Sri Aurobindo's coming to Pondicherry was a closely guarded secret

Who will fulfil Aurobindo's dream? Sify - Although Pondicherry is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo's arrival in the former French Establishment, the Bengali seer's highest ideals ... A journey to a new world The Hindu - ‎Apr 4, 2010‎ April 4, 2010 marked the centenary of Sri Aurobindo's journey to Pondicherry from British India. Hyderabad will pay homage to the sage on April 10, ... When the most dangerous man came Express Buzz - ‎“Sri Aurobindo's coming to Pondicherry was a closely guarded secret and he would like to live in strict solitude in order to avoid harassment by the agents ... The return of the Uttara Yogi Express Buzz - ‎Alighting from the vessel was one of the world's most radical and brilliant new age thinkers — Sri Aurobindo. Then known as Aurobindo Ghose. It was April 4, ...

Balcony Darshan began in 1938

The One Whom We Adore as the Mother (DVD) February is the Mother’s month and the Ashram is always full of visitors who come to experience the Darshan day on her birthday, February 21^st. This year the Ashram has released an audiovisual presentation on DVD titled The One Whom We Adore as the Mother, which portrays the story of the Mother’s life and work through a series of photographs and a narration based on passages from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Various phases of the Mother’s life are enhanced by the projection of her paintings and drawings, done in Paris, Japan, and Pondicherry. Paintings of Ashram buildings and Pondicherry seascapes by Ashram artists lend colour and atmosphere, and Sunil’s music expresses a mood of gratitude and adoration. Through the course of the one-hour presentation, the power and presence of the Divine Mother are constantly invoked through cadenced recitations from Sri Aurobindo’s book The Mother. Included also are many old photographs that convey the intense and deeply concentrated atmosphere of the early years of the Ashram. We learn about the soup ceremony that took place in the Library House, the pranam ceremony held daily in what is now known as the Meditation Hall, and how in 1938 the early morning Balcony Darshan began—and remained a fixture in Ashram life until 1962. Reminiscences from disciples such as Nolini Kanta Gupta, Sahana Devi, A. B. Purani, and Amal Kiran add a special interest to these descriptions.

Also released this month is The Mother on Japan, a compilation from the Mother’s letters, talks, and messages. In the pages of this book we get a keen sense of the Mother’s impressions of Japan, the exquisite beauty of the land, and the unique qualities of the people, as well as some of the experiences she had while living there from 1916 to 1920. In this passage, which is taken from a letter written in 1917 from Akakura, Japan, she writes about the Japanese people:

But if you have – as we have had – the privilege of coming in contact with the true Japanese, those who kept untouched the righteousness and bravery of the ancient Samurai, then you can understand what in truth is Japan, you can seize the secret of her force. They know how to remain silent; and though they are possessed of the most acute sensitiveness, they are, among the people I have met, those who express it the least. A friend here can give his life with the greatest simplicity to save yours, though he never told you before he loved you in such a profound and unselfish way. Indeed he had not even told you that he loved you at all. And if you were not able to read the heart behind the appearances, you would have seen only a very exquisite courtesy which leaves little room for the expression of spontaneous feelings. Nevertheless the feelings are there, all the stronger perhaps because of the lack of outward manifestation; and if an opportunity presents itself, through an act, very modest and veiled sometimes, you suddenly discover depths of affection.

Although both the DVD and the book can be viewed or read in a single sitting, they are full of rich and elegantly presented glimpses of the Mother’s life.

The Mother on Japan Compiled from the Mother’s talks, messages, and letters as well as from her Prayers and Meditations, this work focuses on the Mother’s experiences of Japan, where she lived from 1916 until 1920. It begins with a long introduction extracted from Georges Van Vrekhem’s book The Mother: The Story of Her Life and includes photographs of the Mother in Japan and her paintings from that period. In these selections the Mother describes her impressions of Japan, Japanese art, and the children of Japan, and comments on the terrible flu that devastated Japan in 1919.

Priroda i Evolucya Dushi

This compilation from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother deals with many topics concerning the psychic being: its place in the human being and its nature and mission, the growth and development of the psychic being and its role in the evolution, the psychic transformation, the psychic being and the sadhana, life after death, and reincarnation. These passages reveal the importance of knowing the nature of our soul, which shares in the inalienable delight of the Divine, and towards which we are growing through our ignorance.

Odisha has strong and long-standing connections with Sri Aurobindo and the Mother

Home > Organisation & Credentials > Auroville International > AVI Meetings > AVI International Meeting 2010 [

Early report, Feb 3rd]   AVI International Meeting 2010

During the first two weeks of February Auroville International held its annual meeting 2010, first in Orissa and then in Auroville. The visit to Orissa was planned to make Auroville better known in this federal Indian state, which has strong and long-standing connections with Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. There are, for example, more than 600 Integral Educational Centers and 11,300 Sri Aurobindo Study Circles all over Orissa.

The Gajapati Maharaja Sri Dibyasingha Deb, former member of the Auroville Governing Board, had taken the patronage of the whole Orissa event, encouraging and supporting our main organizers and members of AVI France, Devasmita Patnaik, whose family comes from Orissa, and her husband Satyakam Karim. They meticulously planned the whole event, every single detail was thought of and carried out in the most beautiful way. Our gratitude to them is immense!

The Maharaja gave the opening speech at the public day in Bhubaneswar, capital of Orissa, stayed for the five hours of presentations cum music and dance interludes, had dinner with us later and invited us, during an outing some days later, to his palace in Puri for the Mahaprasad from the Jaganath Temple. His kind and open attitude impressed us all.

The main Auroville presentations took place in a big Bhubaneswar conference hall, adjacent to our lovely hotel. The presenters Deepti, Luigi, Joss, Toine and Uma spoke on Auroville´s way to realize human unity, on city planning and development, environmental work, sustainable energy and educational approach and on Auroville´s entrepreneurial and social outreach activities. They fascinated the audience of close to 500 people, triggering many interesting questions. An exhibition of Dominique Darr´s beautiful photos of 40 years Auroville experience was set up in the conference hall, giving the appropriate framework to the event.

Another presentation at KIIT Technical University the next day met with a smaller audience but some interested questions also followed.

Not only did our organizers give us a “state reception”, with an auspicious conch shell blowing, a music band and “Orissa greets Auroville International” banners welcoming us at the Bhubaneswar airport, but we were actually received by the Chief Minister of Orissa, Sri Naveen Patnaik. He gave us twenty minutes to explain the aim and purpose of our visit, kindly commenting on Auroville´s great mission for India and the world.

Valuable contacts with Orissa ministries, like with Mr. Debi Prassad Mishra, the state Minister of Tourism and Culture, with officials from the Ministry of Education, and other institutions engaged in cultural, social, educational and environmental work could be established from the Auroville presenters and the organizers.

Our experience of Oriya culture was extremely rich, we visited the beautiful temple sites of Bhubaneswar , Puri and Konarak, the caves of Khandagiri and Dhauligiri, the Tribal Art Museum and a tribal festival at Bhubaneswar , Raghurajpur, an artist village, which is on UNESCO´s World Heritage list and the Konarak Natya Mandap, the Dance Academy of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan.

Our gain in awareness about India´s extraordinary cultural wealth and diversity together with our bringing more awareness about Auroville and its aims, ideals and achievements to India encouraged us to start planning for a Gujarat experience in 2012, in combination with our next AVI meeting in Auroville.

On coming back to Auroville we were only given half a day to recover from this intense trip. An overly full week started immediately after, with two days of Auroville International Board meetings and General Assembly, during which our new Chairman was elected. Julian Lines (AVI USA ), who has served for two consecutive periods of two years, had to step back due to the rules of our statutes. Martin Littlewood (AVI UK ), well known to many Aurovilians through his long-standing involvement with Auroville and AVI, has been elected as new Chairman. Julian will start office as Executive Director, Sonia Dyne (AVI UK ) and Christian Feuillette (AVI Canada) will remain Vice-Chairmen, Friederike Mühlhans (AVI Germany) will remain AVI Secretary.

The remaining days and hours of the week were completely booked for two afternoons of interaction with the International Zone group, meetings with WC and L'Avenir and a long and extremely interesting row of presentations by Auroville groups, services and initiatives, like Green Center, AVIS, Entry service, Guest service, Outreach Media, Housing group, Health Clinic, Sadhana Forest and others. Special mention deserves Joss who gave us an extremely interesting presentation of his Adyar Poonga project, which some of us could visit on our way back from Chennai airport. He also spoke about some other great projects he is involved with, for the restoration and sustainable development of the whole coastal strip between Chennai and Puducherry. (The full meeting report will be published soon and Auroville Today has chosen our AVI meeting and center activities as its main focus for the March issue).

We can only congratulate all the dedicated people engaged with this wealth of projects and initiatives! One observation we would like to share with the Auroville community: According to our experience the awareness about all the great and important projects Aurovilians are involved with is extremely low among their fellow citizens. So it might be a good idea to have a regular “community day” where Aurovilians get to know about other Aurovilians' activities, learning to appreciate more what a vibrant, extraordinarily rich community in terms of skills, dedication, inventiveness and spirit this is.

Thanks a lot to our Auroville friends for all their attention and kindness and also to our AVI representative Vani who untiringly managed to navigate us through another great Auroville experience! Friederike (AVI Secretary)         Home > Organisation & Credentials > Auroville International > AVI Meetings > AVI International Meeting 2010

“Nationalist passions” of Sri Aurobindo located in “a theory of transcendence”

Se-tenant Stamps of India: Dream of Sri Aurobindo - Auroville ... By Shrikant Parikh
Dream of Sri Aurobindo - Auroville - Foundation Anniversary - 28.02.1968. Invitaion Card on Foundation Day of Auroville - 28.02.1968. Maxim Card. First Day Cover with 2 special cancellations. Special VVIP Folder with 2 special ...

from ASPIRATION - Aspiration is a call to the Divine. — The Mother

A blog post by Barindranath Chaki was featured Auroville

[28th February is the Auroville Foundation Day. On this occasion, some publication about Auroville by the webmaster@auroville.org.in is placed below.] What is Auroville? Auroville is a universal township in the making for a population of up to 5… A blog post by Harriet Mendonca was featured Happy Birthday Auroville

shriramsharma: ENERGY MANIFESTING FROM SUBTLIZING OF PSYCHE AND ... By shriramsharma
When Sri Aurobindo Ghosh returned to India from abroad he tried all means to drive away the British from India but his efforts did not reap success. He gathered many kings, students etc to form a single party to oppose the British ...

The Spirit and Form of an Ethical Polity: a Meditation on Aurobindo’s Thought by Sugata Bose, Modern Intellectual History, 4, 1 (2007), By debbanerji Posthuman Destinies

The Evolutionary Stage Between Mind and Supermind from Sri Aurobindo Studies

In reviewing the gulf between the Supramental Consciousness and the Mind-Consciousness, Sri Aurobindo points out that there is simply too wide a gap, too much difference for them to represent the next succeeding step, in one direction, toward the involution of consciousness; and in the other direction, as part of the evolutionary outflowering of consciousness. There must be an intermediate stage or gradation between the two. 

Fundamentalism and the Integral Yoga – Auroville Today Interview ... February 2010 ... an interview with Debashish Banerji by Alan and Carel. What are the roots of fundamentalism? 

What is Man that the Genome is Mindful of Him? from One Cosmos by Gagdad Bob

Smith says what amounts to the same thing: "The physicist, it turns out, is not simply an observer, but a creator of secondary realities: he observes by creating, one could almost say." 

However, this is not creation ex nihilo; it doesn't mean, as many new agers suggest, that the world is somehow entirely subjective, and that we "create reality" through perception. Rather, it is a much more subtle process, which I believe is most adequately described by Michael Polanyi, in particular, by his theory of tacit knowing and the distinction between subsidiary and focal knowledge. 

Events Calendar Coming Events Aspiration Savitri: the Light of the Supreme Mirror of TomorrowSCIY Recent Comments IYF SAOW Saaba A critique of the book by Peter Heehs Events - University of Human Unity Inputs may be mailed to tusarnmohapatra@gmail.com

Maggi had explained in the News and Notes the origins of these remedies

January 2010

More and more countries are passing legislation to ensure that people with disabilities are allowed to participate fully and equitably in society. In this issue of Auroville Today, we examine how well Auroville is doing on this front – assuming that a community which has human unity as its goal and invites participation from all people of goodwill would be in the forefront of this movement. The issue reports on the first workshop devoted to makingAuroville more accessible (Page 1 and page 2) for everyone, held in October, and carries in interview with Susmita, the initiator of the conference, and Frederick , Pino and Sauro, three of the coordinators of L'Avenir d'Auroville.

In the sector ‘services' we publish an interview with Anandi and Isha of the Auroville Board of Services. “Serving the spirit of service” is their motto: to bring together all the service activities of Auroville, so that they can share their aspirations and difficulties, their projects and their experiences. There are also articles on the work of the Auroville Dental Clinic in the surrounding villages and what it means for Teens to Service the community.

In the section ‘research' we publish two articles. One is the research on the effects of homeopathic remedies prepared from substances originating from the hair of The Mother and the nail-clippings of Sri Aurobindo. The second article deals with researching the effects of food on the body by Auroville's Food Laboratory managed by Lorenzo, the Raw Food Centre run by Anandi and Peas versus Pills, the name of regular seminars, run by Dr. Nandita Shah.

In the section profiles you'll find an article about Afsaneh, who first came to Auroville in 1979.

Lastly we publish a review of the theatre play The Caretaker , a book review of Travels of the Psychic Being , a review of Nele Martens' recent displays of mobiles and paintings at Pitanga, and Jogging Through the Auroville Countryside, One December Afternoon , written in the late 1980s by late Aurovilian Raymond Thépot.

 

The pdf.files of this issue can be downloaded here. We wish you happy reading. Subscribe if you want to read more, or ask for a free copy. Details are elsewhere on this web page. Subscriptions can now also be ordered and paid on line through www.auroville.com/auroville-today .

December 2009

The question ‘how aware are Aurovilians of environmental issues' features as one of the main articles of Auroville Today's December issue. We spoke to four Aurovilians who are working to increase environmental consciousness within the community.
The issue further contains the recent UNESCO resolution on Auroville passed by its Executive Board, wherein it invites its Member States to actively participate in Auroville's development by contributing a permanent or temporary exhibition in the International Zone. A view on how the International Zone should be seen is shared by Jan Lohman from Auroville International The Netherlands

In the section ‘services' we introduce ACT: Auroville Community Transport, which has introduced a regular and reliable bus service for Aurovilians.

The section ‘research' carries three articles. In ‘The Play of Painting' we write about a research project which uses painting as a means of self-discovery, highlighted in the book Looking at Children's Paintings in a New Light by Claire Le Touzé, published by the Sri Aurobindo Institute for Educational Research (SAIIER).

The research work in wastewater treatment has been in the forefront of research done by Auroville's Centre for Scientific Research, CSR. After having successfully introduced the sustainable DEWATS system (DEcentralized WAstewater Treatment System), CSR is now experimenting with another promising device, the Schauberger vortices.

The third article describes the work of Auroville ecologist Rauf Ali in theNicobars islands. He has developed a press that will produce coconut milk in large quantities, which will substantially increase the income of the local population.

In the section profiles we introduce the outgoing chairman of Auroville International France, Satyakam, (Salim Karim) who speaks about his life, the role of the Auroville International Centres and his forthcoming move to Auroville. And former Ashramite now Aurovilian Ashesh Joshi speaks about his life in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville, where he works for the Matrimandir Access Group and offers workshops on Integral Yoga.

In the section book review we present Alchemies of the Night, a collection of poems by Roger Harris. We also publish the 2009 population statistics.

In conclusion we write about the Ultimate sports experience; and give a view of a Newcomer on life in Auroville called Psychic gibbons. Home > Journals & Media > Journals  > Auroville Today > Current issue

All India Youth Camp for National Integration was organised from 3 to 11 January 2010

News from Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry) Upcoming Events 132nd Birth Anniversary of the Mother - 21 February 2010 The Mother On 21 February 2010 we celebrate the Mother's 132nd 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 Feb. 2010 Shri M S Sundararajan will deliver a talk in Tamil on 'Andrada Vazhkaiyil Annai' at the Beach Office of the Society on 21 February 2010 at 10 a.m. Savitri Study Sessions - February 2010 Dr. Alok Pandey will continue his next series of Talks on Sri Aurobindo's epic 'Savitri' at the Society's Beach Office, Pondicherry, from 22 to 28 February 2010. The sessions will be held at 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm and 6:15 pm to 7:00 pm. All are welcome to attend the talk series! Recent Events Bonne Année - 2010 Lighting of the Lamps at the Beach Office on New Year Day Collective Invocation The New Year dawned in the Ashram with meditation at 6:00 a.m. with recorded music. There was a March Past at 6:55 pm and collective meditation at 7:45 pm on the same day. At the Society's Beach Office hall at 9 am, there was a collective meditation with the lighting of lamps, followed by songs invoking the Presence and Grace of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and a re-dedication to their work. All India Youth Camp for National Integration - 3 to 11 January 2010 Shri Vijaybhai and Shri Kaivalyabhai, interacting with the participants A view of the participants The annual All India Youth Camp for National Integration was organised by the Society at Puducherry from 3 to 11 January 2010. As over the last few years, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), New Delhi, sponsored this Camp as well. 45 youths (21 girls and 24 boys) in the age group of 18-28 yrs. from 11 States of India including A.P., Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, M.P., Maharashtra, U.P. and West Bengal participated in the Camp with enthusiasm and joy. Shri Vijay, Member Executive - Admin. & Finance, Shri Kaivalya Smart, Member - Executive Committee, Shivakumar & a team of youth coordinated the entire Camp. The main objectives of the Camp were to expose the participants to the spiritual atmosphere of the Ashram and also to inspire them to discover their aim in life and help them in realising it. The sessions were designed to make them conscious of the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of India and foster the spirit of national integration. The programme involved talks, discussions and activities on the above theme, as well as regular sessions on physical education, project work, collective singing, beauty of Sanskrit etc. Shri Kaivalyabhai took a series of sessions focussing on the themes of Progress, Perfection and Practice. Richard, introducing the Botanical Gardens In the Botanical Gardens… Cycle trekking to the LakeLand On the Nature Study day, all went to the Botanical Gardens nearby and spent a full morning studying variety of plants & trees, trying to invoke a deeper sense of communion with Nature. There was also a full-day bicycle trekking where all the participants went by bicycle to the Society's Lakeland 12 kms away and spent the entire day in Nature, playing games and learning to be with Nature in the right way. Project Work, in the Municipal Park Art expression by the participants, on the final day The participants were also exposed to the various projects and activities undertaken by the Society, in the fields of education, health, rural development, management, Indian culture etc. The Camp concluded with a collective meditation, expressing gratitude to the Divine for a very fulfilling Camp. Study Tour-cum-Camp for Students of SACAC, Delhi - 22nd Dec. '09 to 2 Jan '10 Vijaybhai, interacting with the Students The Pondicherry Trip is an exercise in searching for answers and widening one's perspective. For the nearly 50 students (of batch 2009-10) and 10 faculty from the Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication (SACAC), Delhi, who visited Pondicherry and Auroville from December 22nd 2009 to January 2, 2010, It was a journey with a difference. It is only after the students got back to New Delhi that they realized that the trip was not only merely for fun. It opened up a different world in terms of learning, developing new perspectives and asked questions on their own life. The questions were such that they never thought of before but had a lot of relevance towards integrating their career goals and their life. The students were accompanied by the Director, Heads from the Departments of Journalism (English & Hindi), Advertising & PR, Film and TV Production. Several sessions were arranged on a range of topics that are related to the attitude of learning and life in general. The inspiring talk by Vijaybhai on Day One kindled the minds of the students and forced them to think about the deeper meaning of life and their role in it. This set the tone for the rest of the sessions at camp. As the days unfolded, the students were exposed to thought provoking talks by Shri Manoj Das on Creative Writing, on tackling difficult issues in life by Dr. Alok Pandey, on the Sacred Art of India by Shri Sushanto, the wonderful language of Sanskrit by Dr. Sampadananda Mishra and a presentation on village project by Senthil and Chitra. For the first time in the study tour of SACAC, a heritage walk by INTAC was organised to know the more about French architecture and its history. Getting ready to cycle all the way to the Lakeland A day-long trip to Lakeland was an experience for the students. Given an option of either cycling or travelling by bus, the more adventurous ones took to cycling. The Lakeland trip for the students was aimed towards getting an understanding into the kind of work that The Society is undertaking towards sustainable development of villages. Half-day session conducted by Krishna Iyer on Breath, Water & Sound at Lakeland helped to make the students aware of the importance of Yoga, Pranayama, concentration and meditation. In the Lakeland, Workshop on 'Breath, Water & Sound' by Krishna Iyer Work offering by the students at Lakeland By the end of the Pondicherry trip, the students were encouraged to think on the inner meaning of life. Feedback session with Vijaybhai at the end of the camp, where some of the students shared that the sessions at the camp had thrown a lot of questions about the purpose of life and how to lead it. Some of them agreed that it may take a lifetime to answer some of the questions. On 30th Dec. 2009 camp moved to Auroville. The introduction to this international township was given by Dharmesh. Students raised lots of questions on the purpose and life in this unique town. Students explored the town on their own on cycles and mobikes. Journalism students made a short video story by interviewing a few Auroville residents. A session by Srinivas Mulugu on "Free Will or Destiny" raised many questions which they would face in their professional life. Students were spell-bound after attending a collective meditation on the 31st evening at the Tibet Pavilion. On 1st January 2010, all started their day with Matrimandir Meditation and they had the experience of first ray of the sun of the new year in a beautiful ambience. Hopefully the first step towards a journey of self has been initiated through the camp and it will stand the youngsters in good stead in times of need. Talk on 'Integral Management' - 23 January 2010 Talk by Prof. Saiket Sen Prof. Saikat Sen, Senior Associate, Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management (SAFIM), Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry delivered a talk on 'Integral Management' at Chamber De Commerce, Puducherry on 23 January 2010. He explained the concept and framework of Integral Management through audio-visual presentation. The members of Chambers, Madras Management Association, Students of Engineering Colleges attended and took active part in the interactive session. The programme was organised by Madras Management Association, Puducherry Chapter. Exposure Camp for Delegates of Rashtrotthana Parishat, Bangalore - 24 to 27 Jan. 2010 A group of 9 delegates from the Education Wing of Rashtrotthana Parishat, Bangalore, headed by Shri Rangaraja Iyengar, Dakshina Kshetra Yoga Pramukh (Kerala, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu) of Vidya Bharathi, visited the Ashram for three days, fom 24 to 27 of January 2010. The programme was arranged and co-ordinated by Sri Aurobindo Society. On their arrival on 24 Jan., Shri Vijaybhai explained to them about the Ashram and the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Education. Next day morning, Shivakumar interacted with them on the topic of "Spiritual education - what do we mean by it?" This was followed by a visit by the team to the Ashram's Centre of Education where Gayatri-di gave them an introduction to the vision and the way in which the Centre functions. In the afternoon Dr Sampadananda Mishra showed them glimpses of the multi-media CDs "The Wonder That is Sanskrit" and "Srimad Bhagavad Gita". In the evening, a visit to the Sportsground was arranged and Shivakumar explained to them the aim, purpose and the attitude behind the Physical Education activities of the Centre of Education and the Ashram. On 26 Jan., in the morning, they visited the Society's Lakeland 'Matrikunj' and understood the organic farming activities going on there. Baburambhai explained the process of organic farming, as it was practised there. In the afternoon, they visited the Dairy of the Ashram and saw the tending of the cows. In the evening, the visit came to an end with a detailed introduction to the various activities of Sri Aurobindo Society in the fields of education, health, rural development, green buildings, Indian culture, management etc, and how the team can collaborate in the work of upliftment of the Nation. It was a fruitful stay for the entire team in learning and sharing a higher way of living and being. One-Day Workshop on "Value-Based Management" - 30 January 2010 Mr. Jordi Griera, conducting the Workshop Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management (SAFIM), a Centre of Excellence in Management of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, have organized a one-day Workshop on Value-based Management at Society Beach Office, Puducherry, in association with Madras Management Association (MMA), Puducherry chapter. MMA Chairman Sri D. Brem Nathan has delivered the welcome speech. Prof. Saikat Sen given an introduction to SAFIM and its various activities with audio-visual presentation and introduced the facilitator of the Workshop Mr. Jordi Griera, Chairman, INEVAL Foundation, Barcelona, Spain. Mr. Jordi Griera conducted the Workshop and highlighted on the importance of Human Values in Management and how to implement values in the present business context. Members of MMA, Rotary Club and Students of Management College took part in the Workshop. The Workshop was highly interactive in nature and participants enjoyed every session very well. Mr. Muthuraman Ayyappan, Co-Chairman of MMA concluded with the vote of thanks. News from Branches and Centres News from India Misrod, Raisen district (Madhya Pradesh) An exhibition and lecture programme on Sri Aurobindo was held at the Govt. Higher Secondary School, Misrod, on 19 September 2009. Shri Manoj Sharma and Shri D N Sharma spoke on Sri Aurobindo's Nationalism and Integral Yoga. The principal of the school expressed her aspiration to have a youth camp in their school with the Society's assistance. School Principal addressing the students A view of the students Noida (Uttar Pradesh) Special programmes: 1 January 2009: New Year Special Collective Meditation was held on Friday 1 January 2010 from 10 am to 10.30 am. About 40 devotees and their families took part in the above. After the meditation, sweets and calendars of the Mother were distributed to all. Flag Hosting at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan. Present on the occasion are Shri V.P. Goyal, Shri O.P. Dani, Ls. Shobha Dani, Sh. H.D. Agrawal, Sh.S.C. Gupta, Dr. Puneesh Taneja & Other distinguished Members of the Society Students of Bal-Wadi rendering a patriotic song Students of the Bal-Wadi taking part in the Flag Hoisting Ceremony 26 January 2010, Republic Day: Sri Aurobindo Society - Noida Branch celebrated the Republic Day with members and their familes and the students of Bal-Wadi and trainees of Tailoring & Sewing Course on 26 January, 2010 at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida. At 10 am National Flag was unfurled at the Bhavan in the presence of Shri V.P. Goyal, Shri O.P. Dani, Ls. Shoba Dhand, Ls. Indu Maheshwari and other distinguished guests. The students of Bal-Wadi sung patriotic songs including songs on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. On this occasion, Tailoring & Sewing Certificates were also distributed to the 18 trainees who have completed the four month's course. 26 Jan. 2009, Republic Day Celebrations: Sri Aurobindo Society - Noida Branch celebrated the Republic Day with members, their families and the students of Sri Aurobindo Shiksha Niketan on Tuesday 26 January 2010 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida. At 10:00 am national flag was unfurled at the Bhavan by Shri V.P. Goyal, Vice Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society U.P. State Committee, Shri O.P. Dani, Ls.Shoba Dhand, Ls.Indu Maheshwari and other distinguished guests The students of Bal-Wadi sung patriotic songs including songs on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. On this occasion, Tailoring & Sewing Certificates were also distributed to the 18 trainees who have completed the four month's course. Discussion on Gita: Lead by Shri Viswa Mohan Tiwari, Air Vice Marshal (Retd.), this programme was held on every Sunday of December 2009 and January 2010, from 11 am to 1 pm, at the Bhavan. There were about 15 regular participants who attended the programme. Health:  Activities of Treatment by Acupressure Therapy, Homeopathy Dispensary, and Free Eye Check-up/Consultation at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, are going on well. Development of Women:  Sewing & Tailoring Classes: These Classes are being conducted daily from Monday to Friday at the Bhavan and about fifteen ladies are learning the same. Other Activities: Besides the above, regular activities of reading from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, meditation with the Mother's music daily in the morning and evening, Library, playing of spiritual audio/video CDs etc. are being held. Madhya Pradesh State Committee Programme Shri D N Sharma, speaking to the students A view of the exhibition The Madhya Pradesh State Committee of the Society organised the following programmes in Madhya Pradesh:          1.    An exhibition and lecture programme under the title 'Sri Aurobindo: Confluence of Nationalism and Spirituality'                 was organised on 12 January 2010 at Kotra Sultanabad School, Bhopal. The Principal of the school Shri Braj Kishore Singh                 presided over the programme. Shri D N Sharma and Shri Manoj Sharma spoke on the subject. About 200 students and staff attended the programme.          2.   Another programme on the same subject was organised at Sharda Vihar School, Rativarh, Bhopal Dist. on 24 January 2010. Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) Flower decoration at the Centre Veda Sruthi, performing Bharathanatyam dance A view of the audience Year 2010 - The Centenary year of The Master's arrival at Pondicherry & the Golden Jubilee year of Sri Aurobindo Society dawned with Meditation at 6:00 am at our Coimbatore Centre. The following programme was rendered by our members at 10:00 am at the Centre's premises:         1. Bharathanatyam - by Veda Sruthi, introduced by Asha & Radhakrishnan.         2. Miming - by Nithya & Akalya to the song 'Thaaye vazhgavea' composed by Nalini Shanmugam, on the Divine Mother.         3. Dandiya dance performed to Meera bhajan by six of the members led by Shyamala.         4. Audio rendering of Vijaybhai's talk at the Pondicherry Head Office on 19th September 2009. Shri Thiruvenkatam, Chairman, explained the importance of physical culture in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The whole programme was a soul offering by Her children. About 100 members attended the programme and about 300 people visited the Centre on the New Year day. Mahoba (Uttar Pradesh) The Mahoba Branch organised a Teacher's Workshop on 19 & 20 December 2009, in Central Library Mahoba. Shri K. Pawan from Patiala conducted the workshop. 45 teachers from Nowgong, Chhatrapur, Banda and local teachers participated in the workshop. Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) To celebrate the Centenary year, Allahabad Centre of Sri Aurobindo Society organised a seminar on 28 November 2009 on 'Knowledge and Faith'. The function was chaired by Acharya Adyaprasad Mishra, former Vice Chancellor of Allahabad University. Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) Mathura Centre organised a seminar on 26 & 27 December 2009, on 'Religion and Spirituality' under the aegis of regional committee of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand of Sri Aurobindo Society. First day the Chief Guest, Dr. Aditya Kumar Vajpayee, Principal, Amar Nath Vidya Ashram, spoke on the subject. Shri J.P. Singh, Chairman, State Committee, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand of Sri Aurobindo Society and other speakers delivered talks on both the days. The function was attended by about 250 people. Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) At an International Conference on 'Frontiers of Interface between Statistics and Sciences' held at Hyderabad from 30 December 2009 to 2 January 2010, the Society's Hyderabad Branch presented a folder containing information about the research work being done at Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management (SAFIM), a unit of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry and other areas of common interest. About 500 folders were distributed to the delegates. The Mother's calendars and New Year message cards were distributed after the morning meditation between 10 and 10:30 am on 1 January 2010. About 800 people visited the Bhavan on that day. Bargawan (Uttar Pradesh) The Siddhi Day was observed by the Bargawan Centre on 24 November 2009, at the D.S.V. Jr. High School, Bargawan. Dr. S.P. Shukla, Prof. of Commerce, K.K.C. Degree College, Lucknow, presided over the programme. Dr. Akhilesh delivered a talk on the importance of Siddhi Day. Poems written on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were sung by a group of poets. Akot (Maharashtra) The Akot Branch organized an Essay Writing Competition in three different schools in the month of December 2009. The topic of the essay was 'My Role in Building a New India'. Name of the Schools: Shri Arvind Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Adgaon, on 5 December 2009 - 102 students participated. Lal Bahadur Shastri Dhyanpeeth, Akot, on 9 December 2009 - 104 students participated. Saint Paul's Academy, Akot, on 23 December 2009 - 20 students participated. Hesal, Ranchi (Jharkhand) From 5 October to 13 November 2009 the Hesal Branch of the Society organized a six week Yogasana Basic Course. There was a lecture on 'How to Overcome Mental Tension through Yogasana'. Jaipur (Rajasthan) Outline of the work being done at Jaipur, Rajasthan: Weekly Programmes:           •Next Future: Preparing of text on different subjects on every 2 & 4 Wednesday          •Nature Quest: Study of spiritual significance of flowers on every 2 & 4 Sunday          •Synthesis of Yoga: Interactive study every 1 & 3 Sunday          •Savitri Study every 1 & 3 Wednesday Projects:           •New Creation: Underprivileged children's classes - 4 classes in a week.                                   Rural children classes: every Sunday.          •Essays on the Gita: Interactive session, three sessions in a month.          •New Light: Distribution of booklets in hospitals and other public places once a month on any one Sunday.           Sale of diaries & calendars by Navavihan: at least 1000 diaries containing the words of Sri Aurobindo & the Mother, and 1000 Calendars. Talks by outside speakers:          •Regular workshops are conducted for the last seven years, and every workshop contains five sessions. Gulbarga (Karnataka) On 5 December 2009, after prayers at the Shrine in the Dhyan Mandir, Shri A.S. Patil gave a discourse on Sri Aurobindo's Mahaprayana. On 6 December 2009, Smt. Vijayalaxmi Kulkarni gave a discourse on Sri Aurobindo's philosophy of divine powers. Shri Trembakrao Ghantoji presided.

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