This centre in the village Kumbharmundhakata is placed in the scenic beauty of north Orissa in the district of Mayurbhanj close to the no -5 NH. In 1971 Dr. Purnachandra Mohapatra, a devotee of the Mother came to settle in this village and served the area as a private practitioner. He also started a Sri Aurobindo Study Circle on 4th September 1974. Three to four years later the members of the study circle became enthusiastic to start a Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre as well as Sri Aurobindo Relics Centre. In 1976 they met Sri Prapatti at a Sri Aurobindo students’ camp at Betnoti and gave him the proposal. Prapatti was extremely delighted and conferred the name “Nabashakti” to the centre and proposed to get it registered for which he specially delegated the responsibility to Sri Bhajakrushna Sahoo. “Things will be done in a new way here!” was Prapatti’s declaration.
With much eagerness a hunt began for an appropriate place for starting the school. Nothing seemed to happen- when suddenly while walking along the National Highway one evening there came a strong smell of Ashram incense coming from the direction of a dilapidated place with no habitation nearby. The group who were walking by went and meditated there praying to the Mother for Her work to start in that spot. It was decided to appeal to the owner of the place.The responsibility for this was given to one of the members, Sri Gopal Chandra Pradhan. However that very night some unknown person went to the owner of the place -a tribal and requested him for donating the place for his work. That very night also the owner went to the spot to see the place. The next day as soon as he was approached for the land by Sri Gopal Ch. Pradhan he immediately agreed to give the place! The Government’s permission was however required to transfer the land as it belonged to a tribal. This place was registered as “Nabashakti”. The present Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre stands there; proving how by Her infinite Grace She uses human instruments to carry out Her work.
During Champaklalji’s visit in 1979 en route to Simlipal to see “Khairi” the pet tiger Prapatti had arranged for Champaklalji to visit the spot and lay the foundation stone of the school. Champaklalji was delighted to visit the place and laid the foundation on 6th March 1979. Soon the school building was started and by Prapatti’s aspiration the school was inaugurated on 17th July 1980. Subsequently when 17 decimal land was added by a 99year lease deed there came the inspiration to build a Relics Centre. On “Kalipuja” day the 17th November 1981 Prapatti himself laid the foundation stone of the Relics Centre. He strangely uttered that “it is after 12 years(a yuga) that the work for the Relics Centre will begin”.
On 30th January 1982 Champaklalji visited this centre for the 2nd time and distributed sweets to the school children. However there was a period after this when a lot of hostilities arose and threatened to spoil the work. Babaji wrote to the members ‘Have strong faith and trust in the Mother and go ahead with the work and let us wait patiently and see what happens.’ At this time a student of the school had a dream in which he saw that a huge lion rushing towards the Relics Mandir and those who were attacking the centre and causing harm were hurrying away in fear. They were driven into the river and were bobbing up and down ! When Champaklal, “Mother’s Lion”, came here for the 3rd time on 30th January 1984 he went all around the Relics Mandir laughing loudly and dancing! All hostilities thereafter began to fade out.
As everywhere, ego and ambition have delayed the work and created monetary problems but the victory of Truth is certain and this removed all obstacles. As a result the building for the Shrine was completed and the Sacred Relics were enshrined on the 11th of December 2003 at 4p.m, by Prof Chhotenarayan Sharma from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, fulfilling the long cherished dream of the simple & pure souls to have the Lord amidst themselves. (Translated from the original oriya write up of Sri Ramahari Palei) © 2005 Matrubhaban, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Cuttack-753013
No comments:
Post a Comment