AN OUTSTANDING FIGURE IN THE HISTORY OF PONDICHERRY

Sri Aurobindo and his Ashram

Can we describe Sri Aurobindo as a Yogi, a philosopher, a poet or a revolutionary ?

Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta on the 15 August 1872. When he was seven years old, his parents took him to England. In 1889, He got a scholarship in classical studies at St Paul's School of London and continued his studies at Cambridge. He got into the IAS but his denial to take the horse riding competition eliminated him from Adminitrative Services.

Nevertheless in 1893, he returned to India and entered the administrative services of Baroda, a job which was proposed by the Gaedwar, Prince of Baroda, during his visit to England.

Simultaneously, he became a professor at the College of Baroda (of french then english). He took over temporarily the management of the institution during which period, he improved his sanscrit and others indian languages.

1905 : Partition of Bengal. The following year, he left Baroda to join Calcutta as Director of National College of Bengale.

Sri Aurobindo

He was actively involved in politics and made his name famous in India through his leading articles in the daily Bande Madaram paper as Nationalist wing. Revolutionary propaganda was of prime importance for him.He wanted to stress the importance of independance by undermining the foundations of the british governement : no-cooperation and passive resistance were his main weapons.

In 1908, suspected to be involved in an affair of bomb fabrication, he was imprisoned at the Alipore jail. This stay in jail lasted one year but was a turning point in his life. He immersed himself in the meditation and yoga. From his eternal life and his spiritual concerns, resulted in a philosophy wider than his first objective. From the liberation of India, he passes to a philosophy centered on the future of man, the new age of spirit and the birth of a new race.

Searched by the police, he hid for 2 months in the french trading post of Chandernagor, near Calcutta before sailing to Pondicherry aboard Dupleix.

He arrived on the 4 april 1910 to break with his past and to concentrate in the practise of yoga.

In August 1920, he refused to preside over the Indian National Congress and refused to return to politics. However, he left two or three times this refuge in 1940 and in 1942, date at which he advised the leaders of the country to accept the offer of independance of Sir Stafford Cripps.

Sri Aurobindo died on 5 december 1950 in Pondicherry after having broken all direct contact with his disciples and appeared to the public only 3 or 4 times a year.

These years spent in Pondicherry was devoted to the writing of Arya, review of a philosophical synthesis, to a numerous correspondance with his disciples and to the writing of a great epic poem : Savitri.

Retiring in 1926, Sri Aurobindo gave the responsability of the ashram to the "Mother", a french lady Mirra Alfassa born in Paris the 21 February 1878 and who arrived at Pondicherry in march 1914. After the death of Sri Aurobindo, "the Mother" continued the social work till 17 november 1973.

Mother

The Ashram of Sri Aurobindo was really fonded in 1926 . First, it was only a few buildings and then it extended gradually in several ways. The main place of the community remains the house where the Mother and Sri Aurobindo lived, rue de la Marine.

The Ashram has actually more than 2000 members who come from all the parts of India and abroad. These members work to spread the thought of Sri Aurobindo and of the Mother.

In 1953, the Mother has created the Sri Aurobindo International Educational Center in Pondicherry, a new and daring experience in the domain of education. French is one of the main languages studied.

The 28 February 1968, the Mother founded the community of Auroville located at a few kilometers from Pondicherry. she fulfilled thus her dream to see a place in the world, where all the beings of goodwill, sincere in their aspirations could live freely as world citizens, obeying to one authority, the one of the Supreme truth, a place of peace, of concord and harmony.

"Auroville will be a space of material and spiritual research aiming to the incarnation of a real human unity"

Auroville is the extension of a work carried out by the Ashram and the Educational Center. In Auroville, new urban concepts, an innovative architecture, a forest plantation plan and extension of green space and a different education are being developed. The dry plateau that has inherited Auroville has been transformed to a green oasis. Supported by the UNESCO, Auroville represents certainly a unique experience in the world.

http://www.pondichery.com - Schotte Stephen - 1998