– ‘It is the Truth alone which triumphs, not the Falsehood’ –  Mundak Upanishad

Anurag Banerjee—the editor courageous has done it again. His perseverance has paid off  handsomely as the effort is larger in its scope and amplitude than what one could have imagined. This publication provides immediately an ideal platform and an opportunity to take us off deeper in unraveling the mystery shrouded around the life  and the sadhana of Sujata and Satprem during their long years of exile from the Ashram and the great departure from this earthly scene to their true home in the bosom of the Divine Mother .

Anurag Banerjee has a knack of springing surprises – but this publication titled simply as “Sujata Nahar – Loving Homage” surpasses all the previous ones and fulfils our expectations in ample measure and sets right several events in true perspective as we glean through the letters, tributes and the interview with Nirmal Nahar.

This slim and trim booklet with memorable photographs is a collection of garland of letters and tributes poured in from numerous admirers spread all over the world, reviving the fragrant memories of the twin souls – Sujata and Satprem who walked hand in hand to  hew the pathways of the supramental world. These wonderful lines from Savitri perfectly express the formidable task which they undertook to carry out:

                                   “As a star uncompanioned moves in heaven

                                    Unastonished by the immensities of space

                                    Measuring infinity by its own light

                                    The great are strongest when they stand alone.”

 This book depicts the heroic saga of the twin souls who stood firmly against all odds on the bedrock of their inner convictions and certitudes that the mission and challenge of the supramental transformation would go on until the end as the Divine Mother had wished and ordained them to accomplish. Satprem finally confirmed this to his dear confidant ‘Le travaille est fait’ in glowing written note announcing that the Work Is Done!

The unflinching quest of Sujata and Satprem for the supramental fulfilment can not be written about singly focusing only on one personality. They were inseparable in life and more so Beyond life. Therefore, these loving homages reveal to us much more than what simple tributes would have done. These revelations altogether shed a new light and discoveries of their supramental sadhana and the unspeakable struggles.  Satprem the one who loves the TRUTH as the name suggests, was very dear to Douce Mere. She chose Satprem and Sujata as the trusted instruments to record for posterity Her experiences of the different stages of the Supramental transformation down to the very cells of the body. Year after year Satprem and Sujata were the sole recipients of the supernal mysteries of the arduous supramental transformation as SPOKEN to them by the Divine Mother. One has only to read the Agenda to know the flaming intensity with which each experience in minutest detail was conveyed by Douce Mere to Satprem and Sujata. These were the dialogues of the pathways to Supramental infinities and epiphanies—the UTTAMAM RAHASYA—the supreme secret when the time stood still.

The Divine Mother had implanted and ignited the Supramental AGNI in the heart and Mind of Satprem which did not allow him to rest until the WORK was accomplished – and Satprem along with Sujata worked tirelessly to realize and manifest the Supramental Truth NOW and not some time later. Their souls were oceaned by super life aspiring beyond heaven to touch, to clasp and be the image of the Supramental Godhead. Slowly and slowly they dug deeper and deeper into the very heart of the Supramental mystery and, finally, the Son of Earth emerged with resplendent glory and a  cry of victory as the worthy inheritor of the Supramental Legacy: Le  travaille est  fait—The work is done— rapturously exclaiming to Sujata that it was the victory of our Mother – Our Mother – Notre Mere ! One has only to imagine the depth of Satprem’s feeling and the boundless love for the Divine Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

“Loving Homage” is, in a sense, a veiled biography of Sujata and Satprem expertly produced and edited through a collage of letters and reminiscences  by distinguished luminaries and friends who loved Sujata and Satprem.

This publication has also introduced a new and fresh genre of work in and through which we get the glimpses of the hitherto unknown facts of the life and the supramental sadhana of the twin souls in exile.

 “Sujata Nahar: Loving Homage” has also put to rest once for all the unsavoury controversies surrounding the intentions and motives of Sujata and Satprem and their whereabouts.  As a detached observer we see that Sujata and Satprem emerge unscathed in all this as they were carrying out only the will of the Divine Mother.

We read with delight the insightful letters and tributes which are heart warming and intimate in their adoration and bring out the innate gracious sweetness of Sujata-di—a soul of Light and Delight. We also note the amazing versatility of Sujata-di as a luminous writer, an astute compiler and a sharp communicator par excellence at once fearlessly frank.

Satprem wrote ceaselessly as well and his writings are marked with the powerful Upanishadic seer-vision and prophetic touch. His celebrated book Sri Aurobindo or The Adventure of Consciousness has already become a classic.

Editorial is a ‘tour de force’ what Anurag Banerjee set out to do—and has done in meticulous detail through dazzling array of letters and tributes—was to authenticate the vision and mission of Satprem and Sujata-di which he regarded as TRUE. It is almost a biographical note of the twin souls covering the wide spectrum of their supernal lives.

A gracious foreword by Ronju-da [Samir Kanta Gupta] gives a perfect start of the book .

Appreciations are also due to Nirmal Nahar and Suprabha Nahar for their fruitful assistance in making this publication an immensely fruitful and joyful venture—an adventure of consciousness and Joy.

Surendra Singh Chouhan

About the Reviewer: Shri Surendra Singh Chouhan is an ex-student of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (SAICE); after finishing his Higher Course he taught for a year in SAICE. He is an international educator and presently teaching Philosophy to the Chinese students inShanghai under the auspices of Shanghai Normal University.

                                                          *

As the second installment of our special series on the Mother, we are publishing three rare photographs of the Mother taken between 1927 and 1930.

In the first photograph, the Mother is seen coming down from the roof of the Meditation House.

In the second photograph, the Mother is seen with Pavitra, one of Her foremost disciples, in the old Secretariat building. 

In the third photograph, the Mother is seen standing near Her car below the Balcony of the Ashram Main Building with some of Her followers.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

                                                         *

On 11 February 1965, a big infuriated mob under the pretext of anti-Hindi demonstration had attacked Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Since this attack—which lasted for a few hours—was absolutely unexpected no help was available. There was only one person—a true hero—who defended the Ashram almost single-handedly and kept the attackers at bay till he was critically injured. This gentleman was Shri Dhritindranath Mukherjee better known as ‘Togo’ in the Aurobindonian community.

Shri Togo Mukherjee or Togo-da, as we lovingly address him, is the grandson of the illustrious revolutionary Jatindranath Mukherjee alias Bagha Jatin. He is a professional therapist with special expertise in Exercise, Yoga, Acupuncture, Auriculotherapie, Reflexology, Lymphatic Drainage, Magnetisme, Hypnotherapy and Bioenergy. Along with his brothers Rothindranath and Prithwindranath and mother Usha, he joined Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1948 (his father Tejendranath joined the family at Sri Aurobindo Ashram a year later). After his studies in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education he joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Hand Made Paper Department in December 1959. Soon the entire responsibility of the department was assigned to him and he remained its Incharge till 1967. In 1964 he was selected by the National Productivity Council for a prestigious French scholarship to study management in recognition for his outstanding achievement in the Hand Made Paper Department. He shifted to France in 1967 where he worked as a professional therapist for twenty seven years till his return to India in 1994. He had also represented India, along with his eldest brother Rothindranath, at the 10th session of the International Olympic Association held inGreecein August 1970. 

Dr. Prithwindranath Mukherjee, Togo-da’s elder brother, writes about his name: “Admiral Togo  Heihachiro (1848-1934) was known all over the world as “Nelson of the East”. He was especially appreciated for his leadership in the Russo-Japanese war (1904-05): Indian nationalists looked up on him as the Asian Hero who proved his superiority by defeating a European power. Okakura had come to Kolkata in 1902 with the message of a Pan-Asiatic unity; Nivedita introduced him to the founders of the Anushilan Samiti; he was received with due enthusiasm by Indian nationalists. Japan occupied a privileged place in their heart. Three years after the Admiral’s death, my brother Togo was born in 1937; he looked like a Japanese baby. Out of love for Japan, Swami Satyananda (Bhavabhushan Mitra, a disciple of my grandfather) proposed to name him Togo. My grandmother was still alive and she willingly accepted it. In the Ashram school, though he was enrolled as Dhritindra, the Mother – fond of Japan, too – preferred to call him Togo.”

Today on the occasion of the 47^th anniversary of the attack on Sri Aurobindo Ashram, we are publishing an article written by Shri Togo Mukherjee in which he has described the events of that horrifying day.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

                                                    *

                        The Anti-Hindi Riot of Pondicherry

                                                                                         Togo Mukherjee

Thursday, 11th February 1965, was a placid day. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram Hand Made Paper Department functioned smoothly, round the clock, in three shifts and full capacity. I left the factory at 6.30 P. M., went home, had my usual evening bath, and contently proceeded for the Playground meditation. Someone on the Ashram footpath stopped me and informed that rioters had ransacked the Railway Station, set it on fire and were heading towards the Ashram. The whole southern sky was aglow. I went to the Playground, informed at the gate about the imminent attack. Once inside, it struck me that all the Ashramites were gathering there for the Meditation, unaware of the storm brewing outside. The Mother had stopped coming to the Playground, so I went to find out how the situation was inside the Ashram main building. There I found only the gate-keepers. I stood near the Samadhi. After a while, there was a lot of shouting on the road, followed by stones falling near the Samadhi and even upstairs in the Mother’s room. The Ashram Post Office was soon set on fire.

For me it seemed to be the end of the civilised world. As if the devils on earth had been let loose. I could never have imagined such a Tandava dance, especially against the Ashram. It shook me to the core. It was intolerable. Something had to be done. Without any opposition, there would be no end to the destruction of Ashram properties. The rioters had to be resisted. I wanted to go out, but all the gates were closed. I pleaded and insisted to be let out, but the gate-keepers said, “Nothing doing.” Luckily, I found a young man whom I brought to the Rosary gate at the south-east side of the Ashram main building, climbed on his shoulders, and scaled the eleven foot high wall. By this time, the mob had disappeared.

This was an organised mob attack on the Ashram. No one had the slightest idea that such barbaric violence could occur against the Ashram. It struck like a tornado. The Indian Government adopted Hindi as a National Language much against the wish of some South Indians. We later learnt that all the Pondicherry Political Parties of that time exploited this Anti-Hindi sentiment to the full extent. Each party sent its hired gangs to destroy the Government properties which were soon protected by the Armed Police. The easy target then was the unprotected Ashram properties.

I rushed to the Playground. The main gate was still open. I dashed straight to the Store room, and picked up a bundle of lathis (sticks). I was about to leave when Prithwin (my brother) intercepted me near the gate, and tried hard to dissuade me from going out. Nevertheless, I left the Playground.

In front of the Ashram Post Office, I was glad to find a few young men to whom I distributed the lathis. Next, I went to see Vishnuji, who lived on the first floor of the Post Office. I got three buckets from him and requested the volunteers to douse the fire. Just then, I noticed a new wave of rioters over a hundred on Chetty Street, coming from the west of the canal and heading towards the Ashram. With a lathi tucked under my arm, I ran towards them, on the way filling my hands with brickbats. I wanted to stop them before they could cross the canal and reach the Ashram. As soon as they were within range, I hurled the stones at them at random, sure that I would hit someone in the mob. Totally unprepared for such an attack, the front rows of rioters got destabilized. My ammunition was exhausted, but I charged them with my lathi and beat some of them up ruthlessly. Now there was chaos in their group. But I found them all around me, so I ran back to a safe distance, collected more stones and attacked them again.

By this time, I received some reinforcements; two or three brave Ashramites joined me. We continued our attack mercilessly until they ran away. I was amused to see someone carrying a small wooden almirah as a shield.

After some time, another gang came from the Paper Factory side. We were now five or six persons and we intercepted them near the Volley Ball ground. We could again destabilize them and scare them away. Their number was always over one or two hundred.

We continued patrolling the riot affected area. At Debassyns de Richemont Street we could again repel the aggressors. There Barun Tagore was seen wearing a bucket as a helmet. After a lull, I heard faint rumblings coming from the Distillery side (presently Taluk office). When I reached the corner of La Clinique (Dr. Sanyal’s dispensary), I found another mob near Dojo and faced them all alone, standing at the intersection of Debassyns de Richemont and Rue Saint Louis with my lathi and hands full of stones, intending to use the same strategy I had used earlier. I also pretended that I was not alone and had reinforcements behind the corner, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce on them. Hesitatingly, they advanced up to Rue Lally Tollendal and then halted. I held them at bay for some time. They were still beyond the range of my stones. I detected 5 metre on my left Vishwabandhu’s head bobbing behind the La Clinque’s compound wall. Another person was along the Clinique’s foothpath and Kiran Vyas approached me from Rue Debassyns de Richemont. And then… Then I found myself on a hospital bed wrapped up in bandages.

Recently Pratik Ghosh related to me that when he and Ratan Ghosh had gone to confront the rioters coming from the Dojo side, they accidentally found me lying in a pool of blood with a badly shattered skull. About 3 centimetres in diameter my skull on the left frontal tuber had caved in. The lethal weapon, a steel lever used to prise open car tyres, was found nearby.

Pratik and Ratan carried me until they found an abandoned hand-drawn rickshaw, put me on it and took it to the General Hospital. Rothin, my eldest brother, hearing that I was seriously injured, searched for me in all probable places. Finally, at midnight, he went to the General Hospital. With the help of the duty doctors who were his friends, he looked for me in all the wards and eventually found me lying unattended in a verandah. He heard me mumble the Mother’s name in my unconscious state. He left me in the care of his doctor friends and hurried to inform the Mother.

An old Ashramite, 35 years of age, mocked, “Togois a fool to have faced the rioters. After the H. E. C. Soda Factory was ransacked and the mob had left we went to the street and had a lot of fun. We feasted on the delicious bottled drinks.”

The Mother narrates Her experience of that night and gives a vivid picture of the destruction—

“On the evening of the attack, on the 11th, a little after seven in the evening, I had for the first time, in a concrete, total way, the physical—physical—earth consciousness… At that moment, all the fires were starting, then hundreds of brickbats (not stones: brickbats) were bombarding all the windows and doors (all our windows, all the doors have been smashed in) which means infernal din: a pack of several hundred people, all drunk, bellowing, and shouts all over the place. So that bombardment of stones and those flames leaping up to the sky—the whole sky was red—it was all seen…

“The experience began a little after 7, 7:10, and it lasted till 1 in the morning.

“At 1 in the morning, I had to do another work, because one of our boys, T. [Togo] (that boy has the makings of a hero), almost single-handedly saved the clinic, but it cost him a fractured skull. At the time, they thought he was done for. They brought me the news, and when the news came I saw, I felt all of a sudden the other experience recede, and then that I was becoming the universal Mother with all the power of the universal Mother. And then, that T. became quite small, like this (gesture of something tiny in the hollow of the hand), and I held him in my hands—but he was all luminous, all luminous—I rocked him in my hands, telling him, “My child, my little child, my dear child…,” like this, and for several hours.

“That’s what saved him, I think. Because his skull was fractured, it had caved in; it had stopped just short of damaging the brain—the caved-in piece was inside, they had to operate, cut open, and remove it. It had stopped just short of the brain. So he will pull through. And I know that that’s what saved him.”

                                                   (Mother’s Agenda 1965, Vol. 6, pp. 30-32)

Dr. Satyabrata Sen, chief surgeon of Pondicherry General Hospital, and his team operated on me. Satya-da, a close friend of Rothin, confessed to him that, contrary to hospital rules, he had kept in his pocket a blessing packet given by the Mother for the operation. He felt guided by the Mother and was confident in succeeding in this delicate operation.

By the Mother’s Grace, Arun Chandra Guha, M. P. and Chairman of the Parliamentary Estimates Committee, ex-minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet, came to know about the attack on the Ashram on the 11th of February. That very night, he sent a telegram to Prithwin, asking for further information. Using Navajata’s phone in his room in the Ashram, Prithwin briefed Mr. Guha on 12th morning. The latter was stunned to know about the prejudice of the local people against the Ashram, and was shocked to hear that I was mortally injured. Immediately, he requested the Home Minister, Shri Guljarilal Nanda, for police protection. Promptly, an airborne detachment of the Central Reserve Police Force reached Pondicherry.

On 12th February, early in the morning, before visiting me in the hospital, Rothin along with my mother (Ma) went to the Mother to get her blessings. The Mother told Ma, “Togo is under my protection. He will be well.” Then She took Rothin’s hands and told him, “Rothin, you have saved my Atelier. Without you, there would have been a great calamity.” Then the Mother gave him Her gold-wrist watch. Ma was all surprised. She knew nothing about it. Rothin told her he did not want to overburden her with another story, as she already had to bear the tragedy of Togo.

Rothin was Abhay Singh-da’s assistant. On 11th February evening when he was busy in his office, a mob entered the Atelier which housed the Ashram’s cars and generator. A lot of inflammable material was there. One match stick would have been sufficient to blow it up. Rothin came out. One man lifted a chair over him in order to hit him on the head. Just then, another man restrained him shouting, “Stop. What are you doing? It is our Rothin ayya!” Rothin was a top ranking sportsman, excelling at many games. He was very popular in Pondicherry among all classes of the public, and, because of his amiable nature, he had made many friends. A dialogue then ensued and Rothin eventually persuaded them to leave the place without causing any damage.

Asoke De was also badly beaten up by the rioters. But he does not remember much. He said that, after the Playground Meditation was over at 8-15 P.M., Borda (my father, Tejen Mukherjee) came and recruited about 30 volunteers to protect the Ashram. He posted them in groups in all the vulnerable places.

Ratan sums up our spirit in the following words—“firm in the absolute conviction that, come what may, the Mother’s Institution had to be protected from all harm.”

A few months after this incident directed by the Mother Sanyal-da (Dr. Prabhat Sanyal) personally took me to Asia’s top Neurosurgeon Dr. Ramamoorthy at Madras for treatment.

The intensity of that moment of history will always remain in my memory even though 47  long years have effaced many names and details of the story.

                                                 *

                                          ADDENDUM

Shri Robi Gupta, noted poet and the youngest son of Nolini Kanta Gupta, had written a poem on Shri Togo Mukherjee. Titled ‘Togo’, this poem was published in the May 1965 issue of ‘Mother India’, the monthly journal published from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. For the benefit of our readers we are republishing it in the forum of Overman Foundation.

                                       TOGO

Bagha Jatin is but a legend to me.

For I have not witnessed his undaunted valour.

But to-night I am surprised to watch that boundless courage being displayed—

A firm stand against a hundred infuriated assailants.

He has proved well that the same blood runs in his veins!

The day was done and the night was unrolling the mantle of peace everywhere.

Slowly the pole-star shone out shedding lustre.

The Ashramites were all seated in deep meditation.

Opportunity golden indeed for the Devils to attack!

To force equality by death and devastation—what an ideal of perversity!

The enraged mob rushed close—hostile-instruments all athirst for blood!

The glasses clanged and the doors and hinges banged and fell broken!

The houses stood in fire and in a moment the dark sky turned red!

Deep in the heart man has blindly fostered the Devil to this day.

The messenger of heaven was burnt alive—the son of God crucified!

Ignorant minds cannot bear the pressure of the descending Light.

They mock and sneer seeking even to assail

As did the disturbing Rakshasas in the forests of the ancient Rishis.

Conscience seemed to be devoured by the Demon-head and Truth totally eclipsed!

Their motto: Better rule in hell than serve in heaven.

The powers of the earth, self-proud, fear the reign of gods.

The night saw not a sentry on duty, not a guard on his round.

They were all fast asleep with the magic spell cast by Demons.

How the phantoms of hell delight in destruction and laugh!

Ferocity incarnate, danger housed in human frames,

Freely they plundered, rained stones, none to stay their march.

“I will give them their due if God has given me the chance.”

An icon of youth and courage he shot out to oppose them and made them retreat.

A few reeled, a few fell flat on the ground.

Most ran helter-skelter for life.

Yet quite a band surrounded him and he fought his hardest.

Through the enemy array on the eastern front an Abhimanyu forged ahead.

But alas someone from behind armed with an iron-bar hit him right on the head.

He tumbled, tottered, vision failing.

A fatal stroke indeed, but Providence chose otherwise

At the healing touch of the Divine Mother he opens his eyes and smiles again.

To me Bagha Jatin is a legend.

But to-night I have watched, to my surprise, action that is bright with bravery.

                         [Translated by the author from the original Bengali]

                                                                       Courtesy: Mother India

February is the month in which, on the 21^st, the Mother’s birthday is celebrated in the Aurobindonian community. To commemorate the said occasion, we would publish from this week onwards till the 29^th of February a series of photographs and documents related to the Mother’s life and works as our humble tribute.

As the first installment of the series, we are publishing the copy of the birth certificate of the Mother. This birth certificate is a part of the Sujata Nahar Papers preserved in the archives of Overman Foundation. A translation of the certificate in English is also reproduced.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

[This Sunday 24 February 1878 at 10 a.m., birth certificate of Blanche Rachel Mirra, of female sex, surname as under, born on the 21^st of this month at 10:15 a.m., at the home of her father and mother, 41 Boulevard Haussmann, daughter of Maurice Alfassa, banker, aged thirty-five, and Mathilde Ismalun, his spouse, housewife, aged twenty-one, married at Alexandria (Egypt) on 18 June 1874. Under notification of the father, in the presence of the witnesses Aristide Sorel, employee, aged sixty-two, residing at Paris, 47 Rue Rochechouart, and Edouard Biscara, employee, aged thirty-nine, residing at Paris, 11 Rue Vintimille, who have signed with the father and me, Jean-Jacques Alfred Dutartre, deputy mayor. Read and approved:           

                    M. Alfassa       Ade.Sorel         E. Biscara       Alf. Dutartre]

                                                            *

Dear Friends,

It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Overman Foundation has published its seventh book ‘The Mother: The Birth and Growth of a Flame’ on 8 January 2012. Written by Anurag Banerjee and with a preface by Dr. Ananda Reddy (Director, Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research, Pondicherry), this book is a detailed account of the Mother’s pre-Ashram years and covers the course of her life in France, Algeria and Japan till her arrival in Pondicherry and taking charge of Sri Aurobindo Ashram after Sri Aurobindo’s retirement into seclusion in 1926.

Divided into five sections, ‘The Mother: The Birth and Growth of a Flame’ comprises of a number of unpublished materials compiled from the writings of Mira Ismalun (the Mother’s grandmother), Max Theon, Barindra Kumar Ghose and Haradhan Bakshi to name a few along with unknown details and facts selected from the rare writings of Paul Richard, Motilal Roy, Alexandra David-Neel, Suresh Chandra Chakrabarti, Anilbaran Roy, Rajani Kanta Palit and Jaya Devi.

In his scholarly preface to this book, Dr. Ananda Reddy comments about the book and its author: 

‘I suppose the work done by Mr. Banerjee belongs to the “present time itself” in which we see efforts to “return towards inner self-discovery, an inner seeking and thinking, a new attempt at mystic experience, a groping after the inner self, a reawakening to some sense of the truth and power of the spirit…”

‘Mr. Banerjee’s painstaking compilation of the details of the Mother’s life is more a narration of the Mother’s life where you see the birth and growth of a divine flame in a human form. It starts from the Mother’s pre-Mirra days, that is with her previous births as recollected by her, and it goes till the Victory Day,24th November, 1926, when Sri Aurobindo withdrew for purposes of sadhana putting the Mother in charge of every one of the sadhaks in the Ashram. The reading is captivating and inspiring because Anurag’s mind displays a mental faith which has an “unquestioning acceptance of all the Mother is, says and does.”… And it is this deep faith and sincerity that mark this book. Distinctly, Anurag’s mind seems to be consciously surrendering to the subject of his study in the spirit of a sadhak of integral yoga and does not display the naked audacity of a researcher who wants to measure himself with the divine being who is the subject of his research!’

Comprising of 385 pages ‘The Mother: The Birth and Growth of a Flame’ is available at a price of Rs. 475 (Four Hundred and Seventy Five) only. Please note that it is not an e-book.

To place an order, please write to the following email addresses:

                                   overmanfoundation@gmail.com

                                   overmanfoundation@yahoo.com

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder-Chairman,

Overman Foundation.

Dear Friends and Well-wishers of Overman Foundation,

It gives me immense pleasure to announce that on 31 December 2011 Overman Foundation has published its sixth book ‘Sri Aurobindo and Rabindranath Tagore’—a bilingual anthology of articles written on the two great luminaries of the bygone century.

This book—which is a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on the occasion of his 150^th Birth Anniversary—comprises of articles in English and Bengali contributed by Dr. Prithwindranath Mukherjee, R. Y. Deshpande, Dr. Prema Nandakumar, Dr. Murali Sivaramakrishnan, Saurendranath Basu, Nirmal Singh Nahar, Krishna Chakravarti, Dalia Sarkar, Supriyo Bhattacharya and Anurag Banerjee. Articles written on the said theme by Nolini Kanta Gupta, Dilip Kumar Roy, K. D. Sethna and Chittaranjan Goswami have also been republished in this volume.

Two major attractions of this book are the translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ‘Namaskar’ (rendered into English by Ksitish Chandra Sen) written on Sri Aurobindo when the latter was arrested for the first time in 1907 and Rabindranath’s tribute to Sri Aurobindo published in the ‘Modern Review’ magazine in 1928 which he authored soon after his meeting with Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry in that very year.

Compiled and edited by Anurag Banerjee, ‘Sri Aurobindo and Rabindranath Tagore’consisting of 115 pages is available at a price of Rs. 160 (One hundred and Sixty) only. Please note that it is not an e-book.

Those who would like to place an order may write to us at the following email addresses: 

                                       overmanfoundation@gmail.com

                                       overmanfoundation@yahoo.com

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder-Chairman,

Overman Foundation.

“Sri Aurobindo: His Political Life and Activities” by Anurag Banerjee presents to the reader a well researched account of Sri Aurobindo’s life as a nationalist, a political revolutionary, an educationist in the truest sense, and an inspirer of the youth and countrymen to awaken to the call of the motherland. The compilation provides an insight into the brilliance and determined effort of the son of India to free his country from the clutches of foreign domination as a true patriot. The many events and happenings in pursuance of the goal of complete freedom forIndia have been carefully detailed by Anurag Banerjee in this book. The freedom of the nation was of utmost priority to Sri Aurobindo but it was not his only aim. Sri Aurobindo has brought to us the supreme idea of a liberated humanity. He has shown to us through his writings that liberation is a continuous process in itself. We need to work towards attaining liberation from self interest, fear, ego and separativity at the social, religious, cultural, national or international level. This is why he had deep concerns about the educational system inIndiaof which we find a meticulously detailed description in this compilation by Anurag Banerjee. Of notable concern is Sri Aurobindo’s speech to the students of Bengal National College on August 23, 1907. We find that Sri Aurobindo’s advice to the new generation is not limited by any timeframe, context or institutional boundary but is of immemorial significance to all. The character sketches and reminiscences of Sri Aurobindo by some of his contemporaries which have been included as Appendices in the book are particularly interesting and provide insight into the magnanimous and elegant personality of Sri Aurobindo. I would like to quote a few lines from the character sketch of Sri Aurobindo by Bepin Chandra Pal, p. 418 of the book. “He knew that the foundations of national independence and national greatness must be laid in a strong and advanced system of National Education. He had a political ideal, no doubt: but politics meant to him much more than is ordinarily understood by the term. It was not a game of expediency but a school of human character, and, in its turn, reacting upon it, develop and strengthen the manhood and womanhood of the nation. Education could be no more divorced from politics than it could be divorced from religion or morals.” These lines lead us to relook at the prevalent educational system in the country to assess if it is capable enough to bring out individuals strong in character and values to liberate the nation from the grip of corruption in values and practices. Are we not missing out on passing on the wealth of words spelling wisdom, idealism and strength by the great men ofIndialike Sri Aurobindo to the young learners? This dedicated work by Anurag Banerjee which enlightens its readers on the exemplary life and work of Sri Aurobindo, does lead us to think.

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About the Author: Ms. Deepali Gupta is a Faculty Member at Disha Bharti College of Management and Education, Saharanpur. She teaches courses on ‘Human Values and Professional Ethics’, ‘Business Ethics’ and ‘Information Technology.’ She has been working in the field of education and training for over eighteen years now. She is pursuing a doctoral programme in Sri Aurobindo Studies from SACAR (Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research, Pondicherry). The subject of her research pertains to integrating Sri Aurobindo’s thoughts with contemporary Management Education. Her papers have been published in New Race, a journal of Integral Studies, published by SACAR and in the proceedings of an International Conference. The published works are titled as “Knowledge Societies and Sri Aurobindo’s Vision for the Future”, “The Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo describes the ultimate unifying principle of life”, “Individual and Corporate Well-being”, and “Organizations in the New Millennium—Challenges and Opportunities.”   

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As the second installment of our tribute to the great nationalist and revolutionary Barindra Kumar Ghose, the younger brother of Sri Aurobindo, on the occasion of his 132^nd Birth Anniversary, we are publishing a set of his rare photographs.

We also take the opportunity to inform you that Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, has  published Barindra Kumar Ghose’s book The Tale of My Exile : Twelve Years in the Andamans (introduced and edited by Dr. Sachidananda Mohanty of  the Department of English, University of Hyderabad) in December 2011.

There will be a discussion of this book on 19 January 2012 at the India International Centre, 40 Max Muller Marg, New Delhi at the Conference Room No. 1 of the IIC). The discussion will be chaired by Dr. Karan Singh, President, Indian Council of Cultural Relations and will have Dr. Kavita Sharma (Director,IIC), Professor Indra Nath Chaudhury (former Member Secretary, IGNCA) and Professor Sachidananda Mohanty, Editor of this book, as discussants.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee,

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

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“The outward work can never be small if the inward one is great, and the outward work can never be great or good if the inward is small or of little worth.”— Meister Eckhart.

The above quote wonderfully weaves the ideas of Karma and Dharma to give us a right view of what we know as life. The conventional education system has focused merely on the aspect of action through disciplines of specialized learning but more recently, Ethics and Human Values have come to be regarded as indispensable subjects for education in various fields of study including management and engineering. But “What does one stand to gain by being ethical?” is a question that occupies the students’ mind before starting to absorb the first bit of the prescribed lessons on ethics. It is here that I feel, this well designed compendium of Sri Aurobindo’s thoughts on ethics by Anurag Banerjee fulfills its purpose beautifully by answering many questions on why ethics should be an inherent way of life and a guiding principle for action. By a simple glance over the chapters of this book one would feel like taking a break from the accustomed way of looking at development and progress only in the outward sense. On further reading, one comes to regard ethics as essential for one’s inner development and for ably contributing towards building a truly cultured society. Anurag Banerjee, by focusing his endeavors in compiling this book has come to prove as an inspiration to the young generation to explore the arena of an inner self development while pursuing ethics in outward action. Sri Aurobindo’s writings on ethics go a step ahead where much of the study material on ethics stops short. He warns people with ethical motives against the invasion of egoism which can prove to be a deterrent in the pursuit of self development. I would highly recommend this book to all educational institutions desirous of developing their students not only in specialized traits but as a well rounded human being. It will be a value supplement to the prescribed books on ‘Human Values and Professional Ethics’ because human values need to be inculcated and not just to be informed about. To be able to inculcate, the subject matter should be able to touch one to the core by being able to answer all the questions springing from the mind of an inquisitive learner, an instinctive being, the future professional and finally as member of society where ethical conduct is not the usual norm. Needless to say, Sri Aurobindo’s writings being inter-disciplinary do it all by cutting across the boundaries of specialized disciplines of thought and learning. After reading this book, I can well say that through this work, Anurag Banerjee has made a definitive contribution towards an enlightened self-regulation to the society craving for peace, happiness, progress, harmony and sustainability of development.

About the Author: Ms. Deepali Gupta is a Faculty Member at Disha Bharti College of Management and Education, Saharanpur. She teaches courses on ‘Human Values and Professional Ethics’, ‘Business Ethics’ and ‘Information Technology.’ She has been working in the field of education and training for over eighteen years now. She is pursuing a doctoral programme in Sri Aurobindo Studies from SACAR (Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research, Pondicherry). The subject of her research pertains to integrating Sri Aurobindo’s thoughts with contemporary Management Education. Her papers have been published in New Race, a journal of Integral Studies, published by SACAR and in the proceedings of an International Conference. The published works are titled as “Knowledge Societies and Sri Aurobindo’s Vision for the Future”, “The Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo describes the ultimate unifying principle of life”, “Individual and Corporate Well-being”, and “Organizations in the New Millennium—Challenges and Opportunities.”  

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5 January 2012 marked the 132^nd birth anniversary of Barindra Kumar Ghose (1880-1959), the noted revolutionary, journalist, author and Sri Aurobindo’s youngest brother. He was one of the earliest inmates of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and resided at Pondicherry till 1929.

It is said that Barindra Kumar left the Ashram because he was unable to accept the Mother. Today we are publishing a tribute paid by him to the Mother which was published in ‘Khulnabasi’ on 21 February 1940, that is, on the occasion of the Mother’s birthday. It is hoped that this tribute would eradicate many wrong notions.  

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee,

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

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Barindra Kumar Ghose’s tribute to the Mother.

 ‘In the Yoga-Ashram of Pondicherry, the Mother is the living embodiment of Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga. The touch of her creative genius has given the Ashram its present shape. The work of each department bears the stamp of her originality and constructive genius. It is doubtful if there is any other place on earth where such a big family could be seen carrying on like clock-work its day-to-day activities in silence and harmony, without a shade of conflict. The constructive power of the West and the whole-hearted surrender and self-giving of the East are moving hand in hand in the life of the Ashram.

‘But to have given a perfect shape to the Ashram is not the Mother’s greatest achievement. She is the living image and the other expression of the Yogic Power that is operating everywhere in the Ashram as its centre. To attribute Divinity to a human being may seem to others a sheer fantasy of the devotees or nothing but sentimentalism. But one who has had the slightest touch of the spiritual Power of Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga knows for certain that the open sesame of his Integral Yoga lies in the Mother alone.

‘Sri Aurobindo once said to me that he doubted if there was in the past any figure embodying so great a Yogic power. He added that he had done ten years’ Yoga by one’s contact with her. The Yogic Power of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo opened wide the doors of the unostentatious Ashram, so long in the grip of want and difficulty, to the steady inflow of sufficiency and prosperity. Spontaneous offerings came from disciples and admirers. The most ordinary men found in themselves an outflowering of the poetic power, a wonderful talent for painting, a capacity for meditation, occult vision and skillfulness in work. Day by day the Pondicherry Ashram grew into a Yogic place of pilgrimage for the entire world. An aspirant had a vision: the Mother and Sri Aurobindo were inside a golden tabernacle on the top of a luminous hill, and men from different climes from all directions thronged to the place in endless streams. To-day his vision has materialised.

‘In the course of repeated experiences, a restless fellow, mad after work, with impurities unpurged, a man of vitalistic temperament, I have realised, from the play of the Mother’s miraculous Power, how true were the words of Sri Aurobindo. From the angle of Yogic vision the Mother has no equal even in India, the tapobhūmi (the land of Tapasya).’    

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