Transforming 21st Century Education

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

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

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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. ...

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July tour to all 30 districts of Odisha

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

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

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

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 ...

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Books for Understanding: Terrorism 26 Aug 2010

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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

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Tibetibaba | Flickr - Photo Sharing! 10 Jul 2009 by nobody@flickr.com (indiariaz)

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

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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 - ...

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