation not only for the last 12 years after the passing on of Babaji Maharaj but has been in contact with the work in Orissa for the last 48 years. He took up the task of subjecting “The Mother’s Work in Orissa” to the direct guidance of the Divine Mother. His constant advice to rely on Her, to remember Her and repeat the Name ‘MA’ in the midst of all our activities is the source of a great strength to us.

The Divine Mother has initiated Her own work in Orissa through Her great child Babaji Maharaj who not only insisted upon constantly remembering the aim of life given to us by the Divine Master and the Mother but gave the practical format of translating Their Ideal in the society in the shape of the ‘Sri Aurobindo Study Circle’ movement. He along with Prapatti gave the clarion call for the necessity of upholding the purity of the being and courage of conviction in the Ideal and was an exemplar par excellence. When Dada took up the work as liaison to the Divine he gave a fresh impetus, a bold thrust and massive encouragement to march towards the goal which he reiterated was a certainty. In the midst of confusion and apparent retardations and danger, his clear support stood out as upon a rock to fight out all hostility.

In all past 11 years of our July tour, to all 30 districts of Orissa, we used to inform him daily, the detail report of the activities and challenges as well as achievements of the day. This year too we felt his close attention on us, guiding our steps to fulfill Her Intention in Her Work in Orissa. We remember his tender insistence of now trying to directly depend on the Guidance of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo from within perhaps trying to groom us for the day when he would no longer be there materially to do this for us. From the depth of our heart, we convey our deep gratitude for our Loving elder brother, this great son of the Supreme Divine Mother.

We pray at Her Lotus Feet that this infallible Guidance may be available to us in spite of our numerous shortcomings and failures.

Last year we have completed the silver jubilee of July Tour and this is the 26th year. During this tour in every district meeting we addressed the very purpose of this organisational work and we reminded all the members regarding the individual responsibility of an organiser. The subject of discussion was “The true Divine Work”. We observed a very positive effect of this discussion on all the listeners who were mostly the brothers and sisters offering service in Sri Aurobindo Integral schools and the organisers of Sri Aurobindo Study Circles of Orissa, they seemed to have had a fresh determination to participate in Her Work.

VICTORY TO OUR SWEET MOTHER !

STATE COORDINATORS

Anadi Charan Swain Ch.Nirakar

At/Po: Sri Aurobindo Shreekshetra Matrubhaban

Via- Kotsahi, Dist: Cuttack Sri Aurobindo Marg, Cuttack-753013

ZONAL CONVENERS

ASTHA ASPRUHA KRUPA

Kendujhar, Bhadrak Gajapati, Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Anugul

Mayurbhanj, Baleswar Kandhamala

Janardan Acharya Udayanath Reddy Rudra Prasad Mohanty

At: Keshdurapal At: R.Damodarpalli Ma Ashis, House No -19

Po : Deogaon, Kendujhar Po : Aska, Ganjam-761110 H.B.Colony, Ramakrishna Vihar

Dist. Kendujhar Dist. Ganjam Baji chouk, Dist.Dhenkanal

Sashikanta Bhoi Bhagirathi Mohapatra Akshya Kr. Biswal

Joint convenor, Astha Zone Joint convenor, Aspruha zone Joint convenor, Krupa zone

At /PO. Kaptipada At/Po: Kanheipur Amalapada, Gandhi Marg

Dt- Mayurbhanj Via - Khallikote, Dt- Ganjam Anugul- 759122

SAMARPANA SANGATI SATYA

Koraput,Kalahandi, Raygada, Sambalpur, Bargad, Cuttack, Kendraparda

Malkangiri, Nabarangpur Boudh Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur

Lalit Mohan Pattnaik Prafulla Kumar Panda Sarbeswar Mohapatra

Sri Aurobindo Study Circle Gantia Pada Sri Aurobindo Pathachakra

Nuabandha Sahi Aintha Palli Khurusia, Patalipanka

Dist- Nabarangapur Dist- Sambalpur Kujanga, Dist- Kendrapada

Nilamadhaba Mishra Sridhara Sahu Kirtan Bihari Rout

Joint convenor, Samarpan zone Joint convenor, Sangati zone Joint convenor, Satya zone

At: Near Radhakrishna Temple At/PO: Bheden Sri Aurobindo Int. Edn. Centre

Lingaraj Nagar Dt- Baragad- 768104 At/PO: Taharpur

PO: Irrigation Colony Via: Jajpur road

Jaypore- 764004 Dt- Jajpur- 755019

Dt- Koraput

SAMATA SHANTI NISTHA

Sundargad, Jharsuguda Nuapada, Balangir Puri, Nayagad, Khordha

Debgad Subarnapur

Dr Debidatta Kar Lalit Mohan Khuntia Tareswar Ratha

At/Po : Diamunda Palace lane At. Garvanipada

Via :Sargiapalli Bolangir -767001 Po: Bankoi, Dist- Khordha

Dist: Sundargad

Dambarudhar Sahu Ajit Kr. Dalapati Surendranath Jena

Joint convenor, Samata zone Joint Convenor, Shanti Zone Joint Convenor, Nistha Zone

At/PO: Kuchinda At/Po:Patnagad Sri Aurobindo Int. Edn Centre

Dt- Sambalpur-768222 Dt. Balangir-767025 At: Badapadar PO: Nachuni

Dt- Khordha

Auro-Ratna Awards presented on behalf of Overman Foundation

2010-09-18T21:26:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

Soon after its inception, Overman Foundation had launched the “Auro-Ratna Award” named after Sri Aurobindo to felicitate the poets, scholars, researchers, philosophers and workers of the Aurobindonian movement and recognize their invaluable contribution. The first recipients of the “Auro-Ratna Award” were Shri K. D. Sethna alias Amal Kiran, Prof. Arabinda Basu and the late Jugal Kishore Mukherjee. The Award ceremony took place on Friday, 27^th August 2010, at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.

To read the full report of the award ceremony, please click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/the-first-%E2%80%9Cauro-ratna-award%E2%80%9D-ceremony-a-report/

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Chairman, Overman Foundation.

The First “Auro-Ratna Award” Ceremony: A Report September 17, 2010

The inaugural “Auro-Ratna Award” ceremony took place on Friday, 27th August 2010, at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. The first recipients of the Award were Shri K. D. Sethna alias Amal Kiran, Prof. Arabinda Basu, better known as ‘Arindam-da’ in the Aurobindonian circle and the late Jugal Kishore Mukherjee. The ceremony took place at three different locations considering the age of Shri K. D. Sethna and Prof. Arabinda Basu.
In the early hours of the noon, Shri Manoj Das Gupta accepted the “Auro-Ratna Award” on behalf of Shri Jugal Kishore Mukherjee in his office at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education from Shri Anurag Banerjee, Founder-Chairman of Overman Foundation. Shrimati Jhumur Bhattacharya, In-Charge of “Knowledge” [Department of Higher Course at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education], Shri Swadesh Chatterjee, teacher and member of the School Committee and a few others graced the occasion. After accepting the award, Shri Manoj Das Gupta said the following words:
“Thank you, Anurag, for giving me the honour to accept on behalf of our very dear and respected Jugal-da the “Auro-Ratna Award” given by Overman Foundation. As you have mentioned in your statement, Jugal-da was indeed a true child of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. And we very much miss his valuable companionship but at the same time we also rejoice that after a hard work he has found peace at the Mother’s Feet.”
In the evening, the Chairman accompanied by Prof. Kittu Reddy and Shrimati Krishna Chakravarti, respected members of the Advisory Board of Overman Foundation, went to the Ashram Nursing Home to felicitate Shri K. D. Sethna. Shrimati Suprabha Nahar, Shrimati Dolly Mutsuddi, Shrimati Nilima Das and Shrimati Ratna Chakravarti graced the occasion as special guests. Dr. Dilip Kumar Dutta, respected Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, was also present as the Chief Guest. The ceremony, which took place in the room of Shri K. D. Sethna, commenced with the following brief speech made by Shri Anurag Banerjee:
“Dear Friends, today we have assembled here to felicitate Shri K. D. Sethna with the first “Auro-Ratna Award”. Named after Sri Aurobindo and initiated by Overman Foundation, “Auro-Ratna Award” seeks to recognize the invaluable contribution of the poets, scholars, researchers, philosophers and workers of the Aurobindonian movement who have enriched the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and can rightly be called the true children of the Divine.”
The Chairman then read out the certificate of honour to Shri K. D. Sethna which was presented to him by Prof. Kittu Reddy and Shrimati Krishna Chakravarti. The Chairman then presented Shri K. D. Sethna with the trophy of “Auro-Ratna Award”.
Recalling his long association with Shri K. D. Sethna, Prof. Kittu Reddy said: “My first contact with Amal was when I was a child of barely ten years or so. Then, I did not understand much but I would see him sometimes with Nirodbaran and that impressed me. But my first tangible memory of him was when Sri Aurobindo left his body; I remember seeing him completely dejected and shattered — a picture of deep sorrow and disbelief.
Later as I grew up, I came to know that he was in close touch with Sri Aurobindo and that he was a good poet; in the late 50’s he began to take classes in the Higher course; he used to take our poetry classes which we enjoyed very much particularly for the humorous incidents he used to tell us; he had a wonderful sense of humour and he regaled us with very interesting anecdotes of the Ashram life in the early days. More important my love and appreciation of poetry was kindled and developed to a great extent because of these classes.
Later after I started teaching in the school and in College, I began to read seriously his articles in Mother India, especially those which dealt with national issues and political problems written when Sri Aurobindo was present in his body. In fact Amal told me that all his political articles were read and approved by Sri Aurobindo before they came out in the journal. Sometimes Sri Aurobindo made some comments and minor corrections before the articles were published in Mother India. I enjoyed these articles very much and Amal was gracious enough to let me meet him and discuss some of these issues with him. I was particularly delighted when he would explain some of the points that Sri Aurobindo made while reading these articles. They gave me a wonderful insight into the political vision of Sri Aurobindo.
Another area of common interest was the history of India. Sometimes we would discuss some aspects of Indian history and I am grateful to him for having presented me an autographed copy of his book “New light on Ancient India”.
I shall close with one interesting incident which took place in February 1994. I was then already working closely with the Indian Army and particularly with the Chief General B.C. Joshi. I had given all the articles of Amal on Indian politics written in Mother India to the General. He read them and enjoyed them very much. So when the Chief visited Sri Aurobindo Ashram on February 3 1994, he requested me if I could arrange a meeting with Amal. Accordingly, breaking all security considerations, he came to Amal’s house and met the two old stalwarts Amal and Nirodbaran. They talked for fifteen minutes and I can vouch for the fact that General Joshi was delighted in meeting them. He told me later that he understood clearly the vision of Sri Aurobindo and that he would do whatever was within his power to implement it.
I shall conclude by saying that the certificate of honour given by Overman Foundation to Amal Kiran is the most fitting tribute to a sincere devotee of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, one who gave his whole life in their service.”
Shrimati Krishna Chakravarti then read out a brief article on Shri K. D. Sethna titled Amal Kiran—the Clear Ray penned by her to the assembled audience:
“Why is the name so vibrant and illumined all the time? A place where ill and sick people stay—why the atmosphere so dear and light as if the suffering has transformed into delight! Who has shown the way that the body feels the pain but not the inner being. The joy, the surrender to the Mother alone make one overcome the disability of the body. And who else but Amal Kiran—the Clear Ray showing us the way—nay, leading us towards conquering the physical and march forward on the sunlit path to the goal set by Them.
The physical disability has not in the least hampered his march. His sonorous voice calling the sisters resounds all over the Nursing Home—his presence—his exuberating vitality preside over the Nursing Home and still show us the way to conquer the physical with a bright shinning face, looking younger and younger day by day with an inner strength overbearing his whole personality.
Let our Amal Kiran, the receiver of Auro Ratna pervade and preside by his very presence the Nursing Home the abode of clear Ray and Tranquility.”
Shrimati Nilima Das, Shri K. D. Sethna’s long-time associate at Mother India, read out the following article titled K.D. Sethna – A Genius written by her specially for the award ceremony in which she presented a brief biography of the illustrious poet, critic and litterateur:
“Kekoo. D. Sethna has been born in a Parsi family of Bombay on 25th November 1904. He was known in the Sri Aurobindo’s Ashram as Sri Aurobindo’s Amal Kiran (The clear ray) on 3rd September 1930. Renaissance personality and a multifaceted genius in the true sense of the term, Sethna has come back on worldly life, fame and success early in his career, and took the path of Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. However in choosing this new life, he did not seek to annul the intellectual and artistic interests, or in the integrality for the sake of passive surrender of their and self – abnegation characteristic of traditional religiosity like his spiritual masters Sri Aurobindo, he sought a fulfillment of his innate creative talents under the influence of a higher afflatus.
His literary output in quality and quantity is comparable to that of any outstanding figure in present age. In fact had he lived in, for instance, Hawkings England he would have received a much wider recognition as a man of letters, his cultural and intellectual achievements would have surely a mark of their own in that circle of cultural environment.
One of the most noteworthy aspects of Sethna’s literary and intellectual career is the correspondence he had with fellow scholar, editors, writers, poets and lesser-known peoples. There are included world-class personalities and international celebrities likes Aldous Huxley. Albert Einstein, Katheleen Raine and Paul Brunton.
A spirit of deep engagement and sympathy marks Sethna’s relationship. An estimate of H.G Wells that Sethna wrote when barely nineteen was sent to Wells himself by a Parsi Author, Mr. A.S. Wadia. Wells predicated “your young man will go far.”
K.D. Sethna is well recognized in knowledge and distinguished name in the field of Indo- Anglian poetry He had started verse-making even in his school days. But an earnest self dedication to poetry came only under the guidance eye of Sri Aurobindo and became specialist in Sri Aurobindo’s poetry. We find a quotation from a great critic Dilip Kumar Roy read Amal Kiran poetry so thoroughly and acquired such a deep grasp of both its poetical beauty and a technical mastery, in so much that he (K.D. Sethna) may easily be adjudged a specialist in the two capacities.
105 springs have crowded into Amal Kiran’s life. But looking at him who can imagine he has become nonagenarian. Except for his handicapped—lower limbs he is otherwise a picture of robust and radiant health. Amal-da is endowed with an exceptional intellect, an inquiring mind and a highly developed aesthetic sense. K.D.S’s shinning complexion, his delicate sensitive face, two eyes radiating a keen and kind glint of intelligence and sweet smile as innocent as that of child, cannot but captive the heart of his visitors.”
Despite his advanced age, Shri K.D. Sethna was present throughout the entire ceremony. When the ceremony ended, he thanked the Chairman for the honour bestowed upon him.
From the Nursing Home, the members of Overman Foundation and the special guests went to the residence of Prof. Arabinda Basu at Rue Suffren Street to present him with the “Auro-Ratna Award”. Shri Anurag Banerjee commenced the ceremony by speaking of Prof. Basu’s contribution in the Aurobindonian movement. Prof. Kittu Reddy then spoke the following words about Prof. Basu:
“For me, I remember him right from my childhood as being always an important figure. We looked upon him as a very close friend of Nirod-da and always very faithful to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. I never had the privilege of being his student but I’ve interacted with him very often and the clarity of mind and absolute precision with which he understood Sri Aurobindo is probably unsurpassable. I have always cherished my relationship with him right till very recent times even when he proposed my name to speak at Ramakrishna Mission and we are very happy that Anurag has ultimately given him this most deserving and rewarding prize.”
After Prof. Reddy’s brief speech, Shrimati Krishna Chakravarti read out an article in Bengali titled Arindam-da penned by her in which she expressed her profound admiration for the legendary scholar and philosopher. What follows is the translation of the article:
‘How little do I know of this learned and talented legendary figure! In the beginning I used to hear his name quite often from my father, that he was a resident of England and taught Indian Philosophy for a number of years, etc. I would imagine the face of a gentleman clad in suit, boots and hat but when someone, for the first time, pointed out to me that he was “Arindam Babu”, I was surprised and dumbfounded. He was a handsome gentleman clad tidily in dhoti and panjabi. His fair-complexioned face was glowing with a divine splendour of wisdom. How profound was his love for his motherland that despite residing abroad for so many years he could speak Bengali so fluently; his attire was also that of an ordinary Indian.
With such a learned man there was an obvious distance which exists even now. But I would narrate two incidents due to which his personality was blossomed to me. The first was that when I heard that it was Arindam-da who had told Jyotipriya alias Dr. Judith Tyberg, the founder of East-West Cultural Centre, the first centre of the Ashram to start in America which is still working magnificently by expanding its branches, about Sri Aurobindo and brought her to this path.
When Jyotipriya was pursuing her M.A. on the Vedas at the Benares Hindu University, no scholar could answer her queries. The view-point of those days was that the Vedas were but “an interesting remnant of Barbarism.” Not only that, Jyotipriya was asked to change the subject of her study from the Vedas and to conduct a research in Sanskrit in some other topic.
At that time in that teachers’ room, a young lecturer of philosophy listened to what the scholars were telling her. He followed Judith out of the room and said to her that he had overheard the conversations she had with the scholars. He added that only Sri Aurobindo could answer the queries of her quest. It was Arindam-da who introduced Judith to the Ashram and in October 1947, in the evening of Lakshmi Puja, Judith arrived at the Ashram and received the blessings of the Mother. On 24th November 1947 she had the darshan of Sri Aurobindo and in 1950 went back to America where she established the Centre. About Judith Sri Aurobindo has said: “Teach her everything she wants to know, she is going to do good work in America.” It was our Arindam-da who showed Jyotipriya the way and played a pivotal role in spreading the message of Sri Aurobindo in America.
The second incident occurred during the Birth Centenary Celebrations of his inseparable friend Nirod-da. Arindam-da was supposed to reminisce about Nirod-da; I had expected to see a sheet of paper in his hand when he ascended the stage. Instead he said that he would recite a poem written by him on his friend and guide Nirod-da. But there was so sign of any paper! In his resonant voice he smoothly recited his poem. Neither did he stop nor did he pause to think of the lines. The poem was quite lengthy—after all, they were pals for so many years and hence had innumerable sweet memories and life-passions.
His profound erudition and memory astonished and overwhelmed me. There was no display of pride. What can I write or say about such a venerable person who simply throws open the door of the treasury of wisdom! All I pray is that may his contribution go on for a number of years. May “Auro-Ratna” decorate him with more ratnas [jewels] and make him a glorious star in the firmament of the earth.’
Shrimati Krishna Chakravarti’s article was received with a warm ovation. After her, Shrimati Suprabha Nahar said that she knew of Prof. Basu since her childhood and that she was proud that Overman Foundation has felicitated him with the “Auro-Ratna Award”.
Shrimati Dolly Mutsuddi, the youngest niece of Nirodbaran, recalled the memories of her first meeting with Prof. Basu in the following words:
“Uncle always used to tell us that Arindam Basu would come from England and that he would introduce us to him. But as we were extremely restless in childhood Uncle could never collect us together. One day my sister Bani and I were told that Arindam-da had come to the Ashram School. When we entered the School Office, we saw a bright young man with a pair of sparkling eyes sitting next to Rani Aunty—the wife of Sisir Mitra. Bani and I stood there absolutely stupefied looking at him. What a good-looking man he was! Rani Aunty could sense that Dolly-Bani were looking at Arindam-da so she told him quietly: “They are Nirod’s nieces.” “Is it so!” and Arindam-da looked at us. I was so happy to see such a beautiful and wise gentleman like him.”
Miss Moushumi Mukherjee, Prof. Basu’s assistant for the past few years, shared with the guests and members of Overman Foundation, a little-known aspect of his personality, that is, his homely nature. She reminisced how he had relished a simple meal of boiled rice and potatoes which she had cooked for the first time when she had begun working with him and how he would ask her to bring a bar of chocolate when she would go to a shop. She remarked how her life had been transformed after meeting him and working with him. She expressed her profound veneration for Prof. Basu and called him an indispensable part of her life.
Shrimati Suprabha Nahar and Shrimati Ratna Chakravarti presented Prof. Basu with the trophy of “Auro-Ratna Award”. The certificate of honour was presented to him by Prof. Kittu Reddy. In his brief thanks-giving speech, Prof. Basu said in Bengali: “I’ve been told that I speak Bengali and English well and that I don’t mix the two languages up. But to express my feelings about today’s ceremony I would say that I am overwhelmed. I had to use an English word. I feel honoured, gloried and humble: all in one. I don’t deserve it yet I received it. I accept with all humility what you all have conferred upon me.”
The ceremony was concluded with a snacks party organized by Miss Moushumi Mukherjee.

Overman Foundation launches online research facility

2010-09-12T18:15:00.000+05:30

Inauguration of the Online Research Facility at Overman Foundation

September 7, 2010 at 4:54 am

On Saturday, 4^th September 2010, Overman Foundation launched its online research facility for researchers and scholars who are keen to work on the lives and works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The inauguration ceremony, which took place at the Head Office of Overman Foundation at 7 p.m. began with the rendition of the Mother’s organ music. Mrs. Sanghamitra Banerjee, eminent film actress of the Bengali film industry inaugurated the facility and described the concept as “extremely innovative and unique.”

Mr. Anurag Banerjee, Founder-Chairman of Overman Foundation, in his brief speech said: “An inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, had once told me: ‘What is the need to conduct researches on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother? Just read whatever they have written and practice their teachings.’ The very first part of the inmate’s statement had amused me. How can one abstain himself from conducting research on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother — the harbingers of the New Race — who have contributed immensely for the evolution of mankind and development of humanity! Both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother belong not merely to the past or present but to the future. In fact they are the future. We may claim that we know a lot of them but that’s not enough because even this knowing is limited as their lives had not been on the ‘ordinary surface for man to see’ to quote Sri Aurobindo’s own words. They are just like an inexhaustible goldmine where even if one goes on digging for three centuries all the wealth will not be extracted. Every time we read their works and what they have done for humanity, a new truth is revealed, a new light is obtained. And it is this very light that which we intend to share not only with those who are our co-travellers in the path of Integral Yoga and but with everyone — every single individual who is aspiring for a conscious progress. This is the purpose of establishing the Research Centre at Overman Foundation.

“There is also another purpose for launching this online research facility. Invaluable documents in varied languages related to the lives and works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are scattered here and there, so, it was thought necessary to centralize them for the benefit of the researchers. We can claim that we have been able to achieve this to a certain extent. But, my friends, this is only the beginning. The journey has just begun and we have miles to go. But I can assure you, on behalf of the members of Overman Foundation, that we won’t rest until we have accomplished our mission. It’s a promise.”

The ceremony ended with the playing of the song “Kanokajyoti kalebar dhari” in the mellifluous voice of Dilip Kumar Roy and was followed by a dinner party. 3 Comments

Peter Heehs, having mentioned something positive, proceeds to concoct a negative side

2010-09-05T18:07:00.001+05:30

A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs

The following paragraph is from a booklet by Peter Heehs entitled Sri Aurobindo on Hinduism and published by the Sri ...

Savitri Era Open Forum

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Aurora Mirabilis

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Books for Understanding: Terrorism 26 Aug 2010

Peter Heehs ISBN-10: 0195669142 (paper) ISBN-13: 9780195669145 (paper) Oxford University Press, 2004. Inside Terrorism Bruce Hoffman ISBN-13: 9780231126984 (cloth) ISBN-13: 9780231126991 (paper) Columbia University Press, 2006 ...
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In this article, Peter Heehs compares the politics of independence of Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo. In his wide-ranging consideration, he also brings in Subash Chandra Bose and Nelson Mandela. What would Mandela say to the differences of ...
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Sandeep Joshi a.k.a “Auroman”: “In many places in the book, Peter Heehs, having mentioned something positive, proceeds to concoct a negative side. Some of these negatives are phony because they have been inferred by craftily using Sri ...
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Reviewed in the West as the only decent biography of Sri Aurobindo Goshe, from politician, to poet and guru. This guy lived a fascinating life and Peter Heehs describes as many aspects of it as the Sri Aurobindo archives can.
boehmer and morton on terror and the postcolonial « settler ... 28 Jul 2010 by edwardcav

Revolutionary Terrorism in British Bengal (Peter Heehs, Independent Scholar). 7. Excavating Histories of Terror: Thugs, Sovereignty, and the Colonial Sublime (Alex Tickell, University of Portsmouth). ...
A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs ... 7 Jun 2010 by Raman Reddy

With the new-found job in the Ashram and the prestigious title of archivist of one of the most notable figures of modern India, Peter Heehs without any known academic qualification or experience, took to writing about Indian history. ...
Thoughts.com Blogs - ASHRAM RULES X-RAYED 26 May 2010 by nnandhivarman

The worst of all is to allow few foreign Nationals like Peter Heehs and Richard Hartz to bring changes to Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's spiritual works. Besides they allowed highly corrupt in-charges like Manindra Pal, ...
Savitri Era Religious Fraternity: Uttara Yogi would settle in ... 2 Apr 2010 by Tusar N Mohapatra

But he will not send notice to Peter Heehs for insulting Sri Aurobindo and for selling research from the Ashram Archives to make personal profit. Instead he spends Ashram's money' for Peter's defence in the courts, to protect the man . ...
nandivarman's blog » Blog Archive » AUROBINDO ASHRAM DEVOTEES WASH ... 16 Mar 2010 by Nandhi Varman

“Whereas on careful consideration of materials place on record, it appears to the State Government that the book titled as The Lives of Sri Aurobindo, written by Mr. Peter Heehs and published by Columbia University Press, New York, ...
India's (Jewish) Mother - by Michelle Goldberg > Tablet Magazine ... 11 Mar 2010 by admin

The book, published by Columbia University Press, was actually written by the ashram's chief archivist, Peter Heehs, but it takes a historical rather than devotional approach, enraging Aurobindo hardliners. ...
ASHRAM CAUGHT IN CONTROVERSY « DRAVIDA PERAVAI 23 Jan 2010 by nandhivarman

Mr. Peter Heehs is an American historian living in Pondicherry for more than 35 years and is in charge of Aurobindo Ashram Archives. One bold lady Ms. Sureka Jain had filed a Writ Petition [W.P.24599 of 09] in the High Court of Madras ...
The International Campaign Against Anarchist Terrorism, 1880-1930s ... 31 Dec 2009 by @ndy

See Peter Heehs, “Foreign Influences on Bengali Revolutionary Terrorism 1902-1908,” Modern Asian Studies 28, no. 3 (1994) and The Bomb in Bengal: The Rise of Revolutionary Terrorism in India 1900-1910 (Delhi: Oxford UP, 1993). ...
Commentaries on THE FUTURE REALIZATION: Stop Scapegoating Peter Heehs 2 Nov 2009 by Robert E. Wilkinson

You could not find a better description of how Alok Pandey and others have experienced Peter Heehs' destructive influence but what they fail to realize is that Heehs is not the CAUSE of this ongoing controversy but merely one of the ...
Circumsolatious: Sri Aurobindo - the Lotus and the Avatar 11 Oct 2009 by Lori Tompkins

Chapter 9 of her latest book Secrets of the Earth – Questions and Answers on the Line of Ten Avatars of the Vedic Tradition, actually addresses Mr. Chaki's emphatic rejection of Sri Aurobindo's avatarhood as well as Peter Heehs' ...
Tibetibaba | Flickr - Photo Sharing! 10 Jul 2009 by nobody@flickr.com (indiariaz)

Heehs, Peter, “The bomb in Bengal: the rise of revolutionary terrorism in India, 1900-1910”, Oxford University Press. (edition 1993). p. 62. Page available: [16] Gupta, Gopal Dass, “Glossary and index of proper names in Sri Aurobindo's ...
Savitri Era: Alok Pandey and Sraddhalu Ranade are resorting to ... 16 Jun 2009 by Tusar N Mohapatra

It is utterly shameful that luminaries like Alok Pandey and Sraddhalu Ranade are resorting to subterfuge with regard to their involvement in the court cases filed against Peter Heehs. That they are confident to get away with it in full ...
Plain & Simple: Kittu Reddy's support for an aggressive Hindu ... 17 Apr 2009 by Tusar N Mohapatra

Peter Heehs is a historian and a practitioner of the Integral Yoga. He has resided at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram since 1971. The same year, he began working under Jayantilal Parekh, who had been asked by the Mother to start an archives. ...
Gandhi praised, Aurobindo erased? « Indian Realist 14 Apr 2009 by sanjaychoudhry

Peter Heehs was an ignorant person because Sri Aurobindo NEVER was aware of his brother making bombs. And more importantly Gandi was a politician and Sri Aurobindo was a spiritualist who had no ambition to be famous or wish that world ...
Aurora Mirabilis: Dr. R.L. Kashyap speaks on The Background for ... 25 Mar 2009 by Tusar N Mohapatra

by Raman Reddy The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Peter Heehs was published by the Columbia University Press in New York in April 2008. A couple of months later, a few copies of the book turned up at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, ...
Peter Heehs's Betrayal « Skylight 21 Mar 2009 by Tusar N. Mohapatra

The rejection of this book is equivalent to rejecting the vision of how the Supramental Descent continues to evolve, progress, succeed, uplift and illuminate the world. > Peter Heehs'sBetrayal and an Ashram in Upheaval > 5:58 PM ...
The lives of Sri Aurobindo | FRANCOIS GAUTIER 5 Mar 2009 by speekout

Peter Heehs, an American historian, who lives in the Sri Aurobindo ashram, Puducherry, has attempted to recount the life of 20th century's greatest avatar, in The Lives of Sri Aurobindo (Columbia University Press, May 2008). ...
Consent to be......nothing!: That was Her way and that is also the ... 14 Feb 2009 by கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி

Peter Heehs என்பவர் எழுதிய ஒரு புத்தகம் "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" ஆசிரமவாசிகள், ஆரோவில் வாசிகள். ஸ்ரீ அரவிந்தர், ஸ்ரீ அன்னையை ஏற்றுக் கொண்ட ...
Gaza: The Indian Example By Radhika Sainath 27 Jan 2009

Official government reports note 210 "revolutionary outrages" and at least 1000 "terrorists" involved in more than 101 attempted attacks between 1906 and 1917 in the state of Bengal alone (see Peter Heehs, "Terrorism in India During the ...

The lives of Sri Aurobindo - Human Relations - Current Affairs on ... 13 Nov 2008 by Joy Chakraborty

The book is said to contain objectionable remarks against The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The lives of Sri Aurobindo – is written by Peter Heehs, an American who is one of the founders of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives in Puduchery. ...

Kabir - New World Encyclopedia 20 Oct 2008

Peter Heehs. Indian Religions: A Historical Reader of Spiritual Expression and Experience. (New York: NYU Press, 2002), 5; Vaudeville (1974), 39. ↑ Dharwadker, 77; kabir: Mystic Philosopher 1398-1518. Retrieved October 20, 2008.; [2]. ...

Savitri Era Learning Forum: Protest letters demanding expulsion of ... 21 Sep 2008 by Tusar N Mohapatra

2) In fact, the tampering of Savitri and Peter Heehs's attitude of writing agaisnt Sri Aurobindo in a derogatory manner were questioned by many senior sadhaks who include Jugal Kishore Mukherjee, Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya and some ...

P2P Foundation » Blog Archive » Rich Carlson's critique of ... 4 Aug 2008 by Michel Bauwens

The recent events surrounding the publication by Columbia University Press of a new biography of him by Peter Heehs, who has written other scholarly work on Indian Religion and Indian History for publishers as notable as Oxford ...

Columbia University Press » Blog Archive » Getting beyond the ... 4 Aug 2008

Getting beyond the Conventions of Biography – and Hagiography Too: A Post by Peter Heehs· cover The Lives of Sri Aurobindo The following post is by Peter Heehs, author of The Lives of Sri Aurobindo. How do you write about a man who is ...

குரங்குத்தவம்: பறக்கும் யானையும் ... 7 Jul 2008 by Baraka

If you want to understand the personality and multi faced thoughts of Sri Aurobindo before getting into his philosophy you can read "The Lifes of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs. Indra Sen, btw, is the first person to coin the terms ...

Books preview on Sai Baba of Shirdi | Shirdi Sai Baba | Shri ... 6 Sep 2007 by Alpesh

by Peter Heehs - Religion - 2002 - 600 pages. Antonio Rigopoulos, The Life and Teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994. Shirdi Sai Baba Homepage ... Limited preview - About this book - ...

Guruphiliac: Amma Poops On Gandhi 3 Jul 2007 by jody

There is a great book out called "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs for those who are interested in really understanding Sri Aurobindo's life and thought. Also, the Science, Culture and Integral Yoga is a good source of ...

Marketime: Sri Aurobindo's writings have been embraced by ... 19 Aug 2006 by Tusar N Mohapatra

Since Joytirmaya brings up the views of Peter Heehs to support his claim that he gives Sri Aurobindo a balanced treatment. I will add that biographers and historians - even good ones - are forced to select, disregard, and interpret ...

Aurobindo: Nationalism, religion, and beyond [Indologica] 14 Jan 2006 by hastasiempre

Peter Heehs is a historian based in Pondicherry. A member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives and Research Library, he is part of the editorial team that is bringing out the Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo in 37 volumes. ...

Ananda Reddy’s talks and lectures touched many people

2010-08-21T17:21:00.000+05:30

What Sri Aurobindo represents in the history of the earth's ...

E-Newsletter of SACAR (Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research). August 2010. Volume 3, Issue 5

Brief Report of Ananda Reddy’s Visit to the USA and Europe

Ananda Reddy recently returned from a three-week-long trip to several cities in the USA and Europe. During this time he attended the Sri Aurobindo Integral Yoga Retreat organized at Furmon University in Greenville, South Carolina (July 14-18). Ananda delivered many talks there covering different topics related to the journey of Integral Sadhana. He covered areas such as Basic Requisites of Sadhana, Sadhana through Work, Meditation, and Love & Devotion, and Difficulties of the Path. At the question & answer sessions titled “About the Mother”, organized in the late evenings he was accompanied by Sraddhalu Ranade, who also delivered several lectures and talks at the retreat on important topics related to Integral Yoga.

Ananda Reddy’s talks and lectures touched many people because they incorporated many reminiscences from his personal contact with the Mother. Other speakers included Narad (Richard Eggenberger) who led the OM Choir and also spoke on the spiritual significance of the flowers, and Dilip Sarkar who led the Ashtanga yoga and pranayama sessions in the morning and also spoke on yoga therapy and Ayurveda. Ananda Reddy also travelled to St. Louis and spoke at different gatherings. There again, his talks focused more on the Bhakti aspect of Integral Yoga and incorporated many of his personal recollections of living in the Ashram.

In most of the meetings and gatherings Ananda attended in the US, he discovered that there was a great curiosity among the participants to know about the details of the life in the Ashram when the Mother was there physically, and also about the Mother’s daily routine during that time. At one event, he witnessed a beautiful play on the virtues, performed by a group of children. He was touched by a poem written and composed by a 6-year-old girl, in which she expressed her love and affection for her “Pondy Mother”. Ananda’s talks at the Sri Aurobindo Yoga Foundation at New Jersey focused on the nature of psychic being, and Godward emotion & God. Throughout his travels, Ananda was very pleased to see a large number of young people attending and taking active role in the programmes being organized to spread the work and vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Ananda also visited Holland and Berlin during this trip. At Holland, he spoke to a group of people on the role of meditation and mantra in Integral Yoga. At the gatherings he attended in Europe he was again touched to see the seeking that was present among the younger audiences, who were so keen to hear about the Mother and her work and vision.

MĀSA is a bimonthly electronic newsletter published by SACAR and provides updates and information about various activities at SACAR. We invoke the blessings and grace of our beloved Mother and Sri Aurobindo through our reference to MĀ and SA. Contact: Beloo Mehra beloome@gmail.com sacar@auromail.net Phone: 0413-2348067

A supreme difficulty is Nature’s indication to us of a supreme conquest to be won and an ultimate problem to be solved; it is not a warning of an inextricable snare to be shunned or of an enemy too strong for us from whom we must flee. Sri Aurobindo

Letters on Poetry and Art, on Yoga, on the Mother, & on Himself and the Ashram

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Volume 27	PDF last updated: 15 Aug 09 Letters on Poetry and Art Letters on poetry and other forms of literature, on painting and the other arts, on beauty and aesthetics, and on their relation to the practice of yoga. Most of these letters were written by Sri Aurobindo in the 1930 and 1940s to members of his ashram. Around one sixth of them were published during his lifetime; the rest were transcribed from his manuscripts after his passing. Many are being pub lished for the first time in this volume.	2.21MB
Volumes 28-31	Letters on Yoga — I–IV (TO BE PUBLISHED) Four volumes of letters on the integral yoga, other spiritual paths, the problems of spiritual life, and related subjects. In these letters, Sri Aurobindo explains the foundations of his integral yoga, its fundamentals, its characteristic experiences and realisations, and its method of practice. He also discusses other spiritual paths and the difficulties of spiritual life. Related subjects include the place of human relationships in yoga; sadhana through meditation, work and devotion; reason, science, religion, morality, idealism and yoga; spiritual and occult knowledge; occult forces, beings and pow ers; destiny, karma, rebirth and survival. Sri Aurobindo wrote most of these letters in the 1930s to disciples living in his ashram. A considerable number of them are being published for the first time.
Volume 32	The Mother with Letters on the Mother (TO BE PUBLISHED) This volume opens with Sri Aurobindo's small book The Mother, in which he describes the nature, character and role of the Divine Mother. The rest of the volume consists primarily of letters on the Mother — on the Divine Mother and on Sri Aurobindo's collabora tor, the Mother, who was the head of his ashram. He wrote most of these letters in the 1930s to disciples living in the ashram.
Volumes 33-34	PDF last updated: 15 Aug 09 Savitri — A Legend and a Symbol Sri Aurobindo's major poetic work, an epic in blank verse. In Savitri, a legend from the Mahabharata becomes the symbol of the human soul's spiritual destiny. In poetic language, Sri Auro bindo describes his vision of existence and explores the reason for ignorance, darkness, suffering and pain, the purpose of life on earth and the prospect of a glorious future for humanity. The writing of the epic extended over much of the later part of his life.	1.62MB
Volume 35	Letters on Himself and the Ashram (TO BE PUBLISHED) Sri Aurobindo's letters between 1927 and 1950 on his life, his path of yoga and the practice of yoga in his ashram. In these letters, Sri Aurobindo writes about his life as a stu dent in England, a teacher in Baroda, a political leader in Ben gal, and a writer and yogi in Pondicherry. He also comments on his formative spiritual experiences and the development of his yoga. In the latter part of the volume, he discusses the life and discipline followed in his ashram and offers advice to the disci ples living and working in it. Sri Aurobindo wrote these letters between 1927 and 1950 — most of them in the 1930s.

Cuddalore, Cuttack, Kalimpong

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India News - Birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo celebrated in Pondy

Thousands of devotees from all over the country and abroad thronged Sri Aurobindo Ashram here today, on the occasion of 138th birth anniversary of the ...

Aurobindo s birth anniversary celebrated - Yahoo! India News ...

different parts of the country today thronged Sri Aurobindo Ashram here on the occasion of the 138th birth anniversary of the saint philosopher. ...

Contacts – sriaurobindo society cuddalore

Sri Aurobindo Society, Cuddalore centre TC NO 19. No.66/84, Subburaya Chetty Streert. Thirupathiripuliyur. Cuddalore-607002. Tamilnadu ...

Matrubhaban, Cuttack

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo. All Orissa Sri Aurobindo Study Circle Committee, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Cuttack-753013 ... The Mother's work in Orissa The Mother's work in Odisha started in 1949 when two Study Circles were formed with Sri Aurobindo's ...

KALIMPONG NEWS: Independence Day celebrated in Mungpoo by GJMM ... By (AK Rai) Arabind Ghose remembered Samiran Paul: 15th August in Kalimpong, KalimNews:

Independence Day was celebrated in Kalimpong with much enthusiasm and gaiety as it is considered a festival since 1947 onwards. Lalit Pariyar, retired IAS and Former DGHC CPS and a present study forum member of GJMM was the Chief Guest of the programme.

Auromira Yoga: THE MASTER'S WORD AND OUR HOMEWORK by Dr. Ramesh Bijlani
Sri Aurobindo's mission was to speak 'the word', as he revealed in the Uttarpara speech delivered shortly after his release from Alipore Jail. And, he did speak the word, most visibly in the Arya, from 1914-1920. ...

auromiraconsecration: 15 August

Sri Aurobindo was born on 15 august 1872. Here I am not interested to write his life history. I just want to write a little on his philosophy, on his yoga. He invented a new path of yoga. In his path the aim of human life is not Moksha. ...

Reading Sri Aurobindo To Throw Light On Rise And Fall Of India ... by indowaves
hen India's one of the greatest spiritual giants Sri Aurobindo arrived on this planet earth. The role of this great spiritual Avatara cannot be measured in human terms. Though he ventured on the highest plane of thought, this spiritual ...

Remembering Niranjan Pal « sunayana.com

He soon became the publisher of the firebrand newspaper Bande Mataram of which Sri Aurobindo, who had been educated in

England

, was the editor. The paper soon caught the attention of the British who could see that its main aim was to ...

Circle of Good Will :: Blog by Flowers on the Wayside
“Sri Aurobindo is deeply linked to the concept of Savitri. His doctrine on Savitri is considered as a fresh presentation in English of the Rigvedic text. It is even appreciated in the Ashrams of the Hierarchy. ...

SCATTERBRAINED MUSINGS ON THE SUBCONTINENT: How I Became a Right ... by Zack
Aurovillians are trying to model a society after the spiritual ramblings of an aged 'Mother' who gained this spiritual authority by being the 'spiritual companion' of Sri Aurobindo, a yogi who was a part of the Indian independence ...

The Holy Quest- A Spiritual Saga: 15th August- Darshan Card from ... by Umasree
15th August is the Birthday of Sri Aurobindo and of free

India

. On this day, a card was distributed in the Ashram containing a rare picture of Sri Aurobindo, taken by the famous French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson in 1950, ...

Bharat Rakshak • View topic - Independence Day Wishes !!!

Also, thank you to the poster for providing the translation from Sri Aurobindo of Vande Mataram. I just read it to my kids. ...

Auroville's relationship to other communities

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Eternity in an hour Tuesday, 13 July 2010

On Monday morning, 12th of July Bharat Nivas was joyfully crowded with many children and Aurovilians for the release of the book Passage made by Auroville teenaged students of Auroville as illustration of their educational growth and development. Shri Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development released the book with informal talk about education, and Auroville, which for him encompass within the spirit of the world, the spirit of human beings. For him a thing of beauty is a joy forever, and the beauty is the discovery of the truth. But the road to discovery is not visible because we need to dwell into the soul and figure out what we are here for. And that's why he sees this particular publication Passage very emotive, because we are truly passengers.

Presentation on Auroville by Sraddhalu Ranade Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Sraddhalu Ranade, invited by the Newcomer Program Team, offered a lecture at Savitri Bhavan the 19th of June 2010. Sraddhalu is a scientist, educationist and scholar residing at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram; Pondicherry. This talk covers a broad spectrum of themes relating to life in Auroville, from the essential spiritual truths that it seeks to realize, to the practical forms and means that need to be worked on. Among other things, it covers issues such as Auroville's relationship to other communities, attitude in dealing with daily trials and struggles in the community, critical difference between daily work and karma-yoga, practical hints and secrets to Auroville's success that are embedded in the Charter of Auroville. Introduction by Julia for the Newcomer Program team.