The work in Orissa is a massive translation of Sri Aurobindo's formula of change in the general society

WHY SRI AUROBINDO MAHILA PATHACHAKRA? - Shyama Kanungo Matrubhaban, Cuttack

The question of a separate "Mahila" pathachakra as Sri Aurobindo Mahila Pathachakra ever raises its head in the minds of Mother and Sri Aurobindo's devotees. The Mother Herself shows the way for a true solution as in all issues. The "thesis" - the "anti-thesis" and then the "synthesis".

So what is the "thesis" ? ...

The Sri Aurobindo Mahila Pathachakra is a brain-child of our beloved Sri Ramakrishna Das. Babaji Maharaj has aspired, hoped and prayed for Orissa to open to the Wonderful New World being created by The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. He himself was a fast runner and wanted this new world to come soon. It was his concomitant feeling that creation of a Mahila pathachakra along with the other forums like Yuva and Chhatra samaj (Now, Army of Light) would expedite the ultimate goal of a collective realisation. The seed of Sri Aurobindo's Thought and Action had to be implanted in this section of the Society if at all the manifestation of the New World had to be hastened.

The logic- women are center of a family; they beget the future generation; societies where women are educated and have a major share in decision making have much better social and health indices. Spiritually they are naturally self giving; their psychic being is more in the forefront; they are simple and faithful . Yet at present they are relegated to the background; they do not participate in the mainstream of social life and development although they comprise nearly 50% of the population. A special attention to this section and inculcation of the great ideology of "Yoga of Transformation" in them would certainly speed up the work of 'Perfecting Life in the Image of the Spirit'. Hence the need for propagation of Sri Aurobindo Women's Study circles where women can sit together without fear and shyness amongst themselves and grow out of all their limitations and evolve as powerful instruments of the new world. The main building bricks of the new base are Education, Health and Brahmacharya. The entire work envisioned by the great Masters would get a massive thrust.

The "anti-thesis"....
This separate forum was even questioned by Prapatti. I remember how Babaji Maharaj had smilingly disarmed him when he asked whether they would be a separate movement or part of this study circle movement that had been activated in Orissa. Babaji Maharaj had reiterated that they would very much be a part of this movement.

The most powerful voice against a separate forum is embodied in a sentence of none other than The Mother Herself: "For Heavens sake can't you forget that you are a girl or a boy?" In Sri Aurobindo Ashram the agenda is Supramentalisation. The resulting 'supramental being' is neither a man nor a woman. The Ashram does not have a different agenda for women and another one for men. All carry on their individual and collective sadhana to exceed normal manhood and womanhood .

• Why then a separate group or platform for women here in Orissa under the banner of a "Sri Aurobindo Mahila Pathachakra"?
• Are we trying to perpetuate the difference between the two sexes?
• Are we trying to put up one section against the other?
• Is this a forum created to make women work unhindered by male supremacy and chauvinism?
• Is this forum to uphold the rights of women?
• Is this organisation totally an independent one of one gender and identifiable as "Of the Women, By the Women, For the Women"?

Should the difference in gender which was merely a physical one created by Nature for a mere objective of propagation of the species - be highlighted and perpetuated by the followers of the Great Revolutionary Forerunner, living a millennium in advance, who dreamed of a new race where the process of creation itself would be changed into a luminous one so that it no longer carries with it the obligatory degradation it now has that makes it imperative for the physical structure to be different with physical organs required for procreation? We are "Human Beings" we are candidates for "Divinity".

• IS THERE ANY OTHER AGENDA at this evolutionary juncture?
• Is there any other solution for the evolutionary crises confronting creation?

It shall amount to forgetting one's "Goal" should we deflect to any other objective.

The "synthesis"...
Our only ultimate goal is nothing else but "Total Transformation of the 'Human' phenomenon to a 'Superhuman' one - an extremely difficult, arduous and almost impossible a task when delegated to the individual or community. The present state of entire humanity is far at the nether end of this tremendous achievement that is envisaged. A state of torpor and meaningless dull existence prevails without any sense of direction in the entire society today. All moral and spiritual values are at their lowest ebb. There is an utter collapse of value system. The dredges of western society is keenly picked up strangely neglecting its positive and rational mind that represents conquest of mind over matter. The conquest of mind over the spirit is derided as myth and set aside while quality of life is smothered in horrifying laziness and inertia which breeds degradation of every avenue of our current pattern of living.

• Should things be left as such or should we pay heed to the clarion call of the greatest of thinkers and seers and make both collective and individual effort for evolving out of this deplorable condition?

The work in Orissa is a massive translation of Sri Aurobindo's formula of change in the general society and therefore has to strategically prioritise areas which would essentially expedite the process of change. Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a place where these basic flaws have been done away with therefore not requiring an initial special treatment. Hence an outer comparison of outer forms and processes is incongruous.

Babaji's wisdom and rare foresight is to be lauded. The first phase of the work was organization and propagation of study circles whereby the society is first induced with the new thought and new way of life with totally new modes of living . It is here that special need-based areas have to be taken up - one amongst such immediate needs is awakening women to the synthesis of the best of east and west. They are too much at the background, too much ingrained in the old unprogressive sanskaras. It is a 'time-bound' project to prepare consciously the future generation as well as exceed their own too human existence and dream with the Master Dreamer as a candidate for "Divinity." And let us beware- if women remain unprepared or unchanged they can be as great a retarding force at this evolutionary juncture.

With the Sri Aurobindo Study Circle with its women's, youth's, student's and children's wings as base, other avenues have to be paid attention to like education, health, technology, art, literature, agriculture, commerce, and finally, administration and politics. Into all will be infused the fragrance of the New and Total Truth which the World had not known as yet. Let us not forget that it is one work -Their Work of Divinisation that is being done . We have to come out of all narrowness and strife and stand unitedly, strongly as one massive instrument in the Hands of the Divine to allow it to carry out Its intention. Mahila_Pathachakra.doc # ctk_matrubha@sancharnet.in