SAMYA KANTI MOITRA
Days passed on the New Life Movement made and ambitious scheme for raising funds to perform its organisational works and to intensify it more and more and taken the decision to organise a Classical Music Conference in a very big scale. On payment of advance money, the organisers invited many renowned classical artists, assuring to give them a big amount. They were new in this line. Those who hold this type of musical conferences they had not been consulted. It was to be held on 15th August 1959 - four, five days function.
First day passed peacefully but on the 2nd day, after first item, the next performer asked for full amount to be paid before her performance but the organisers could not arrange full amount because money collection was very poor. Seeing the ugly mood of the spectators, organisers decided to leave the place. I was also asked to leave the place.
I was there as volunteer in charge, I through how could I to, since the photos of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo were installed and the function had been announce in their names, it would be an act of cowardice and betrayal to retreat. I decide to remain there and flowing my example another person of the organisers refused to leave the place. We decided to announce the truth to the public. The enraged crowd advanced towards the stage in a very ugly mood. Suddenly some police officers in the audience quickly grasped the situation and took us under their protection and thus prevented violence. They took both of us to the police station and asked, 'Why did you risk your lives?' I told them the reason : a noble cause required a heroic stand.
The next day the mob's fury was spent but there were still more people who clamoured for having made the decorations and other jobs. We faced the humiliation, pressing my side of the version the it was due to mismagement and miscalculation not due to deceit that we could not pay the full amount to the different creditors.
Later we came to know that the day before the inauguration of that ill-fated function, Promodeda had received a telegram from the Mother in which, after giving her blessings, she had added that in the Divine's service sometimes her followers might have to face failure and even risk one's lives.
We were very unhappy for not showing us the Mother's telegram. If Promodeda had shown before, it would have forewarned us so that we would have proceeded more cautiously and avoided the situation which later led to a long drawn-out litigation and was besieged by almost insurmountable problems. Promodeda took the attitude of confrontation instead of conciliation, with the creditors. So the creditors went to the court. They even wrote many letters to the Mother and Nolinida. This unfortunate situation lasted from 1959 to 1967. These were the years of great trial before us and to straighten out the mess we had to face many difficulties which led us to draw nearer to the Mother and Nolinida and which required all our patience and all the Mother's protection to survive.
While for over 5 months Mirambika children continue to be exposed to danger in a fire safety failed unsanctioned building built on land whose ownership by SAES / Ashram is in grave doubt, Justice Endlaw has issued the order available at
refusing interim relief based on the application filed by the parent petitioners last week.
Among other things, his order relies on SAES + counsel’s statement that even though the Mirambika school management has reportedly not taken in applications for admissions for 2016-17, there is no plan to close the school. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 1st and 2nd December.
SAES’ delaying tactics and the Court’s approach is forcing the parent petitioners to take other legal actions necessary to #SaveMirambika and restore it into its rightful place.
