Sri Aurobindo and Bharati

Meeting Aurobindo and Bharathi in Puducherry-I

ramyanaresh comments: on Mar 29 2007 5:47AM Hi Narensomu, Excellent work...pls keep posting...:) I am an ardent devotee of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and your post just took me to this space from my routine work. :) Thnx Bregds, Ramya

narensomu comments: on Mar 29 2007 8:28AM ramyanaresh Thanks for visiting and commenting..I'd be posting more on the lives of these great men ..The book I am discussing has a lot of interesting anecdotes about them..Thank you again for the encouraging words! Regards

Findhorn Foundation Community, CIIS, and Auroville

The Gaiafield Global Meditation and Prayer Vigil March 28, 2007: Linking spiritual and social peacemakers around the planet
We are delighted to announce the second Gaiafield Global Meditation and Prayer Vigil, to be held at 10am PST on March 28, 2007. This event will link (via audio and video) gatherings at the Findhorn Foundation Community (Scotland), the California Institute of Integral Studies (USA) and the University for Peace (Costa Rica) for a one hour meditation and prayer ceremony. The ceremony will also be broadcast online from this website (for free) to a global audience.
This event is part of the Gaiafield Project, which aims to support the emergence of a large, multi-hub network of spiritual leaders and their constituencies who will regularly participate in and co-create large-scale global meditation and prayer vigils. In our pilot project on September 21, 2006 we linked hundreds of people at live venues at the Findhorn Foundation Community, CIIS, and Auroville (India), plus over 4000 online participants from 6 continents to co-create a beautiful global field of peace. For this event, we are especially happy to link for the first time with the University for Peace, the UN-mandated university in Costa Rica whose mission is “to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace…”
Please join us for an exciting taste of planetary spirituality and global consciousness.
The GaiaField Project is currently a joint project of the California Institute of Integral Studies and Wisdom Mountain, both of which are non-profit organizations based in Northern California. For more information, please contact Project Director David Nicol at david@gaiafield.net.

Scratch pad of ideas, thoughts and pondering on the true meaning of these upanishads

Later as I was waiting for someone, I had entered Mother's Ashram, and saw the book Isha Upanishad by Sri Aurobindo, just waiting there for me to be picked up. There was only one copy of it. Surprisingly I was searching the web many times to check on if there are any commentaries by Sri Aurobindo on Isha Upanishad. I found some, but they looked to me like mere translation. This book is a treasure, it has all his manuscripts (some of them were his scratch pad of ideas, which were never published), which was his thoughts and pondering on the true meaning of these upanishads. posted by Rishi @ 10:46 AM

Always to speak as little as possible and to act only when it is necessary

Horoscopes have no importance for those who take up yoga.(The Mother)
Question: Several among us have passed or are passing through a period of mental disequilibrium and incoherence. What attitude should we take towards those who are in this state? What should we do and not do to avoid passing through these crises?

The Mother: Calm, peace, tranquillity always, and always to speak as little as possible and to act only when it is necessary. To avoid unconsciousness as much as possible.
Question: What is the right way of meeting ones' recurring difficulties?

Sri Aurobindo: Equality, rejection, calling on the Mother's force.
Sri Aurobindo August 1, 1933 ("On The Mother", SABCL vol. 25, page 341)
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His Yoga teachings are practiced around the globe today

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 I Believe, That You Believe In Your Truth!

"As the crust of the outer nature cracks, as the walls of inner separation break down, the inner light gets through, the inner fire burns in the heart, the substance of the nature and the stuff of consciousness refine to a greater subtlety and purity, and deeper psychic experiences become possible... The soul begins to unveil itself and manifest itself as the central being which upholds mind and life and body."

Sri Aurobindo was born in 1872 in India. He was many things before he died in December of 1950. His Yoga teachings are practiced around the globe today and it's interesting to note that he developed his spiritual path while being incarcerated for a year, in a jail, in Bengal. Through meditation, Aurobindo connected to the web of consciousness that is part of each and every one of us. His awakening came through his thoughts of Hindu teachings, and the works of the Indian philosopher, Swami Vivekananda. He wanted to crack his outer shell and reconnect to his inner fire. The fire that is the substance for nature, the universe, and all life. It may not be the path I choose to find my fire, but I can find it just as Aurobindo did, by looking within myself. As I study different cultures and beliefs, the one point that is prominent in all of them is the feeling of association with a higher consciousness...Posted by Hal at 8:36 AM

India is a fascinating destination and I have always longed to visit this mystical country

Indians saints and mystics though are not going to go out of their way to make the singer comfortable. Celebrity religious sham Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said that he will treat Madonna just like any other client who donates 10 million US dollars to his kitty. “She will be another lost soul who is looking for direction and I intend to help her find that,” he said, “but before that I have to make up my mind about just what I want my first name to be because I am tired of people asking me that question.” But whether it will be Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who gives Madonna direction or that woman who hugs people or the Mother at Auroville or Osho’s Ashram, will remain to be seen. nononsensemedia

Auroville, a dreamers dream, a visionaries vision, or a cultists cult?

There are approximately 1800 permanent residents living in Auroville.To live in Auroville one must meet a certain criteria or at least cultivate a higher consciousness...I wish I could have spent more than one day in Auroville, I got the feeling that there were quite a few highly intelligent and skilled people living here. Even though the land was purchased at the end of the 60's,they only really started to build on and cultivate it 15 years ago. So is Auroville the city of the future? Only time will tell, people keep on coming and Auroville is growing, slowly, but it's still growing.

There is so much emphasis put on the poverty and the poor people of India by the west, that we fail to notice how well Indian people live together. There is a billion people here, and they know how to work together and to solve problems together. Not only that, they also know how to find joy in the simple things that life has to offer. Pondicherry at one time was a French colony, there is still quite a bit of the flavour left over from when it was occupied by France, such as architecture, food and the police wear cute red hats. I wanted to have a glass of red wine and I made it a mission to find a restaurant that has a croque madam on there menu. The wine was ok and the croque madam was second best to Anna's at Bonjour Brioche in Toronto. For all those interested in learning more about Auroville here is there website www.auroville.org Posted by cf at 1:54 AM

The Randolph connection

Dr. P. B. Randolph is either the author or the key Western transmitter of the core magical teaching of the Ordo Templi Orientis...Paschal Beverly Randolph was born in New York, September 5, 1825 EV...In February of 1875 a meeting of the Brotherhood was held in San Francisco, presided over by Randolph. An account of the Order at that time published by Randolph shortly after the meeting reveals an organization with considerable structural soundness, solid vision, and ample membership. A list of officers is published, and a procedure for carrying on the organization after Randolph’s death are enshrined in print...

James Webb speculates upon a Randolph influence on the 20th Century mystic G.I. Gurdjieff, and there is certainly an indirect influence on The Church of Light, The Sri Aurobindo movement (through Mirra Alfassa and Max Theon), and, without question, on the OTO. Of all of these, as I noted in my book, The Story of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light, only the OTO has carried forward the core ideas of Randolph, the unique amalgam of love and will. It is asserted by the late Grand Master Reuss that OTO is the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light. Certainly Papus was influenced by Dr. Davidson of the HB of L, as was Max Theon.

A Forgotten Hero for Black History Month. PASCHAL BEVERLY RANDOLPHSEXUAL MAGICK IN THE 19th CENTURY hermetic.com/sabazius/randolph.htm By T Allen Greenfield Africa Shrine 21st Century Blackisms

We don't know anything about The Mother

It seems that quite a few people are in the same space right now, but coming from different angles. Even Scott Adams has written about the very same things...And that's where I've been recently, God, Science, String Theory, Gravitons, Photons, Zohar, Kabbalah, Big Bang, Steady State, Entanglement, Spirituality.
It's that middle ground between Creationists and Rationalists that I'm looking at, the thing Daryl Cook refers to as Integral Thought, but neither of us wants to commit to something developed by people we don't know anything about! Especially someone who calls themselves The Mother!! It could be inhabited by weird freaky people, just like Creationists and Rationalists!!
So I'm holding back, doing a bit of reading and research before I shoot down a few people who need shooting down!! My starter is ordering Paul Feyerabend's autobiography Killing Time.
I love science and I respect religion, but they both need to be held accountable for the bad that people have done in the name of science and religion. My greatest fear is that "Science" becomes the New Religion, and no-one will notice the difference, and we'll have to have a Bill of Rights to protect kids from science! Posted on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 11:32 PM in Life, Religion, Science Permalink

Looking at the colorful paper made me happy

Went to see the aurobindo ashram, founded by aurobindo-now a famous guru. i bought a book about him and are determined to read more about his ideas. also went to the paper factory that belongs to the ashram where handmade paper is being produced. i was in paradise....you can walk around and see how they produce the paper and then of course there is a showroom where you can shop. they had the most lovely things you can imagine. just walking around and looking at the colorful paper made me happy. may, yes, you would say: simple mind, simple pleasure! Posted by Caro at 4:49 PM Sunday, March 18, 2007 pondi

A fundraising evening for a project in Africa involving much dancing and merriment

Sunday, March 18th, 2007 More from Auroville! Pascal, a local sax player who tours regularly with an Indian theatre company.
Auroville seems to be a great place for kids to grow up. The education is quite radical… no exams or qualifications until the age of 16, then it’s your choice if you want exams! We were speaking recently to someone educated in Auroville who has a PhD, so I guess it can work! There’s loads of freedom, and the youths seem to have a remarkable amount of self-disclipline. We’ll be visiting the schools during the week, I’m really keen to learn more about this.We recently went to the youth centre, which the kids put together themselves. They said that they didn’t like their parents’ work ethic so they built their own youth centre to hang out in… with no sense of irony. However, it appears that they may have cheated a little and used some cheap labour from the local Indian villages. But this is a widespread issue which doesn’t just apply to the kids… more on this later.They even have a grant from Auroville which pays for a maid! But they do work hard as well, and the community has an incredible vibrancy and identity. We also went to a pizza evening they organise every Saturday night which helps pay for their ongoing projects.

Auroville can take itself very seriously and until you tap into the youth culture, it seems rather lacking in fun and energy. There seems to be a bit of a firm establishment which is rather serious. This is most pronounced around the Matrimandir where the peace and serenity nazis make sure silence is aggressively maintained. So it was nice to see a fundraising evening for a project in Africa involving much dancing and merriment. It looked like Auroville really appreciated this evening!

Today we went to an event for women from the local villages who Auroville has been helping. It involved endless talking, and I left when I was ordered to take photos of things I had no interest in. The women were fantastic though… always great to be around the amazing energy of Indian women. » Filed under Uncategorized by Bob Rose at 14:57

The commune-style township counts among its residents 300 French citizens

The temple is on the way to Aurobindo Ashram, the spiritual hub of Pondicherry. It is named after its founder, Aurobindo Ghosh, who fled to French-controlled Pondicherry to escape the British. After arriving in Pondicherry, Ghosh turned from political to spiritual pursuits, and set up the religious retreat around 1910.

It was further developed by Mira Alfassa, a disciple and graduate of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris who came to be known as the Mother. Alfassa also founded an international township called Auroville, eight kilometres north of Pondicherry. The commune-style township counts among its residents 300 French citizens who have contributed to keeping Pondicherry's French culture vibrant. NACHAMMAI RAMAN, Freelance Published: Saturday, March 17, 2007 montrealgazette

Loads of people meditating around the Matrimandir

Eyes Open Photography The Photography of Bob Rose Friday, March 16th, 2007 Music Party at Auroville

We were priviliged enough to be invited to a birthday party thrown by a load of young musicians. This included an informal concert organised by the musicians… the standard was stunning. One of the big questions when wandering around Auroville is how successfully it manages to bring together different cultures and ethnicities. On the surface, everything and everyone seems quite separated but when you dig beneath the surface, you see that actually it is quite a successful melting pot.The musicians here played across all cultural barriers, but it was also great to see this happen on a social level too.The youth of Auroville are amazing people (more on this in future blogs), and it’s a shame that it takes quite a lot of effort for the outsider to realise what they have to offer to the rest of Auroville.This concert was really tough to photograph, very low levels of light against the wall of a building. I used a 50mm lens at f1.8 at 1/20s.
Lovely sax playing with beautiful tone, with an accomplished drummer who has great energy
This chap runs a music studio in Auroville, and used to be a professional jazz violinist in Germany. This instrument is an electric viola with bottom F and B flat strings… giving it the range of a Cello and a Bass! Many musicians in Auroville have similar crazy ideas for custom made instruments which work really well.
The guy on the left plays beautiful Indian style violin and sings so beautifully that your heart feels like it’s being ripped out. The chap on the right is a farmer from Portsmouth who is also a singer-songwriter and plays jazz guitar. What a cultural melting pot… the guy on the left has a western girlfriend, and the guy on the right is about to get married to a local Tamil girl.
It’s great that we have opportunities to get to know the people here… casual visitors to Auroville just get to see the Matrimandir (the space age golf ball) with loads of people meditating around it, and a few people cycling around. Apart from that, it seems a bit dead. There are a lot of tourists and much media interest, which can make the residents here quite self-protective. It’s really nice to have the opportunity to see beyond most tourists’ (and journalists’!) surface impressions. » Filed under Uncategorized by Bob Rose at 13:27.

Next Evolution of expanding Consciousness

Wednesday, March 14, 2007 THE THEORY OF OUR FUTURE (after BBC-News, 7pm ET, 3/14/07)

So many Nations now do have nuclear Bombs(latest type) so that each of them can wipe out Human existence so many times over ! But `Harrie,` `Harrie !`- oh ! the human-fools , - what Sri Aurobindo, (the 20th century Indian sage) once mildly said : You can not destroy what you did not create. The World is another expression of `and humanity - the latest evolutionary manifestation of the Absolute.

The dinosaurs did come and go. The apes and chimps were replaced by evolution of `man` with consciousness, - flowing outward. If Humanity fails the gift from the Divine.,- Man will be replaced in the same way, after the suicidal `game or Nuclear War of intelligent `fools` , by another`species` deserving better and higher life than this `animal-human beings `. That may be the next Evolution of expanding Consciousness ` - after the `Nuclear Ash`. posted by Phani Basu @ 7:31 PM

Start thinking about Global Warming

Home » Blogs » lourdes's blog Chilren for the Cool Planet Submitted by lourdes on Wed, 03/14/2007 - 11:46

We have just started a programme on stop Global Warming in Auroville Bioregion Schools. 600 children and 30 teachers are now started thinking about the basic information of Global Warming. Soon we will have many practical activities for the children and teachers in our bioregion. Lourdes

An amazing community

Wednesday, March 14, 2007 AUROVILLE
I spending a few days exploring Auroville - an amazing community north of Pondicherry. Their websites tell a whole lot more than I could ...www.auroville.org

www.auroville.info www.auroville.com posted by Andrew Smith at 8:47 AM

What Sri Aurobindo calls the mechanical Mind

BLACK LIKE ME?
12 Mar 2007 by AFRICANVOICE.COM It keeps repeating the same behaviours over and over again, never learning from past mistakes (corresponding to what Sri Aurobindo calls the mechanical Mind). This brain controls muscles, balance and autonomic functions, ...

Posted by AFRICANVOICE.COM at Monday, March 12, 2007

Food and mood

We went to Auroville and I just remember not having an enjoyable time. All the sites were really cool, but my mood was not in the best shape to appreciate them. I was worried about this and that and was disgusted with the fact that we had to eat the regular FERAL dinner. I hate complaining about food, because I know some people don’t always get it, but I was just really upset knowing I would have to choke down rice for the next 7 or 8 weeks...After a week and a half at FERAL, we traveled south to a Marine Biology school located in Porto Novo. It was only a three day trip and sadly the best part of the entire trip was that the rooms in the guest house where we stayed had A/C. Zak Kupchinsky

Auroville embodies and encompases and facilitates many of the things that I have been aspiring to

This Little Choose Your Own Adventure Called Life

Josh and I always have deep and meaningfuls because we are both quite self-aware and interested in personal growth and development. So, he's feeling self-doubt and nervousness about the future and how to know if everything is going to fall into place. I was telling him about the moment I knew I had to go to India. How, and I just realized this (or realized it again without recalling previous times) tonoight, I used to verbalize, in my head (is that possible?) what I wanted to experience, to a certain extent, in my life.

And I counted them off, knowledge of eastern practices, zen life, optimal health, constant opportunities for learning and growth and obtaining knowledge, community of friends and peers that I can relate to and with whom I am working towards a greater good for all, the presence of arts and music, proximity to nature and ocean and hiking and an environment and atmosphere that is conducive to health and happiness (according to how I define or embody them).

Now, I know that we sometimes have the tendency to try to fit our story into the ending that we foresee or desire, even with the obvious holes in it. But for real, it feels, to me, that India, specifically Auroville, embodies and encompases and facilitates many of these 'things' that I have been aspiring to 'subconsciously' or 'uconsciously' for many years of my life. And that's what I wanted to convey to Josh - that "...whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should" (from Desiderata).

There's no 'what if'. There is only 'what is'. It's just so obvious to me now...after Landmark, and all those Barry Neil Kaufmann books, and after 'What the Bleep' and 'The Secret'...the message is all the same. This is it. Love it. Embrace it. Feel it. Live it. Don't apologize for it... posted by Alana at 1:15 AM Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Kalam in Kolkata

Kolkata, February 27 The President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today asked the people to put the Ayodhya issue on the back burner. Dr Kalam advised the younger generation not to be carried away by emotions while dealing with the Ayodhya issue. The President stressed upon that only true love and trust among the people, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion, could solve the communal problems...Today, the President first attended the function at the Muslim orphanage and later he attended a function at Aurobindo Ashram on Shakespeare Sarani. Subhrangshu Gupta tribuneindia.com Saturday, February 28, 2004, Chandigarh, India

Visit Puducherry

PONDICHERRY
Pondicherry, 161 kilometres south of Madras, is an amalgamation of all the former French settlements, which were handed over to the Indian Government in November, 1954.
The French influence is still noticeable albeit superficial. The main attraction of the town is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram founded in 1926 and based on the teachings of philosopher poet Aurobindo Ghose and also known as the Centre of Intergral Yoga. Outside the town, Auroville, conceived as a tribute to Sri Aurobindo, is an entirely new concept in education and urban living. International community and educational centre with a fascinating building designed by the French architect Roger Anger in the International modern style. MERCURY TRAVELS LIMITED

To develop self confidence, self discipline, team and adventure spirit in the students

Nainital Visit: Ten students and one teacher went to Nainital for an adventure camp from 12-20 June 2006. Youth Reach and Sri Aurobindo Educational Society sponsored this trip. Sri Aurobindo Ashram coordinated camp activities. Philosophy behind this camp is to develop self confidence, self discipline, team and adventure spirit in the students..

As a part of the camp students were taught meditation and yoga. They also did rock climbing, river crossing, rappelling and trekking in the beautiful hills of Nainital in Uttaranchal District. Students enjoyed their trip a lot. Being on a hill station was a memorable experience for them. Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES) Anupshahr, Uttar Pradesh (UP)

Aurovalley Auroganga New Life

PROJECTS AT AUROVALLEY
ACTUAL SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY:

Aurovalley School

New Life De-addiction Centre

Mother's Vocational Training

Auroganga free Medicine Dispensary

FUTURE PROJECTS TO EXPAND THE SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY:

Boarding School

Expansion of the vocational training

INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR INTEGRAL YOGA AND SPIRITUAL STUDIES:

Construction of the Centre for Supramental Education (Worl Temple)

Free-progress system of education school

New housing construction for 100 more aspirants

AUROVALLEY SERIES

In an effort to keep you informed of what is happening in the ashram during the satsangs (talks and conferences) and to organize all the information that comes through Swamiji and to all of us in our search for spiritual awakening, we have decided to launch a magazine called Aurovalley Series. It will come out every trimester and each edition will concentrate on one specific topic. We will try to gather information given during the satsangs in the ashram and abroad as well as quotations of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo on the topic in question. At first, it will be a virtual publication and depending on your response, we will begin to print it as a soft-cover. In order for you to receive Aurovalley Series, we will ask you to please make a donation of 20USD for the whole year subscription. This donation will be used to support the ashram projects. The first edition of the magazine is ready, so if you want to start receiving it and supporting the ashram with your donation, please click on the button below. Thank You for supporting this work!

Español Aurovalley's Main Site Fundación Auromira Inspiration 4:51 PM

The vital has to be completely tamed and transmuted by the psychic being

The part of me that needs to argue, to prosyletize, and so forth, the part of me that reacts to any movement that appears contrary, is precisely the part of me that must be annulled into the Supreme. So when I react or disagree, I think rather than trying to find fault with the other, I should look at myself and see why I’m reacting in the first place. Most of the time when I do this, I find another attachment that has to be surrendered. Reacting, arguing and prosyletizing — this is all the dividing ego-mind and the vital getting stirred up.

I think all of this can be summarized by saying that I have an undisciplined vital. In Sri Aurobindo’s psychology, the vital being is the seat of desire and the will to power. The vital has to be completely tamed and transmuted by the psychic being, which is the personal evolving soul, the innermost being that is watching the lower nature with a calm, amused detachment. The psychic prepares all the lower nature for the ascent and expansion of consciousness toward the Infinite. So far, all I can claim is that I have caught glimpses of this inner being (and that too, not directly but probably through various inner hypostases, referring here to the philosophy of emanationism), but I have never been able to sustain that awareness for too long.

The vital is the hardest aspect to tame, because one really has to learn how to accept everything unconditionally as it is. Because of my ego-fantasies and my undisciplined vital, I always slip back into unconsciousness, and I suppose this will keep happening for a while until all the outer conditioning wears off and the psychic being comes forth from behind the veil at last to lead all the lower nature. ~ by ned on March 7, 2007

Very mystical, very otherwordly, very beautiful

feetinthedirt (feetinthedirt) wrote,@ 2007-03-11 19:24:00 The next day I returned to Auroville and met my folks at the guesthouse. I was only planning to stay for two days but it ended up being six (I just left today). It was super cushy living, and I was hanging out with an American/Irish/English crew and mostly forgot I was in India. It's easy to get sucked in when so and so offers to teach yoga and the morning and someone else volunteers to teach qi gong in the evening. Vedic astrology readings and energy meridian type massages were also floating around. I had a reading by this amazing lady, and she told me a few things that really hit home...especially what she said about feeling alone in a group, having this split between crazy independence and really needing to be around people, which I've really felt a lot on this trip already.

I think I really just don't thrive in casual relationships, I prefer closeness and intensity and loyalty, which is not always possible, particularly when you're traveling. In any case, I'm excited to be traveling on my own now, which is way preferable to being with others and feeling alone. But this word 'alone' really comes up for me a lot, so I'll continue to figure that one out. I got a bit sick on day four, with a temperature of 102.5! So I stayed in bed for the entire day, which felt really needed.

Staying this week also gave me the chance to go see the Matrimandir in Auroville. You can also Google this. It is this big dome in the center of Auroville. It looks like a giant golden golf ball, also comparable to the dome at Epcot Center in Disneyworld (What does it say when, instead of a themepark reminding you of life, life reminds you of a themepark?). Anyways, it is supposed to be 'the soul of Auroville', and it's a very sacred, important site for people there. It's a whole hassle to get an appointment, they make you wear special socks, and you have to be silent inside. I was a bit skeptical, even as I entered inside. Then I got to the inner chamber--really not easy to translate to words, but I'll try). As soon as I got to the doorway, I felt a whoosh of energy (and also air conditioning--nice). The room was low-lit, completely white, circular, with maybe eight pillars. There were pillows to sit on. And in the center was a HUGE crystal ball with a ray of light passing through it from above. It was otherworldly, really.

Everyone I talked to had a different comparison--I thought of the end scene in The Dark Crystal, when the Mystics and Skexies join and they become theose crazy lookin spiritual beings, someone else thought JRR Tolkien and Gandalf, someone else thought of blueprints transmitted from aliens. Very mystical, very otherwordly, very beautiful. The other thing about this place is that they only let you into the inner chamber for 10 minutes, then you have to leave. Some people didn't like this, but I really did. When the ten minutes was up, I had a good solid flash of how important it is to be in the moment. For example, I had ten minutes in this exquisite place, and I will probably never go there again. It helped me see how really important it is to be present.

So what do Aurovillians do exactly

Why on earth we are paying to support a bunch of time wasting neo-colonialists to play Camp Runamuck in India I’ll never understand. If only Endermol could get an exclusive contract with them, and each week in Aurovillian has to go and work for a year on the Indian sewers.

So what do Aurovillians do exactly, well they work part time, designing exclusive items of clothes, paperwork, incense, trinkets and jewellery for the foreign visitors, all made by employed Indians fom the village they have taken over. When they are sat in their nice exclusive french enclave they pop down to the French/German canteen for a croissant, or loaf of rye bread. If they need anything else it’s pop into Pondicherry on their non-eco friendly motorbikes, for a bit of french chees or other home from home produce. « Pondicherry Mamallapuram »

Shuddhanda Bharati

Kaviyogi Shuddhanda Bharati in his book “The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo” writes:

“Bhakti yoga unites the psychic heart with the Beloved of the soul. Bhakti yoga is emotional. It is the yoga of the heart. The Bhakta wins the divine grace through perfect selfless devotion to the all-beloved, beautiful blissful one. The lover’s love manifests itself severally. The devotee’s heart seeks union with the divine as a child, servant, mother, a father, friend, or a lover wedded to the beloved. Hanuman, Arjuna and Radha are inspiring examples of consecrated love. Sincere devotion is indispensable and Bhakti holds the supreme place among things that liberate the soul. But to seek the self and settle in its meditation is the real devotion. Bhakti is love shaped, it is extreme attachment to the Lord.”

posted by shaktiyogi at 5:23 PM Sunday, March 11, 2007

Mud roads and complete absence of streetlights and signages

The next time I attempted to ride was when I was around 20 and in an expedition to Auroville. Auroville- international city, land of experiments and dreams, mud roads and complete absence of streetlights and signages...It had to be Auroville!

If you haven't been to Auroville, I'll let you know that there is no public transport. You get rent two wheelers and navigate through the dusty spiraling roads. And thats what my friends and I chose to do. All of them opted for mopeds or scooties and I settled for...guess what? A bicycle!!

To my surprise, I managed to ride back to our dorm. I was wobbly but I could ride. The next afternoon we planned a trip to the matr-mandir (the huge sphere at the eye of the spiraling roads). I rode. Wobble, ride, wobble, ride...when something in the way moves, stop the cycle. Its a simple enough process if you get used to it. My confidence rose and on the way back, it was smooth sailing until i lost my balance and drove right into a thorn bush!!! Need I say more?No more cycles please....I've given it up for the good. Mine and humanity in general!!! But I am learning to drive! Posted by Rain at 4:02 PM Tuesday, March 6, 2007

South India is amazingly beautiful and diverse and full of culture and light and spirituality

I just need to remember who I am, and who is around me, and be grateful for the people and the institutions in Auroville that are trying to help these situations that I see and care about. Our program has a surplus, and we are donating money to some places, and that makes me feel good. A lot of money actually...

I have to leave this place soon, and I don’t want to. I can’t wait to be home, but I don’t wish to leave. South India is amazingly beautiful and diverse and full of culture and light and spirituality. It is also full of people who are trying to make a difference. I will miss this place. Thanks to everyone who helped get me here. Thank you so much. posted by Julia at 10:03 AM

Enhancing and developing your creative energies

Auroville Experience Nithil Dennis Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Sunday, March 04, 2007

Hey guys im back after a long time..... with some fresh news frm my find.... guess wht AUROVILLE, an amazing place to rewind urself.... refresh.... and have a wonderful time..... A sprawling campus with a lot to give.... a system whch is simple.... people with different ideas, religion, countries, interests, wht not gud food too.... and amazing cottages to stay.... it ws a gr8 experience for me and my partner to have spent two days and after tht coming back to chennai seems to be returning to your abnormal self..... ya auro os a place were u cn be urself forgettin ur nhibitions.... enhancing and developing ur creative energies.... refilling ur senses with auroma of nature and life.... lots to write less time to invent..... GOD give me more time plsssssssssss!!!!!!!

Sri Aurobindo has commented comprehensively on the traits of an Avatar

A messenger of the Divine, whether he is considered as an Avatar or a self-realised Guru, is not affected by public praise or blame and acts according to the dictates of a higher consciousness for the benefit of humanity. Sri Aurobindo the well-known sage of Pondichery, has commented comprehensively on the traits of an Avatar. He says "The Avatar acts according to the need of the Lila or material manifestation, not according to man’s ideas of what He should do or not do. When men think of an Avatar, they think He must have an extraordinary perfection in doing ordinary human things, not undergoing any defeat or failure etc. These human ideas are false. What if failure (or baseless blame) suits Him better and serves better the ultimate purpose? What rigid primitive notions are these about the Divine! An Avatar acts according to the consciousness of the Truth above with which he feels identified inwardly, and is not concerned with morality or immorality, perfection or imperfection according to small human standards."

The writer of this article had also incorporated some of these statements of Sri Aurobindo in an article which he had written about Avatarhood and was published several years ago in the ‘Sanathana Sarathi’ by Sri Kasturi, who was Baba’s secretary at that time. om-sathya-sai-baba.blogspot.com/2007/03/

Fertile, Certitude, Sincerity, Revelation, Transformation and Verity

03 March 2007 POETRY Auroville

What I feel is what I see, a veritable paradise on Earth,A garden of Eden, germinated and nurtured from dry desert shrub land.A community of multi-national inhabitants, participating in the creation of a city without nationality,A place where free expression is encouraged and whose centre is the Matrimandir,A symbol of the Aurovillian hopes and aspirations,And also of the Divines answer to man’s inspiration for perfection.A community that is not just introverted and isolated, separate from the global community,But endeavouring to consciously connect, interact and communicate,With all other groups and communities throughout India and the world.Auroville, conceived as a city at the service of Truth,Which is all inclusive and constitutes the freedom of the Spirit.Echoes of ‘The Village’, without the electric cars, uniforms, roaring bubble gumAnd of course the numbers, the painless even pleasant dehumanising programmes,Are of course a total antithesis, of everything that inspiredAnd contribute to conceiving, precipitating, engendering and forming,This colossal verdant city, with expression of the soul, in all it’s possible facets.It’s role and goal, as a haven, example and blue print, for the future development of our questing speciesCity of Dawn, a conglomerate of very inspiring and significantly named communities,Such as Fertile, Certitude, Sincerity, Revelation, Transformation and Verity. Posted by Johnny Greco at 09:44 1 comments:

Jagdish said... City of Peace by Roger Harris

City of peace and God’s unguarded light,City of silence and the rich unfolding word,City of love and a laughter of the Gods,City of man his labour born of dream,City of harvest born of canyon soil,City of rich acres sown with strong-eyed toil,City whose song the hidden soul shall sing,City of lost boundaries-province once of kings,City whose deep calm at sunset does recall,Ages when the earth stood golden-heaven tall,City on night’s borderline outpost of dawn’s light,City born of promise and a conqueror’s delight. Roger Harris (Auroville Today – Sept ’88)

AUROVILLE IS… by Roger Harris

Auroville is… a prayer and a curse,A suspicious sidelong glance,An explosion of silent love.A temple in the sun,A fractured broken jar:A whisper in the wind,A laughter and a song,A strong fraternal clasp,A blasphemy of the Gods;A golden-bodied truth,A prayer beyond the stars,A battlefield of bliss;A child against the sun,A bird against the sky,A golden thought unsung,A flame that is a cry,Towards an unknown earthThat in our hearts does rest,And slowly comes to birthBreaking slowly forth. Roger Harris (Auroville Review - Dec ’83) 04 March 2007 01:09

B.C. Kharbanda speaks on Vedic Concept of God

Engagements The Hindu Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 - New Delhi In the Capital Today
Sri Aurobindo Ashram: B.C. Kharbanda will speak on "Vedic Concept of God", Delhi Branch, Sri Aurobindo Marg, 10 a.m. to 11-15 a.m.

Is it possible to enrich oneself without impoverishing another in business?

ITC, Ashram join hands for `fragrance mapping' Mohan Padmanabhan Business Line Friday, Aug 15, 2003 ITC's "Spriha" brand of incense sticks on display at the Cottage Industries outlet of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. — Parth Sanyal

Kolkata Aug. 14 IS it possible to enrich oneself without impoverishing another in business? Analysing the question of value of production, The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, had explained that if production was truly an acquisition for the general human wealth, it then increases the wealth, and does not make a hole in someone else's pocket.
The cottage industries unit of Sri Aurobindo Udyog Trust (of Sri Aurobindo Ashram), which makes handicraft items ranging from handmade paper, pottery and batik to agarbattis today generates meaningful wealth, not only for sustaining the various welfare activities of the ashram but also to provide succour by way of jobs to the needy rural population in and around Pondicherry.
The cottage unit, which has been making hand-rolled incense sticks since 1949, has now tied up with the agarbatti division of ITC Ltd, under which it is rolling out high quality agarbattis in large quantities for the company to fragrance its path all the way into Indian households. This has led to upscaling of operations at the cottage unit, including part mechanisation, and has brought more cheer to the hundreds of rural women employed to hand roll the agarbattis.

Building for Sri Aurobindo Aaradhana Centre, Bangalore

Ghazal concert by Jagjit Singh BANGALORE: Sri Aurobindo Aaradhana Centre is to organise a ghazal concert by singer Jagjit Singh at Chowdiah Memorial on May 11. The proceeds of the concert will go towards the construction of a building for the centre. Apart from Government funds, Mr Ramkrishna Hegde, former Union Commerce Minister, has sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for the project, according to a press release. Business Line Wednesday, May 08, 2002

Justice Nittoor Srinivasa Rau

The Grand Old Man of Karnataka, Nittoor Srinivasa Rau...was a close associate of the noted publicist D.V. Gundappa and they worked together in various organisations such as the Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs. He was the president of the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and also connected with the Gandhi Peace Foundation, the Aurobindo Society and the Karnataka Prakrirti Chikitsa Parishat. By A. Jayaram The Hindu Friday, Aug 13, 2004

Welcome to the Big Walk

Programme Walk Birthdays Photos Special Events March 2007

Program Date Time Speaker & Topic

4th Mar 2007 Sunday 6.00 pm Living Question and The Mother’s Answer Conducted by Shailaja
11th Mar 2007 Sunday 6.00 pm Mother’s Prayers and Meditations
18th Mar 2007 Sunday 6.00 pm Savitri by Sri Aurobindo - Mr K S Rajah
25th Mar 2007 Sunday 6.00 pm "Homeopathy " - Lakshmi Venkatesan

BIG WALK 2007
"Make of us the hero warriors we aspire to become. May we fight successfully the great battle of the future that is to be born, against the past that seeks to endure; so that the new things may manifest and we may be ready to receive them."
- The Mother
Date: Sunday, 11 March 2007 Time: 7 am Meeting Point: MacRitchie Reservoir Car Park A
It is time for the BIG WALK once again. This walk will start at Mac Ritchie Reservoir Park, bring us through the Rifle Range stretch and up the Rifle Range Road, to the base of Bukit Timah Hill and up towards the summit of our highest peak covering approximately 10kms.
These are the objectives of the walk:
1. To be able to appreciate the diversity of life in a tropical rain forest.
2. To gain insights into how Earth is the sustainer of life.
3. To test our level of endurance in our climb towards the summit.
The following are some ways in which you can prepare yourself for the Big Walk:
Attire:
· T-shirt or cotton shirt· Track Pants· Track shoes with socksItems to be packed into back pack:
· Poncho or raincoat ($2.00 from Watson's/$1.00 from Newspaper Stands)· Notebook and pen/pencil· Insect repellant· Cap· 2 litres of water in water bottles· Sandwiches, cakes, biscuits· Chocolate bars· Oranges, grapes· Polythene bags, bottles and plastic vials for collections· Pair of binoculars (optional)· Digital Camera (optional)Children are advised to carry their own water and bags as they may get separated from their parent’s en route. The walk is expected to last for about 6 hours. It is important that we start early and to be personally prepared for the walk. Carrying a backpack is important, as both our hands are free for facilitate in our brisk walking and also to examine specimens that we come across.
We are looking forward to as many people as possible to join us in this walk. Do come along and be part of the contingent heading towards the summit in unison.
Please contact Marty at 98372492, Sudha at 67776659 or Kiruthika at 96490670 for further enquires.
OM NAMO BHAGAVATHE SRI ARAVINDAYA SHARANAM MAMA

To All Members

Renewal of Membership for 2007
We wish to inform you that the subscription fee for ordinary members is $80 per annum. From the $80 subscription collected, $20 will be paid to Sri Aurobindo Society Pondicherry for membership and subscription to the All India Magazine (AIM). Life members also will be required to pay an additional $20 per annum for AIM.
Kindly renew your membership by paying $80 for the year 2007. Cheques should be made payable to "Sri Aurobindo Society Singapore" and sent to the Treasurer at the following address:
Sri Aurobindo Society Singapore 2 A Starlight Road #01-07 Singapore 217755
To facilitate the collection of membership subscription fees, we would like to encourage all ordinary members to become Life members. The subscription fee for Life Membership is $1000.
We thank you for the support you have given to the Society all these years.
Yours faithfully, S Dayanandan (Secretary)

Whats new at Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture

February 2007 24.Feb.07 SAIC Discourse on the 'Gita' - by Dr Sikha Mukherjee 6:30 pm
21.Feb.07 Darshan Day The Mother's 129th Birth AnniversaryCollective Meditation - devotional Songs by Smt. Swapna Ghosal 10 am
Galerie La Mere Inauguration of 'Parama' - an exhibition of paintings and drawings by lady Artists Continues till March 11, Timings: 4-8 p.m. (except Saturdays) 6 pm
20.Feb.07 SAIC 'Shib o Shakti' - Discourse by Smt. Arundhati Roychowdury 6 pm
13.Feb.07 SAIC Discourse on 'The Life Divine' - by Professor Biswanath Roy 6 pm
02.Feb.07 SAIC Joya di's 71st Birth Anniversary Celebrations Speaker : Pandit Anindo ChaterjeeSitar Recital by Pandit Krishna Mohan Bhatt, Tabla by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee

Michael Murphy speaks at India International Centre, New Delhi

TALK God and the Evolving Universe - 6th March, 2007 Time : 18:30
Speaker : Mr. Michael Murphy, Chairman and co-founder Esalen Institute and a key figure in the Human Potential Movement in the US. Esalen, the world famous growth center, is also a ground-breaking research site. Mr. Murphy is the author of both fiction and non-fiction books on topics related to extraordinary human potential – notably, the encyclopedic work “The Future of the Body”
Chair : Dr. Karan Singh, Collaboration : The Auroville Foundation
Place : LECTURE HALL (ANNEXE), India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003 site : www.iicdelhi.nic.in Posted by Rohit Malik for Tuesday, March 06, 2007 Top of Page

The world consciousness is exploring the Tantra

The TANTRA in the INTEGRAL YOGA of SRI AUROBINDO After trying all the passion, yet not fulfilling and heart quenching - the world consciousness is exploring the TANTRA in its various forms - it's a way to the true libaration and the bliss of union of the dual principle of the creation. Let us explore some deeper facts and their true purpose in the Transformation of the being...in a series of posts...

"The Tantra system is in its aspiration one of the greatest attempts yet made to embrace the whole of God manifested and unmanifested in the adoration, self-discipline and knowledge of a single soul." Sri Aurobindo

Fri, March 2, 2007 - 3:29 AM — permalink - back to Shiva » INSPIRATIONS

She is a little impatient with books. She abhors the fondness of intellectuals to discuss and debate issues endlessly

THE DELHI ASHRAM, A HOME AWAY FROM HOME Sachidananda Mohanty ’75 who is a profes­sor at the Department of English, University of Hyderabad, writes about the Delhi Ashram and Mother’s International School (MIS)

IIT Kanpur’s annual cultural festival called “Cul Fest” attracts one of the best gather­ings of students in North India. In March 1986, I found myself acting as a judge in the poetry recitation in the festival. One student made a difference to the event. Sri Aurobindo’s early poem “Who” seldom fails to inspire the au­dience. There was no exception here too. After the event, I went back stage. The participant, a girl, I learned, came from the Mother’s Interna­tional School (MIS), Delhi. I was not sur­prised. For many years, I had watched with admiration the functioning of this school as well as two others called “Meera Nursery” and “Mi­rambika,” arguably among the best insti­tutions in their cat­egory in the country.

For most of us visitors, the MIS is one of the successful units and the public face of an organization called “Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi branch.” There is no doubt that the real credit for the success of the Delhi experiment in new education and community living of the spiritual kind goes to the late Surendranath Jauhar, the father of Tara-di, Kake, Lata-di, and late Chhote with whom we as children grew up at Pondicherry. It is Surendranath-ji who practically single-hand­edly built up the whole institution from scratch. A chanced acquisition of a large piece of land in South Delhi came as a windfall after the Parti­tion. Today, this land shares border with some of the best-known destinations in the field of education: IIT Delhi and the NCERT are im­portant neighborhood landmarks.

I do not know in what circumstances the Mother lent the name “Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi branch” to this organization. Ideologi­cally and conceptually, the founders of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram did not seem to have be­lieved in the idea of a “branch.” I do not wish to speculate on this matter. I have seen the name in Mother’s own handwriting and I accept this fact as a settled one. There must have been some oc­cult reason as to why the Mother made an exception in the case of the Delhi experi­ment. Significantly, over the years, this Ashram has played a pivotal and pioneer­ing role in promot­ing quality education at the national level. It has been host to a number of seminars, workshops and con­ferences on future education. It has organized youth camps for education, physical culture and national integration in Delhi, Nainital and elsewhere in the country. It has financially sup­ported the education of those who come from the weaker section of the society.

Tara-di’s approach to the empowerment of the young is sound and is based on scientific and spiritual principles. Language plays an impor­tant role in personality development and confi­dence building. Therefore a great deal of stress is given at the Delhi Ashram to all newcomers, spe­cially Vocational Trainees (V.T.s) coming from a regional background to a quick acquisition of Hindi and English. All students under this scheme are given equal opportunities in learning. They are provided with basic needs that include comfortable accommodation, wholesome nutri­tious food, medical facilities and other ameni­ties. All free of cost. They can join classes in mu­sic and performing arts in the evening. The most noteworthy aspect is that education here is de-linked from commercialization. The money required for such ventures is raised with the help of government and private sector sup­port.

All organizers have their own ap­proach and their own view. Tara-di is basically a person of action. She does not think much of intellectual­ity per se. She is a little impatient with books. She abhors procrastination or delays arising out of the fondness of intellectuals to discuss and debate issues endlessly. What has to be stressed however is that Tara-di is tolerant and accom­modative by nature. She likes to decentralize things while keeping a firm control over men and matters. Perhaps, this is how all good orga­nizations are run. The presence of a leader who has a vision and ability to inspire the communi­ty is absolutely essential for all group function­ing. The Delhi Ashram is no exception.

The MIS is clearly one of the best wings of the Delhi Ashram. It carries out innovative pro­grams in all parts of integral education: physi­cal, mental, vital, psychic and spiritual — com­mensurate with the needs of students, staff and parents who belong essentially to the “outside” world. The system at the MIS has, over the years, found acceptance and appreciation among par­ents, teachers and educationists. The Outlook magazine in a recent survey judged the MIS as the best school in its category in Delhi. Simi­larly, the school has attracted celebrities and outstanding visi­tors due to its well earned reputation in the field.

Today, the vision of the founder of the Delhi experiment is being carried out by Tara-di, Anil Jauhar and others. Surendranath-ji was guided at every step by the Mother. The place is blessed by Her, and that more than anything else, might account for the suc­cess of the experiment. I regard the Delhi Ashram as an oasis in the commercial and bureaucratic heartland of the national capital. The Ashram with its sprawl­ing green campus sits amidst a city dedicated to money making, power and hedonism. Here visitors find love, care and a welcome abode at a price incredibly low. Many of us have been ben­eficiaries of this wonderful place. We can there­fore do no better than to wish and pray for its continued success and growth. May this abode continue to remain a beacon to the new world. FEBRUARY 2006 The Golden Chain

As a picture in a cinema show, all unreal and shadowy

Quiz Time! Here are the questions for this issue. Send us your answers by email...
1. In which book would you find a portrait of Wilfy done by the Mother?
2. Where was the second edition of Prières et Méditations printed? Clue: At that time the Ashram Press did not exist.
3. Who collaborated with Mother to write the role of the Industrialist in her play "Le Grand Secret"?
4. In which year was the Mother’s electric organ offered to her?
5. What is the spiritual significance of the common jasmine?

ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF THE PREVIOUS ISSUE :
1. Which Indian city is Sri Aurobindo referring to in the following lines of the poem "Nirvana"?
"The city, a shadow picture without tone,
Floats, quivers unreal; forms without relief
Flow, a cinema’s vacant shapes; like a reef
Floundering in shoreless gulfs the world is done."
This is a reference to Bombay (Mumbai). The word "cinema" was a giveaway! This poem is quoted in A.B. Purani’s Life of Sri Aurobindo. Here is what Sri Aurobindo said during the "Evening Talks" about the experience in Bombay, which is the subject of this poem.
"When I was in Bombay, from the balcony of a friend’s house I saw the whole busy movement of Bombay as a picture in a cinema show, all unreal and shadowy. Ever since I have maintained that poise of mind – never lost it even in the midst of difficulties."
2. Arya, the monthly journal started by Sri Aurobindo was printed at the Modern Press in Pondicherry and published from 7, Dupleix Street, where the Mother was staying. If you walked into this house today what would you find there?
The Archives Department of the Ashram. "Dupleix Street"is the old name of "Nehru Street".
3. "For such a long time I thought I knew what love was, and now that I no longer see anything that cannot be called love, I also no longer see anything that may specially be called love. And how can I be that which I can no longer define, that which I can no longer distinguish?"
In which book would you find these lines written by the Mother? Clue: This was written before 1920.
This passage is taken from the Mother’s Prayers and Meditations.
4. He joined the Ashram in 1929 when he was only nine years old. He was the first child, and for a long time the only one, in the Ashram. He was a poet and a musician. He played the sitar and performed on stage quite often. But to the students of the School he will be remembered as the librarian (of the little library which was in Room no. 7 of those days) who used to suggest to us what story-books to read. Who was he?
Romen-da, of course.
5. What is the spiritual significance of the flowers of the mango tree?
"Nature’s hope for realisation". The mango fruits are called "Divine Knowledge".
THE GOLDEN CHAIN www.goldenchainfraternity.org/pdf/feb2006.pdf

Close friendship existed between Sri Aurobindo and Subramanya Bharati

Bharati’s life and times His daughter’s writings reveal unknown facts!
Thangammal Bharati Padaipukal Centenary publication, Amudhasurabi, Chennai, 2004 pages 472, Price Rs.200

Now, the daughter’s writings are collected in a single volume, edited and introduced by her own daughter, the editor being Dr.Vijaya Bharati who along with her husband are Canadian citizens and engaged in bringing out a standard edition of Bharati’s poetical works...The poets various moods, he as the poet, as the husband and the father of two young daughters, the various individuals, Aurobindo and the Mother, other well-known friends and acquaintances are all here.

The close friendship that existed between Aurobindo and the poet is well brought out. The daughter had watched how much Aurobindo too sought the company of the poet, rather than the poet sought after the company of the great yogi and seer. There was a violent storm and heavy rain and Pondicherry was devastated. The next day Bharati and the 12 year old daughter went to visit Aurobindo. “Babuji welcomed father with much affection. The two conversed together for long. Babuji did japa the whole night without bothering about what happened around him. While all the other things were intact, the photograph of his wife Srimathi Mrinalini Devi was smashed. That pained Aurobindo much. After two days, there came news from Bengal the dear lady passed away” (page 74)

The editor of the volume says no one who wrote of Aurobindo so far had bought out the close association of the yogi and poet as the 12 year old girl who often accompanied her father to the ashram had done. Very true! There were many nights when the poet would visit the yogi and both would spend almost the whole nights together reading the Vedas and discussing such high matters.

The Mother, formerly Mira Richard along with her husband once visited Bharati in his home. This anecdote is also interesting. It was Bharati who taught the mother not to shake hands of strangers and he showed her the Indian way of saying namaskar and from that day onwards the Mother adopted the practice (page 203).

More interesting is her observation on Aurobindo and Bharati. Says she: “It is difficult to write on the sort of relationship that existed between the two. It is impossible. Mahakavi Bharati imagined himself as Arjuna, nay, he had the mental resolve and mental faculty to imagine himself as Lord Krishna. Aurobindo understood this side of the poet’s character and he admired his friendship with the poet” (page 203). Only an innocent and at the same time an intelligent young girl of just 12 could make such observations! V.Isvarmurti : Mar.01.2007 : Books: