This year we celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of Indian independence. Several events and individuals would be justifiably highlighted and appreciated. Nevertheless, one particular individual, whose contributions are sometimes eluded than they should be, has a very exalted position on the highest echelon of Indian heritage. He is Sir Aurobindo. Initially a committed revolutionary in Indian freedom movement, he subsequently became a highly respected yogi whose works are a dazzling articulation and commentary of India’s cultural, philosophical, and spiritual riches. This year is his 150th birth anniversary; his day of birth coincides with India’s Independence Day.
He was born at Calcutta – currently, Kolkata – on August 15, 1872. His father, Dr Krishna Dhan Ghose, was an accomplished civil surgeon. His mother, Swarnalata, was a well educated lady, endowed with social graces. Even then, Sri Aurobindo Ghose grew up within an Anglicised ambience. His father made certain that his children were educated in English. Therefore, he attended schools in Darjeeling in India and in Manchester and London in United Kingdom (UK). Subsequently, a study of Greek and Latin took place at the University of Cambridge.
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After successfully qualifying the then highly prestigious Indian Civil Service (ICS) examinations, Sri Aurobindo declined to join it. A career in the ICS did not evoke interest. A career, entailing the nurturing and application of intellect, was more appealing. In February, 1893, he left UK and sailed to Bombay (now Mumbai) in India.
The subsequent nearly two decades was a phase of gradual metamorphosis in his thought and work. He went to the then princely state of Baroda, where after some years of work in the state’s administrative offices, was appointed a lecturer at the Baroda College by the ruler, the Gaekwad. Highly impressed by his scholarship, the Gaekwad made him professor of English, and subsequently, Baroda College’s acting principal in 1905.
From Baroda, he made regular visits to his home province of Bengal. There was, at that time, a steady build-up of a movement against British reign and its policy of divide and rule in Bengal. While highly appreciative of the best of British and Western values, thought and way of life, he deeply resented the repressive, unfair methods of British colonial rule in India. To take part in this movement, he left Baroda and arrived at Calcutta in 1906. During next four years, he rose in the ranks of the freedom movement, advocated complete liberation from British rule, got involved in revolutionary activities and spent one year in jail on sedition charges. His scholarship flourished simultaneously and contributions for publications titled Vande Mataram and Karmayogin commenced. It was through these writings that a predilection towards thoughts on education, constructive work and above all towards the riches of India’s philosophical, religious and cultural heritage gradually came to him. He fervently supported Indian liberation from British colonial yolk.
Towards fulfilment of that objective, he left his wife and family in Bengal, forever, and arrived at the then French-administered Pondicherry on April 4, 1910. Once there, he could not be persecuted by the government of British India. He would contribute to India’s liberation through India’s inherent repository of cultural and spiritual wisdom. Reflecting upon and interpretation of Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagwad Gita were undertaken. To that, he contributed with his concept of “Integral Yoga”: a combination of physical fitness and mental concentration, taken to a high level, whereby acute realizations and capability for successful work are arrived at.
In Pondicherry, he and his followers gradually built an ashram. There, in 1914, a French lady, named Mirra Alfassa, and her husband met him. The lady highly admired Indian philosophy and yoga. Overwhelmed after conversing with him, she accepted him as her spiritual master. On April 24, 1920, she came over to Pondicherry, never to return again. With time, eventually, she came to be known to all as the Mother.
At the Pondicherry ashram, Sri Aurobindo reigned supreme. When India attained independence, he opined that with it the real task of good governance and leading the country to prosperity had come.
Like all great personalities, Sri Aurobindo also advanced the necessity for working for a perfect society through realistic perspectives. His principles of Yoga and other aspects were an indicator to strive for perfection and nobility. Alongside it, his articulations for giving effect to correct social and political moves possess high relevance for all times.
For instance, during the visit of Cripps Mission to India in 1942, he was hoping that the Congress would accept the essence of Cripps Mission’s offer by accepting the possibility of Dominion Status under the British Colonial rule for the time being. But, in a jiffy, the Congress rejected it, and resigned from all the provinces it was governing. Upon hearing that news, Sri Aurobindo had said that this could be a Himalayan blunder for the unity of the country. As an aftermath, the consequential chain of events led to the ultimate division of the country into India and Pakistan.
Aurobindo left this world in December, 1950. The famed Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry attests to the magnificent work and legacy of Aurobindo. As India grapples with its tasks of economic and social uplift and for successful diplomacy, his work and message could provide crucial guidelines and benchmarks. It came from an illustrious Indian, who blended together the best contributions of the Orient and the Occident.
(The author is a columnist with specialisations in international affairs & Indian politics)
