News from Pondicherry
Upcoming Events
4th April 2006 - Sri Aurobindo's Arrival at Pondicherry
Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry
Sri Aurobindo came to Pondicherry on 4th April 1910 to pursue a spiritual goal - the goal of supramental transformation - never before successfully attempted by anyone. Sri Aurobindo received an Adesh (a Divine Command) to go to Pondicherry. In one of his letters to a disciple he wrote:
"Pondicherry is my place of retreat, my cave of tapasya, not of the ascetic kind, but of a brand of my own invention."
24th April 2006 - The Mother's Final Arrival at Pondicherry
The Mother came to Pondicherry for the first time in March 1914. She returned to France in 1915 and then went to Japan in 1916. She returned to Pondicherry on 24th April 1920, never to leave again. On this significant date, the Mother once wrote to a disciple:
April 24: The anniversary of my return to Pondicherry, which was the tangible sign of the sure Victory over the adverse forces.
It is then that slowly the Ashram grew and took shape around Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The 24th April is also celebrated in the Ashram as one of the four Darshan days. On that day, Sri Aurobindo's room will be kept open for Darshan to the visitors.
Recent Events
29th March 2006 - The Mother's First Arrival at Pondicherry
The Mother met Sri Aurobindo for the first time on 29th March 1914, and later joined him as his collaborator in the great work of ushering in a new world of higher harmony and joy. There was a collective meditation at the Ashram playground in the evening.
Study Camp by Dr. M.V. Nadkarni on "Savitri"
Dr. Nadkarni conducting the Study Camp
Dr. M.V. Nadkarni conducted the first of a series of Study Camps on Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri" at the Society's Beach Office hall, Pondicherry, from 23rd February to 5th March 2006. After briefly covering the Book I and a few portions from the duel between Savitri and the God of Death, Dr. Nadkarni took up for discussion Cantos I and II of Book II. About 200 persons regularly attended the talks which were held in two sessions daily. The dates for the next study camp will be announced later.
News from Branches and Centres
News from Abroad Nairobi Centre (Kenya)
On 23rd January 2006 Ms. Sushila Bakhda, a member of the Nairobi Centre of the Society, gave a talk on "Graceful Transition in Life" organised by the Oshwal Library Ladies Literary Group. The booklet "Remain Young, Never Stop Striving Towards Perfection" was distributed to the participants.
The Nairobi Centre organised a three-day programme at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, on 15, 16 and 17 March 2006. Dr. Alok Pandey and Shri Sraddhalu Ranade from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, gave talks on various topics in the Light and Vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. On 16th March the speakers also had a meeting with a few doctors at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi.
News from India
Mumbai Churchgate Branch: Theatre for True Education Workshop
During the Enacting Session
Mumbai had its first Theatre for True Education workshop organised by Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Education and Research (SAFIER) - a unit of the Society set up to encourage research, planning and innovation in the field of Integral Education - on 4th March 2006. The Workshop was organised for pre-primary teachers of the Bombay Cambridge Gurukul group of schools in Mumbai, and about 28 teachers participated with enthusiasm. Rashi Bunny, an accomplished theatre artist with a rich background of experience in conducting theatre workshops, was at the helm. The areas covered in the 3-hour session were concentration, movement, team building, synchronising, sense exploration, creativity, imagination, awareness, sensitivity, and emotions all through experiential sessions.
The first activity started with each participant coming to the Centre and performing an action which the rest of the group imitated. Next, the participants were introduced to the language of gibberish. After a common collective bout of spouting gibberish, the participants formed two lines facing each other. They started communicating with their partner in the opposite line using the language of gibberish, conveying different emotions of love, hate, sadness etc.
Mirroring each other
The group then broke into smaller units of four participants each. In these units, each pair faced the other and mirrored the actions of their partner. After a while, the other two participants joined in the activity and while the mirror did the action, she was also asked a number statement by one participant (like 2+2=5) while another posed a concept question (e.g. Today is Sunday). The responses were to be in 'yes' or 'no' and at no point were the actions to be stopped. The participants by then were completely in the spirit of things and there was general mayhem with each trying to follow the instructions closely.
Exploring sound, with eyes closed
The participants were then asked to close their eyes and move around the room slowly, not touching anything but just exploring the space around. After a while they were asked to follow the sounds created around the room and move towards them. They were then asked to stand still with their eyes closed and imagine being covered with hot melted wax feet upwards. Gradually, they were guided through the process of the hot wax moving up their bodies, engulfing them completely. After they were fully covered in wax they were asked to fall to the floor and imagine turning into a candle. Following this they were asked to imagine little children entering the room and lighting the candles, feeling the light of the candles spreading across the room and themselves beginning to melt. In the sharing session along with the tea break everyone shared as to how touched they were by the candle exercise, especially of the children entering the room and the process of becoming a candle (an agonising effort) and the result of it being 'light' - it was a beautiful process that all experienced.
The candle exercise - You become a candle!
Next all the members were grouped together, leaving an area for a stage. On the cleared area, five paintings were laid on the ground and two trays with flowers were kept on each side. Each participant picked a flower and then looked at the painting. She then enacted one aspect of the painting she responded to without mentioning what she had chosen.
In the last activity, groups were made of five/six members each and they were given three minutes to prepare a 2-minute play with the characters already etched out: a grouchy mother, a child, a teacher, an inanimate object, a helper (e.g. gardner, cook, mailman, bai etc). In this activity a lot of creative response was generated by some of the groups and latent talents seemed to emerge.
The final group sharing session generated lot of feedback on the performances and also how energised they felt through the activities. The written feedback from the group was very positive. One of the participant expressed that she "…enjoyed each and every activity conducted by Ms. Rashi, which was full of fun and at the same time thought-provoking. We could also learn so many things which we can use in our daily life as well as with our children in the class which will release our energy." Another had written that "All our stress came out. We were relaxed a lot. Now a days no one gets time to remove their stress, mostly teachers also don't get time, so this is the perfect way to remove the stress. All the activity was very good. I enjoyed a lot and relaxed a lot." All felt that they benefited from the workshop and looked forward to more such sessions.
Gujarat State Conference
The annual conference of Centres and Branches of Gujarat State was held at Sri Aurobindo Nivas, Vadodara, from 4th to 6th February 2006. More than 100 delegates were present. Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, presided over the inaugural session. Shri Shitanshu Yashchandra, a renowned poet in Gujarati and Ex-Vice Chancellor and awardee of Padmashree, inaugurated the conference. Shri Kittu Reddy from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, was the Chief Guest. The Centres were guided by the Chairman of the session to promote youth activities and over-all working of the Centres.
A Gujarati book titled "Life Divine - A Study & Approach", written by Shri V.R. Pathak and Prof. Jyotsnaben Shah was released by Shri Pradeep Narang. The author Shri Pathak gave a short summary of the book. The people in Gujarat will be benefited by this book in Gujarati. Prof. Kittu Reddy, Shri Pradeep Narang and Shri Kaivalya Smart spoke on the occasion. The representatives of the Centres/Branches submitted their reports and had discussion on them. Shri Parashar Dwivedi read out the important points/events of the activities carried out in Gujarat during 2005. The youth of Sri Aurobindo Nivas gave a unique programme on "Bhavani Bharati" and young artists of Vadodara Centre entertained all by wonderfully performing Bharata Natyam, Kathak and Vocal music. Vishwa Sanskrit Pratisthanam discussed about spreading and promoting Sanskrit language. The whole conference was very well managed under the guidance of Shri Hanskumar Mankad.
Bangalore (Karnataka)
Sri Aurobindo Society, Bangalore Branch, will hold a residential Youth Camp on 7th, 8th and 9th July 2006 for boys and girls aged between 16 and 35 years. No fee will be charged. Persons interested may please contact Shri M.M. Bhattacharjee, Co-ordinator, at the following address with their bio-data, a passport size photograph and their contact phone number:
Shri M.M. Bhattacharjee - Co-ordinator (Youth Camps), Sri Aurobindo SocietySri Aurobindo Bhawan110, Gangadhara Chetty RoadBangalore - 560 042Phone : 080-25559885/25298684
Kovvur (Andhra Pradesh)
The Kovvur Centre organised a function on 19th March 2006 to celebrate the first anniversary of "Matri-sankalpa", a monthly pamphlet being brought out by them to propagate Sanskrit. Dr. Sampadananda Mishra of Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, was the Chief Guest. In the morning session he spoke in Sanskrit, on the relevance of Sanskrit, and explained what further steps need to be taken for propagating Sanskrit in a wider way. In the afternoon session Dr. Mishra spoke on "Living One Life". Others present were Shri B Venkatramaiah, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society Andhra Pradesh State Committee, Shri Dorbala Prabhakara Sharma, Editor, Matri-sankalpa and Shri Mallikarjuna Rao, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Kovvur.
Sultanpur (U.P.)
A national Seminar was organised on 4th December 2005 at the Kashi Vidyapeeth University at Varanasi. It was attended by Dr. S.C. Tyagi and Dr. J.P. Singh. The Chief Guest was Prof. Surendra Singh, Vice Chancellor of the University. Various topics related to the life of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were taken up. Professors of various universities of UP attended the seminar. It was very well attended.
On 5th December 2005 a talk on "Relevance of Sri Aurobindo" was organised in R.P. PG College, Sultanpur. The speakers were Dr. D.P. Singh, Dr. D.D. Pandey and Dr. J.P. Singh. The function was presided over by the Principal of the college. It was attended by most of the teachers and about 150 students of the college.
From 5th to 11th January 2006 Prof. A.B. Kapadiya held sessions on 'Mother' and 'Savitri' in the morning and evening respectively. During his stay at Sultanpur, Prof. Kapadiya delivered the following talks:
1. "All Life is Yoga" in Christian Hospital, Sultanpur. 2. "Science of Consciousness" in GSPG College, Sultanpur. 3. Addressing the girls of RR Intermediate College, Sultanpur. He discussed the teachings of Mother. 4. "Sadhana and Integral Health" was the topic at IMA, Sultanpur.
The Sultanpur Branch organised a seminar on Sri Aurobindo's Yoga on 21st February 2006. The Chairman of the Branch Dr. J.P. Singh spoke on the 50th year of Manifestation of the Supramental. Other speakers were Dr. D.D. Pandey, Dr. Archana and Shri B.B. Singh. The Chief Guest was Dr. Mitra Bhadra Singh. Shri B.B. Singh, Secretary of the Branch, gave the vote of thanks.Pratapgarh (U.P.)
A Seminar on "Supramental Descent" was organised on 12th March 2006. It was presided over by Dr. J.P. Mishra, Principal, MDPG College, Pratapgarh, and the Chief Guest was Shri Tej Bahadur Singh, a senior advocate. Shri Udai Raj Mishra, Head of Chinmaya Mission, Pratapgarh, was the special guest. The speakers were Dr. J.P. Singh, Chairman, and Dr. D.D. Pandey, Vice Chairman of Sultanpur Branch. Mini booklets and some copies of 'Aditi' were distributed to the guests.
Lucknow (U.P.)
A seminar on "Education - Its Rightful Direction in the Light of Sri Aurobindo" was held at Lucknow on 5th February. Almost 100 persons attended the seminar from various universities and Society's Branches and Centres. The presentations made at the seminar were of good quality and it is hoped that the seminar will give a boost to the work in Lucknow.
The "Forum of Spiritual Lawyers", Lucknow, celebrated the Mother's birthday on 21st Februry 2006 by organising prayers and meditation before the photographs of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother installed in the premises of Avadh Bar Association, High Court, Lucknow, U.P. The function was attended by about 40 members of the Bar Association.
Annanagar, Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
The Annanagar Centre arranged talks in February 2006 on "Surrender is the Secret of Success", "The Divine Pang in Savitri", "Clinging to Mental Preferences" and 'The Evolution of Supramental Consciousness and the Blooming of Divine Life upon Earth".
New Delhi
The Delhi Branch organised a flower exhibition consisting of 60 photographs of different flowers along with their spiritual significance as revealed by the Mother. The film on the spiritual significance of flowers was also shown to the members of Women's International Club. Many members of this club are connected with Embassies of different countries based in Delhi. The participants enjoyed the awareness of spiritual significance of flowers.
Tenali (A.P.)
The Tenali Branch celebrated the Mother's 128th birth anniversary in their newly constructed Savitri Bhavan on 21st February 2006. The Mother's flag was hoisted followed by a talk by Shri K.R.L. Prasad, Secretary, Tenali Branch, who explained the concept of Avatarhood in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Madurai (Tamil Nadu)
24 members from the Madurai Centre made a trip to Pondicherry on 19, 20 and 21 February 2006 and visited Auroville and other Ashram departments. They also called on Shri Pranab Bhattacharya, Head of the Physical Education department of the Ashram.
Chairman of the Society Shri Pradeep Narang addressed these members, at the Beach Office. The trip greatly helped the members who expressed their resolve to work more actively for the Society in Madurai. Shri V.S. Balakrishnan, a member of the Tamil Nadu State Committee of the Society was instrumental in bringing the members to Pondicherry.
Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu)
The 128th birth anniversary of the Mother was celebrated by the Cuddalore Centre of the Society on 26th February 2006. Shri K.J. Ramanarayanan was the Chief Guest. Shri C. Gopalakrishnan, a retd. Professor, also spoke. Shri Narayanasamy, a retd. Head Master, sang some devotional songs on the Mother. About 125 persons attended the programme.
Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu)
The Thanjavur Centre conducted a Book Fair at the Music Festival in Thiruvaiyaru from17th to 21st January 2006 in which books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother from SABDA, Pondicherry were displayed and sold.
Dehri-On-Sone (Bihar)
The Dehri-On-Sone Branch observed 21st February 2006, the 128th Birth Anniversary of the Mother. The day started with a collective meditation from 6 am - 6:30 am and at 2:30 pm the Mother's flag was hoisted, a bhajan was sung, and Dr. S.P. Roy, Ex-Principal of Sinha College Aurangabad, and Shri A.K. Mishra spoke on the life of the Mother. A drama "Mahan Rahasya" was staged under the direction of Shri Ramesh Chandra Gupta, a renowned drama director of the State.
Purnea (Bihar)
The Purnea Branch organised a Youth Camp from 18th to 20th February 2006. The Camp was conducted by Shri Ashish Kumar Varma. Nine youths participated in the Camp. On 21st February the Branch celebrated the Mother's 128th birthday, in which about 250 devotees participated.
West Bengal State Conference
The annual conference of Centres and Branches of West Bengal took place at Kharagpur on 11th and 12th February 2006. It was attended by most of the Centres in West Bengal. The organisational issues were discussed in detail at the conference, especially the importance of membership of the Society.
Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Shri Kaivalya Smart organised and conducted a two-day Workers Camp on "Working for the Divine" at Sahakar Branch of the Society on 24th and 25th December 2005.
He also spoke and gave a power point presentation on "Religion and Youth" on 28th January 2006 at the International Temple Summit 2006 organised by Shri Siddhi Vinayak Mandir Trust at hotel ITC Sheraton, Parle, Mumbai.
Dwarka (Gujarat)
Shri Kaivalya Smart organised, managed and spoke at the All Gujarat Purna Yoga Sadhana Shibir at Dwarka held from 12th to 16th January 2006 on "Shri Krishna, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Sri Aurobindo". Shri Aniruddha Smart was the main speaker. 67 persons participated.
Visit of Shri Gopal Bhattacharjee to the North-East in January-February 2006
During January and February 2006, Sri Gopal Bhattacharjee toured the States of Assam, West Bengal and Jharkhand. In Assam he visited Digboi, Tinsukia, Dibrugar and Lede. In West Bengal he visited Canning, Burdwan, Durghapur, Dinhata, Coochbehar, Kharagpur and East Kolkata. In Jharkhand he visited Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Daltonganj and Latehar.
He presided over the State Conference of Jharkhand at Ranchi and also the State Conference of West Bengal at Kharagpur. He was specially invited by the IIT, Kharagpur, to give a lecture to the students and Faculty members of IIT on the topic"Sri Aurobindo on Education".
At Digboi he inaugurated a newly renovated Matrimandir. He delivered talks on "Sri Aurobindo's Discovery of Spirit over Matter" and "Sri Aurobindo's Vision for the Future Humanity" at the IOC (Indian Oil Corporation) India Club, both of which were largely attended and appreciated.
Upcoming Events
4th April 2006 - Sri Aurobindo's Arrival at Pondicherry
Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry
Sri Aurobindo came to Pondicherry on 4th April 1910 to pursue a spiritual goal - the goal of supramental transformation - never before successfully attempted by anyone. Sri Aurobindo received an Adesh (a Divine Command) to go to Pondicherry. In one of his letters to a disciple he wrote:
"Pondicherry is my place of retreat, my cave of tapasya, not of the ascetic kind, but of a brand of my own invention."
24th April 2006 - The Mother's Final Arrival at Pondicherry
The Mother came to Pondicherry for the first time in March 1914. She returned to France in 1915 and then went to Japan in 1916. She returned to Pondicherry on 24th April 1920, never to leave again. On this significant date, the Mother once wrote to a disciple:
April 24: The anniversary of my return to Pondicherry, which was the tangible sign of the sure Victory over the adverse forces.
It is then that slowly the Ashram grew and took shape around Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The 24th April is also celebrated in the Ashram as one of the four Darshan days. On that day, Sri Aurobindo's room will be kept open for Darshan to the visitors.
Recent Events
29th March 2006 - The Mother's First Arrival at Pondicherry
The Mother met Sri Aurobindo for the first time on 29th March 1914, and later joined him as his collaborator in the great work of ushering in a new world of higher harmony and joy. There was a collective meditation at the Ashram playground in the evening.
Study Camp by Dr. M.V. Nadkarni on "Savitri"
Dr. Nadkarni conducting the Study Camp
Dr. M.V. Nadkarni conducted the first of a series of Study Camps on Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri" at the Society's Beach Office hall, Pondicherry, from 23rd February to 5th March 2006. After briefly covering the Book I and a few portions from the duel between Savitri and the God of Death, Dr. Nadkarni took up for discussion Cantos I and II of Book II. About 200 persons regularly attended the talks which were held in two sessions daily. The dates for the next study camp will be announced later.
News from Branches and Centres
News from Abroad Nairobi Centre (Kenya)
On 23rd January 2006 Ms. Sushila Bakhda, a member of the Nairobi Centre of the Society, gave a talk on "Graceful Transition in Life" organised by the Oshwal Library Ladies Literary Group. The booklet "Remain Young, Never Stop Striving Towards Perfection" was distributed to the participants.
The Nairobi Centre organised a three-day programme at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, on 15, 16 and 17 March 2006. Dr. Alok Pandey and Shri Sraddhalu Ranade from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, gave talks on various topics in the Light and Vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. On 16th March the speakers also had a meeting with a few doctors at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi.
News from India
Mumbai Churchgate Branch: Theatre for True Education Workshop
During the Enacting Session
Mumbai had its first Theatre for True Education workshop organised by Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Education and Research (SAFIER) - a unit of the Society set up to encourage research, planning and innovation in the field of Integral Education - on 4th March 2006. The Workshop was organised for pre-primary teachers of the Bombay Cambridge Gurukul group of schools in Mumbai, and about 28 teachers participated with enthusiasm. Rashi Bunny, an accomplished theatre artist with a rich background of experience in conducting theatre workshops, was at the helm. The areas covered in the 3-hour session were concentration, movement, team building, synchronising, sense exploration, creativity, imagination, awareness, sensitivity, and emotions all through experiential sessions.
The first activity started with each participant coming to the Centre and performing an action which the rest of the group imitated. Next, the participants were introduced to the language of gibberish. After a common collective bout of spouting gibberish, the participants formed two lines facing each other. They started communicating with their partner in the opposite line using the language of gibberish, conveying different emotions of love, hate, sadness etc.
Mirroring each other
The group then broke into smaller units of four participants each. In these units, each pair faced the other and mirrored the actions of their partner. After a while, the other two participants joined in the activity and while the mirror did the action, she was also asked a number statement by one participant (like 2+2=5) while another posed a concept question (e.g. Today is Sunday). The responses were to be in 'yes' or 'no' and at no point were the actions to be stopped. The participants by then were completely in the spirit of things and there was general mayhem with each trying to follow the instructions closely.
Exploring sound, with eyes closed
The participants were then asked to close their eyes and move around the room slowly, not touching anything but just exploring the space around. After a while they were asked to follow the sounds created around the room and move towards them. They were then asked to stand still with their eyes closed and imagine being covered with hot melted wax feet upwards. Gradually, they were guided through the process of the hot wax moving up their bodies, engulfing them completely. After they were fully covered in wax they were asked to fall to the floor and imagine turning into a candle. Following this they were asked to imagine little children entering the room and lighting the candles, feeling the light of the candles spreading across the room and themselves beginning to melt. In the sharing session along with the tea break everyone shared as to how touched they were by the candle exercise, especially of the children entering the room and the process of becoming a candle (an agonising effort) and the result of it being 'light' - it was a beautiful process that all experienced.
The candle exercise - You become a candle!
Next all the members were grouped together, leaving an area for a stage. On the cleared area, five paintings were laid on the ground and two trays with flowers were kept on each side. Each participant picked a flower and then looked at the painting. She then enacted one aspect of the painting she responded to without mentioning what she had chosen.
In the last activity, groups were made of five/six members each and they were given three minutes to prepare a 2-minute play with the characters already etched out: a grouchy mother, a child, a teacher, an inanimate object, a helper (e.g. gardner, cook, mailman, bai etc). In this activity a lot of creative response was generated by some of the groups and latent talents seemed to emerge.
The final group sharing session generated lot of feedback on the performances and also how energised they felt through the activities. The written feedback from the group was very positive. One of the participant expressed that she "…enjoyed each and every activity conducted by Ms. Rashi, which was full of fun and at the same time thought-provoking. We could also learn so many things which we can use in our daily life as well as with our children in the class which will release our energy." Another had written that "All our stress came out. We were relaxed a lot. Now a days no one gets time to remove their stress, mostly teachers also don't get time, so this is the perfect way to remove the stress. All the activity was very good. I enjoyed a lot and relaxed a lot." All felt that they benefited from the workshop and looked forward to more such sessions.
Gujarat State Conference
The annual conference of Centres and Branches of Gujarat State was held at Sri Aurobindo Nivas, Vadodara, from 4th to 6th February 2006. More than 100 delegates were present. Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, presided over the inaugural session. Shri Shitanshu Yashchandra, a renowned poet in Gujarati and Ex-Vice Chancellor and awardee of Padmashree, inaugurated the conference. Shri Kittu Reddy from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, was the Chief Guest. The Centres were guided by the Chairman of the session to promote youth activities and over-all working of the Centres.
A Gujarati book titled "Life Divine - A Study & Approach", written by Shri V.R. Pathak and Prof. Jyotsnaben Shah was released by Shri Pradeep Narang. The author Shri Pathak gave a short summary of the book. The people in Gujarat will be benefited by this book in Gujarati. Prof. Kittu Reddy, Shri Pradeep Narang and Shri Kaivalya Smart spoke on the occasion. The representatives of the Centres/Branches submitted their reports and had discussion on them. Shri Parashar Dwivedi read out the important points/events of the activities carried out in Gujarat during 2005. The youth of Sri Aurobindo Nivas gave a unique programme on "Bhavani Bharati" and young artists of Vadodara Centre entertained all by wonderfully performing Bharata Natyam, Kathak and Vocal music. Vishwa Sanskrit Pratisthanam discussed about spreading and promoting Sanskrit language. The whole conference was very well managed under the guidance of Shri Hanskumar Mankad.
Bangalore (Karnataka)
Sri Aurobindo Society, Bangalore Branch, will hold a residential Youth Camp on 7th, 8th and 9th July 2006 for boys and girls aged between 16 and 35 years. No fee will be charged. Persons interested may please contact Shri M.M. Bhattacharjee, Co-ordinator, at the following address with their bio-data, a passport size photograph and their contact phone number:
Shri M.M. Bhattacharjee - Co-ordinator (Youth Camps), Sri Aurobindo SocietySri Aurobindo Bhawan110, Gangadhara Chetty RoadBangalore - 560 042Phone : 080-25559885/25298684
Kovvur (Andhra Pradesh)
The Kovvur Centre organised a function on 19th March 2006 to celebrate the first anniversary of "Matri-sankalpa", a monthly pamphlet being brought out by them to propagate Sanskrit. Dr. Sampadananda Mishra of Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, was the Chief Guest. In the morning session he spoke in Sanskrit, on the relevance of Sanskrit, and explained what further steps need to be taken for propagating Sanskrit in a wider way. In the afternoon session Dr. Mishra spoke on "Living One Life". Others present were Shri B Venkatramaiah, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society Andhra Pradesh State Committee, Shri Dorbala Prabhakara Sharma, Editor, Matri-sankalpa and Shri Mallikarjuna Rao, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Kovvur.
Sultanpur (U.P.)
A national Seminar was organised on 4th December 2005 at the Kashi Vidyapeeth University at Varanasi. It was attended by Dr. S.C. Tyagi and Dr. J.P. Singh. The Chief Guest was Prof. Surendra Singh, Vice Chancellor of the University. Various topics related to the life of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were taken up. Professors of various universities of UP attended the seminar. It was very well attended.
On 5th December 2005 a talk on "Relevance of Sri Aurobindo" was organised in R.P. PG College, Sultanpur. The speakers were Dr. D.P. Singh, Dr. D.D. Pandey and Dr. J.P. Singh. The function was presided over by the Principal of the college. It was attended by most of the teachers and about 150 students of the college.
From 5th to 11th January 2006 Prof. A.B. Kapadiya held sessions on 'Mother' and 'Savitri' in the morning and evening respectively. During his stay at Sultanpur, Prof. Kapadiya delivered the following talks:
1. "All Life is Yoga" in Christian Hospital, Sultanpur. 2. "Science of Consciousness" in GSPG College, Sultanpur. 3. Addressing the girls of RR Intermediate College, Sultanpur. He discussed the teachings of Mother. 4. "Sadhana and Integral Health" was the topic at IMA, Sultanpur.
The Sultanpur Branch organised a seminar on Sri Aurobindo's Yoga on 21st February 2006. The Chairman of the Branch Dr. J.P. Singh spoke on the 50th year of Manifestation of the Supramental. Other speakers were Dr. D.D. Pandey, Dr. Archana and Shri B.B. Singh. The Chief Guest was Dr. Mitra Bhadra Singh. Shri B.B. Singh, Secretary of the Branch, gave the vote of thanks.Pratapgarh (U.P.)
A Seminar on "Supramental Descent" was organised on 12th March 2006. It was presided over by Dr. J.P. Mishra, Principal, MDPG College, Pratapgarh, and the Chief Guest was Shri Tej Bahadur Singh, a senior advocate. Shri Udai Raj Mishra, Head of Chinmaya Mission, Pratapgarh, was the special guest. The speakers were Dr. J.P. Singh, Chairman, and Dr. D.D. Pandey, Vice Chairman of Sultanpur Branch. Mini booklets and some copies of 'Aditi' were distributed to the guests.
Lucknow (U.P.)
A seminar on "Education - Its Rightful Direction in the Light of Sri Aurobindo" was held at Lucknow on 5th February. Almost 100 persons attended the seminar from various universities and Society's Branches and Centres. The presentations made at the seminar were of good quality and it is hoped that the seminar will give a boost to the work in Lucknow.
The "Forum of Spiritual Lawyers", Lucknow, celebrated the Mother's birthday on 21st Februry 2006 by organising prayers and meditation before the photographs of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother installed in the premises of Avadh Bar Association, High Court, Lucknow, U.P. The function was attended by about 40 members of the Bar Association.
Annanagar, Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
The Annanagar Centre arranged talks in February 2006 on "Surrender is the Secret of Success", "The Divine Pang in Savitri", "Clinging to Mental Preferences" and 'The Evolution of Supramental Consciousness and the Blooming of Divine Life upon Earth".
New Delhi
The Delhi Branch organised a flower exhibition consisting of 60 photographs of different flowers along with their spiritual significance as revealed by the Mother. The film on the spiritual significance of flowers was also shown to the members of Women's International Club. Many members of this club are connected with Embassies of different countries based in Delhi. The participants enjoyed the awareness of spiritual significance of flowers.
Tenali (A.P.)
The Tenali Branch celebrated the Mother's 128th birth anniversary in their newly constructed Savitri Bhavan on 21st February 2006. The Mother's flag was hoisted followed by a talk by Shri K.R.L. Prasad, Secretary, Tenali Branch, who explained the concept of Avatarhood in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Madurai (Tamil Nadu)
24 members from the Madurai Centre made a trip to Pondicherry on 19, 20 and 21 February 2006 and visited Auroville and other Ashram departments. They also called on Shri Pranab Bhattacharya, Head of the Physical Education department of the Ashram.
Chairman of the Society Shri Pradeep Narang addressed these members, at the Beach Office. The trip greatly helped the members who expressed their resolve to work more actively for the Society in Madurai. Shri V.S. Balakrishnan, a member of the Tamil Nadu State Committee of the Society was instrumental in bringing the members to Pondicherry.
Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu)
The 128th birth anniversary of the Mother was celebrated by the Cuddalore Centre of the Society on 26th February 2006. Shri K.J. Ramanarayanan was the Chief Guest. Shri C. Gopalakrishnan, a retd. Professor, also spoke. Shri Narayanasamy, a retd. Head Master, sang some devotional songs on the Mother. About 125 persons attended the programme.
Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu)
The Thanjavur Centre conducted a Book Fair at the Music Festival in Thiruvaiyaru from17th to 21st January 2006 in which books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother from SABDA, Pondicherry were displayed and sold.
Dehri-On-Sone (Bihar)
The Dehri-On-Sone Branch observed 21st February 2006, the 128th Birth Anniversary of the Mother. The day started with a collective meditation from 6 am - 6:30 am and at 2:30 pm the Mother's flag was hoisted, a bhajan was sung, and Dr. S.P. Roy, Ex-Principal of Sinha College Aurangabad, and Shri A.K. Mishra spoke on the life of the Mother. A drama "Mahan Rahasya" was staged under the direction of Shri Ramesh Chandra Gupta, a renowned drama director of the State.
Purnea (Bihar)
The Purnea Branch organised a Youth Camp from 18th to 20th February 2006. The Camp was conducted by Shri Ashish Kumar Varma. Nine youths participated in the Camp. On 21st February the Branch celebrated the Mother's 128th birthday, in which about 250 devotees participated.
West Bengal State Conference
The annual conference of Centres and Branches of West Bengal took place at Kharagpur on 11th and 12th February 2006. It was attended by most of the Centres in West Bengal. The organisational issues were discussed in detail at the conference, especially the importance of membership of the Society.
Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Shri Kaivalya Smart organised and conducted a two-day Workers Camp on "Working for the Divine" at Sahakar Branch of the Society on 24th and 25th December 2005.
He also spoke and gave a power point presentation on "Religion and Youth" on 28th January 2006 at the International Temple Summit 2006 organised by Shri Siddhi Vinayak Mandir Trust at hotel ITC Sheraton, Parle, Mumbai.
Dwarka (Gujarat)
Shri Kaivalya Smart organised, managed and spoke at the All Gujarat Purna Yoga Sadhana Shibir at Dwarka held from 12th to 16th January 2006 on "Shri Krishna, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Sri Aurobindo". Shri Aniruddha Smart was the main speaker. 67 persons participated.
Visit of Shri Gopal Bhattacharjee to the North-East in January-February 2006
During January and February 2006, Sri Gopal Bhattacharjee toured the States of Assam, West Bengal and Jharkhand. In Assam he visited Digboi, Tinsukia, Dibrugar and Lede. In West Bengal he visited Canning, Burdwan, Durghapur, Dinhata, Coochbehar, Kharagpur and East Kolkata. In Jharkhand he visited Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Daltonganj and Latehar.
He presided over the State Conference of Jharkhand at Ranchi and also the State Conference of West Bengal at Kharagpur. He was specially invited by the IIT, Kharagpur, to give a lecture to the students and Faculty members of IIT on the topic"Sri Aurobindo on Education".
At Digboi he inaugurated a newly renovated Matrimandir. He delivered talks on "Sri Aurobindo's Discovery of Spirit over Matter" and "Sri Aurobindo's Vision for the Future Humanity" at the IOC (Indian Oil Corporation) India Club, both of which were largely attended and appreciated.
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