Sri Aurobindo on Dharma vs. Democracy

Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Shed the baggage of the past, be guided by Indian thought

"It has been said that democracy is based on the rights of man; it has been replied that it should rather take its stand on the duties of man; but both rights and duties are European ideas. Dharma is the Indian conception in which rights and duties lose the artificial antagonism created by a view of the world, which makes selfishness the root of action, and regain their deep and eternal unity. Dharma is the basis of democracy which Asia must recognize, for in this lies the distinction between the soul of Asia and the soul of Europe". (India's Rebirth by Sri Aurobindo). # posted by swamijyoti @ 12:48 PM Sanjeev Nayyar www.esamskriti.com

Synthesis of Yoga, Science and Philosophy

Pondicherry is an old French colony, which still retains some of its colonial atmosphere – with French bakeries and restaurants and many Indians actually speaking French. The next day, we visited Sri Aurobindo’s Samadhi and St Mary’s Cathedral, both worth visiting. Sri Aurobindo started life as a journalist and an anti British demonstrator. Later he wrote prolific works on the synthesis of Yoga, Science and Philosophy. He is very much revered in Tamil Nadu and in particularly Pondicherry. His Samadhi has a constant flow of visitors and has an ambience of peace and presence. posted by Russellji at 6:57 PM Perth, Australia

Swimming in oceanic minds

Revelations On Reading Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon": I like reading all the holy books and their commentaries and seeing how they are alike and how they differ. I enjoy diving into the vast literature of the mystics and swimming in their oceanic minds. I thrive in immersing myself in tomes like "Meditations On the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism" and "The I Ching" and Sri Aurobindo's "The Synthesis of Yoga."I am a cosmic nerd. Whenever I meet another one, we have delightful conversations. posted by George Breed Saturday, December 24, 2005 @ 3:47 AM Location:Flagstaff, Arizona

My readings are diverse: warrior ways, zen, mysticism,consciousness, spiritual paths, religions, transpersonal psychology,social psychology, energy medicine, philosophy of science, evolution, novels, R. Crumb comics, theology, and so on. My lifelong focus has been on opening to understanding the meaning of life, rather than how to make a living. In any event, you will find in BookHead, a new and ongoing attempt to summarize some books I've read or am currently reading. For whatever that is worth. posted by George Breed Sunday, January 08, 2006@ 9:05 AM

Systems of meditation

Meditation as a Complete Emptying of Mind SURESH C MAHESHWARI The Times of India

I have practised and studied various systems of meditation like Vipaasana based on Buddhist tradition, Preksha Dhyan based on Jain tradition, Sufi meditation influenced by Isla-mic tradition, Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga, and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation. I have come to the conclusion that all systems of meditation invariably have one requirement and that is the control and harmonious regulation of breathing system. Jiddu Krishnamurti (JK) makes a stunning departure from all norms of traditional systems of meditation. He discards any method, system, technique, posture and even concentration because it leads to exclusivities. While engaged in extensive dialogue with the Late David Bohm, a theore-tical physicist, JK told him that any pattern or routine shrinks the brain and that those who have spent years in meditation are the dullest people on earth.

So, to meditate is to purge the mind of its self-centred activity. Order in life is the first condition for achieving meditation. When through self-knowledge the mind becomes completely still, in that stillness you will find there is no experience to experience, because the experiencer and the experienced are the same. The thinker is not different from the thought.

Global religion

Sanatan Hindu Dharma has always been a global religion for ages. While there is no history of Hindu conversions by violence or financial inducements, the Hindu religion has always accepted and assimilated anyone into its fold who has voluntarily accepted the Vedic philosophy and lifestyle. History shows that Hindu society has always been broadminded and pragmatic.

Over the past 150 years, as a direct result of Hindu scriptures, Swamis and Yogis coming to the West, and of many Westerners journeying to India, millions of non-Hindus have become Hindu including Sister Nivedita (the disciple of Swami Vivekananda) and Mother Mira Alfassa (the spiritual successor of Maharishi Aurobindo, in Pondicherry). The world has witnessed an explosive growth in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Africa of the Hindu followers of Swami Vivekananda (Ramakrishna Mission), Swami Chinamayananda (Chinmaya Mission), Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Hinduism Today and Himalayan Academy), Srila Prabhupada (ISKCON), Swami Satchidananda (Yogaville), Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar, Satya Sai Baba, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Art of Living) and Mata Amritanandamayi ('Ammachi'). Even the Pandits of Varanasi have recognized this global Hindu resurgence and have anointed Vamadeva Shastri (Dr. David Frawley), a disciple of Ramana Maharishi, as the world’s first Western-born ‘Vedacharya’. Samir Rawal International PresidentHindu Students Council posted by Ex-Muslim 3:15 PM For more information, please visit www.hscnet.org or email us at hsc@hscnet.org

Integral divine living

"All being is one and to be fully is to be all that is. To be in the being of all and to include all in one's being, to be conscious of the consciousness of all, to be integrated in force with the universal force, to carry all action and experience in oneself and feel it as one's own action and experience, to feel all selves as one's own self, to feel all delight of being as one's own delight of being is a necessary condition of the integral divine living." Sri Aurobindo's "Life Divine" p 1025

Aurobindo and Dwarkoji: [Sri] The more occasions I have of sharing Dwarkoji's living philosophy-in-action through stories, the more I feel what Sri Aurobindo is saying is precisely what Dwarkoji is enacting. posted by Infinisri Sunday, January 01, 2006 at 9:09 PM

Handmade paper

how_is_reesa (how_is_reesa) wrote,@ 2005-12-29 14:23:00 Indian Croissant

Well, from where I left off, the next stop in the travel with Hayley was Pondicherry, a previous French colonial town/city (I can't tell the difference anymore). Part of the town is dusty and bustling, i.e. very typically Indian, but the East portion is decidedly more European. There are cafes to go to, wide, cobbled, quieter streets with buildings and houses that are creams, blues, and soft yellows. Old colonial buildings are now either used for prestigious government residencies or otherwise have been converted into posh hotels. I saw a couple of schools on this side of the town that were French government ones. Pondy is somewhat talked-about as far as the tourist treadmill goes, so I had actually expected even more ambience than I experienced…I did manage to pick up an Indian Christmas/New Year's card in French for my old host family from that summer in Quebec!

In Pondicherry, we self-toured a handmade paper factory that's run by the local, but nationally very famous, Sri Aurobindo Ashram (an ashram is a community of common spiritual seekers). Some of you had stuff sent recently in the mail if you had a birthday or for some other reason, and everything will be packaged in paper from this place ;) It's actually 100% cotton. Pondicherry was a nice place to go around on bicycles, especially the seaside promenade. This is where Hayley and I parted. Later, when I was reading my Lonely Planet on a bench by the on my own, it really annoyed me how I would get interrupted about every three minutes.

Noospheric World Assembly.

1 Jan 2006 by Gnaeus Venetiae Silvanus WAKING UP IN MIDDLE TIME: THE SEVEN LAST YEARS ON THE ROAD TO 2012 A Special Report of the Foundation for the Law of Time... time to Auroville the global community founded by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and then on to Chinai, home of the Kalki Avatar Sri Bhagavan. Here Sri Bhagavan founded the Oneness University, origin of the diksha training programs. ...http://www.newhumanity.org.ru

Tranquility is the one word I associate with this place

Sunday, January 01, 2006 Welcoming 2006 Vijay Krishna Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Today, I visited the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, as is our wont every New Year's Day. Tranquility is the one word I associate with this place. It is so calm, you can hear it if someone dropped pins accidentally. On specific days, the Ashram gives out cards with messages - usually something pulled out from the writings of Sri Aurobindo or The Mother.Today's message was simple and to the point. People wish each other with fancy messages and the like, but this is really the only message that matters. I've taken this from the website of the Aurobindo Society. You can access the full message here. posted by Vijay Krishna 8:21 PM View my complete profile

I'll get the chance to work with them

Raj Kanani Location:Fremont, California, United States

Aurotransit CHENNAI - This is going to be short as this is written in transit (I have a train in 1.5 hours)... but I had a great time down South. The Aurobindo Ashram and the Sri Aurobindo Society seem really cool, and people we met were really cool... and, hopefully, I'll get the chance (or create the chance) to learn more about them, and maybe... work with them. posted by Raj Kanani Tuesday, January 03, 2006 4:42 PM

My quest for radiant health, a silent mind

Gordon Location:Novato, CA Wednesday, January 04, 2006 About Self Empire

Self empire is about self realization. In this blog I will talk about the teachings of the greatest spiritual teachers like Sri Aurobindo, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, and others. Also, I will share reviews and resources of books, services, and products I have used over the past twenty years in my quest for radiant health, a silent mind, and ever growing spiritual awareness. Topics may include; Taoism, zen, hinduism, chinese herbs, meditation, mantra, chi kung, breathing, and various related topics. posted by Gordon 10:38 AM

Friday, January 06, 2006 THE PROCESS OF YOGA Sri Aurobindo THE SYNTHESIS OF YOGA pg.51-52"

The process of yoga is a turning of the human soul from the egoistic state of consciousness absorbed in the outward appearances and attraction of things to a higher state in which the Transcendent and Universal can pour itself into the individual mould and transform it." posted by Gordon 10:48 PM View my complete profile Favorite Books Anything written by or about Sri Aurobindo

I did my first ever meditation

Pondy: I stayed with my Uncle's brother, Madhu Bhai, in the famous Park Guest House. This place usually fills up months in advance, and it's prime location right on the Bay of Bengal makes it highly popular. Whenever I would tell someone that I was staying at the Park Guest House, I savored the look of jealousy that would suddenly come my way. And of course, Madhu Uncle paid for my stay, though I really wanted to contribute something. We spent our time at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, at which he is a great devotee.

I did my first ever meditation...man, is it hard! I would try to clear my thought, but my busy mind didn't allow it. Then, I'd focus on my breathing, but as a psychosomatic thing, my asthma would always kick in. So, I'd start to focus on how I can't cough...and before I know it, thoughts are shooting through my head like mad. Also, at the Samadhi (the shrine), the hundreds of agarbatis (incense sticks) really aggravated my coughing. So, my meditations never lasted for very long.

Still, I discovered a great Ganpati temple, which I started visiting twice a day. I was also caught in my first Indian downpour. At first, the rain felt great...that was until it soaked all the way through me. I went on a few tours, one of which had the goal of selling me anything made by the Ashram. Still, Pondy was very nice. I had fun with Madhu Uncle, though sometimes the amount of spirituality overwhelmed me. Pondy was a good place...just perhaps not fully for me. posted by Sapan Parekh Thursday, January 05, 2006@ 3:35 AM

"inspiration", "prosperity"

Mark Segal Thursday, January 05, 2006

India 26th November update: Time is passing by very fast over here…I have been in Pondicherry for more than three weeks, only one more to go. Pondicherry, or in short Pondy, is an excellent place! It is a small city, with three main parts (in my way of seeing it…) – the Ocean and its relaxing promenade, the Ashram, and the city centre.

The Sri Aurobindo Ashram is very dominant here and is in great contrast to the city centre that is a typical south Indian town. The Ashram consists of many buildings that include schools, a college, joint dining room, etc. The roads are wide, most buildings painted grey and white, very peaceful, few people, etc. Last week I visited the Ashram main building on the day that one of the founders of the Ashram, known as the "Mother" died. On this day thousands of people visit her room.

(www.sriaurobindoashram.org/ashram/mother/index.php). "Mother" is famous for her writing such as many wise sayings and even names for hundreds of flowers – names such as "inspiration", "prosperity", etc. posted by Mark Segal at 4:44 AM

Man's aspiration for perfection

We (Shiva & Sujathaa) had a great time at Pondicherry on the eve of New Year. Visited Auroville, but visitors were not allowed inside the Matrimandir, as some restoration work is being done. Pondy has always been my favourite place for its culture, colonial houses, beaches and food. We stayed at Patricia's Guest House, which is a Colonial house and dined mostly at Redezvous roof top.

The Matrimandir wants to be the symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection. Union with the Divine manifesting in a progressive human unity. The Matrimandir wants to be the symbol of the Universal Mother according to Sri Aurobindo's teaching. posted by Shiva Location:Chennai Friday, January 06, 2006 at 12:13 AM

The Sage and the Housewife

Shanta Kelker

5 Jan 2006 by Peter Maverick
He was a photographer and he also claimed that the souls of great personalities like Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo, and Mahatma Gandhi spoke through him when he went into a trance. I asked UG how valid was any experience, and he said, ...

This book brings a whiff of fresh air in an atmosphere infested with self-proclaimed godmen, gurus and pseudo-religious seekers. If you like to tread a path of adventure, risking your pet beliefs, assumed certainties and habitual hypocrisies, you will love this unique work by a simple and ordinary housewife. Her spontaneous encounters with the enigmatic sage are full of wit and humor. The amusing episodes transport you to newer heights of crystal-clear vision of yourself. U.G.'s straightforward but ego-shattering statements give you no scope to duck out of real life situations, leaving you to face life as it comes.

The Adventure of Consciousness

Friday, January 06, 2006: This is my new blog where I shall chart my revolutionary life. It shall keep track of my progress and serve as a record of my life. Now I am about to start reading The Adventure of Consciousness -- By Sri Aurobindo posted by Abhay Location:Bangalore, india corporatewatch at 6:50 AM

Nice little place- Pondicherry

Later I covered many places in and around Chennai. Went to Pondicherry. It was nice to see so many foreigners settled there. With the houses bearing name plates with foreign names engraved. Nice little place-pondicherry they call it 'pondy' there i guess. Sri Aurobindo Ashram is also there. Bought 5 books from there.'The riddle of life' , 'Yoga of our eyes' and some other intriguing titles. Would discuss them later smtime. Ajay Arora Location:Delhi posted by Aj Monday, January 09, 2006 at 11:32 AM

Only two persons have gained Enlightenment

Vijay Kumar http://www.godrealized.com/ Hinduism — Clerg January 6, 2006 @ 2:58 pm

Truly speaking even spiritual stalwarts like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Aurobindo Ghosh and many others in the line failed to reach the stage of Enlightenment. The reason is fair and simple… some like Swami Vivekananda never desired reaching the stage of Enlightenment in their lifetime whereas both Rabindra Nath Tagore and Aurobindo Ghosh attempted but failed in their mission. They have category stated in their literary works that they did not reach the stage of Enlightenment. Enlightenment (in other words self-realization) is the culmination of all we know as spirituality. There is nothing beyond having reached the stage of Enlightenment that is left to be achieved by a human being.

If I say that only two persons have gained Enlightenment in the last 150 years out of the 6000 million people residing on mother earth… then Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana were truly blessed by God Almighty to have gained Enlightenment even when the society presently is passing through such a bad phase on the materialistic plane.
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Kuvempu’s reverence to 'Sri Aurobindo'

Compassion and divinity: Son-in-law K T Surendra talks of the spiritual strength he derives even today from the departed soul of Kuvempu VEENA BHARATI Deccan Herald, Sunday, April 25, 2004

"The first time I saw Kuvempu was in 1956, when he became the vice-chancellor of Mysore University. He came to meet my uncle Kadidaalu Manjappa (the then education minister) at the ministerial bungalow. Later, I went to England for higher studies and heard about Kuvempu through my father when he proposed his daughter to me!" Kuvempu himself performed the marriage rituals at a small gathering in Shimoga in 1969 and expressed gratefulness to Surendra for marrying his daughter! "For my wife Indukala, Kuvempu was more than a father. He was my wife's guru and more than a father figure, he was like a mother to her." Indukala who died of cancer five years ago has also written two books on Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda.

He talks of Kuvempu’s reverence to 'Sri Aurobindo'. "He used to tell us that the previous night of Aurobindo's death he had seen a huge tree in his dream, which suddenly came falling down to earth. It was a way of spiritual and divine interconnection, which Kuvempu used to believe in. Similarly, he used to sit near the plants which had blossomed after my mother-in-law's death, because she had planted and nourished them." For Dr Surendra, Kuvempu was a great soul and an embodiment of compassion, divinity and spirituality.

Mother was both human and divine

A true homecoming. During the hundredth year of Mother’s homecoming, AJU MUKHOPADHYAY goes back to trace its historical significance. Deccan Herald Sunday, April 25, 2004

She came to India for the first time in 1914, met Sri Aurobindo and was convinced that her place of work was here. But the wind of cruel politics tore her away to Europe and Japan. After a long struggle, on April 24, 1920, she returned to India and settled forever in Pondicherry. This was the day of her homecoming. A painter, an occultist, an educationist, a musician, a writer and an organiser, Mother was both human and divine. With an ancestry of Egyptian and Turkish, she was a French by birth but Indian by predilection. India for her was her mother country. It was Barrister Paul Richard who first came to Pondicherry in 1910. He was highly impressed after meeting Sri Aurobindo and spoke and wrote about him very eloquently. In 1914 Paul along with Mirra Richards, now married, came to Pondicherry. Mirra met Sri Aurobindo for the first time on March 29, 1914, and received an absolute silence, which she had longed for a long time. At the very first meeting she recognised him as Krishna and the guru of her dream and the spiritual rapport between the two began.

Arya, the review, which which went on to publish some major portion of Sri Aurobindo’s works, was launched by both Richards and Sri Aurobindo on August 15, 1914.But the Richards earned British disfavour for their association with the most dangerous political refugee, Aurobindo Ghose and his comrades, including poet Subramania Bharati. With the outbreak of the First World War British pressure on the French to expel political refugees - including the Richards - from Pondicherry increased. Though the expulsion of the political refugees to Djibouti could be postponed and later dropped, Richards had to leave for France on February 22, 1915. Shocked at this expulsion, Mirra had left her soul here. “O Lord, what have I done that Thou has thrown me thus into the somber Night?” she exclaimed in her dairy note, while sailing to France. As Paul Richard was given as assignment to visit Japan and China the couple reached Yokohama, Japan, in 1916 and remained there for about four years. While in Japan, Paul Richard wrote a book in French, Au Japon, which was translated into English by Madame Mirra Richard. Paul dreamed about Asian Federation and urged Japan to free Asia from the British domination. When poet Tagore and his party visited Japan, it is reported that Richard tried to register their sympathies for the cause of Asia. He collaborated with Black Dragon Society, whose organ Asia Jiron honoured Aurobindo Ghose by publishing a flaming article on him with his picture. This society also gave shelter to Indian revolutionary leaders like Rashbehari Bose and others.

Finally in 1920 the couple sailed back to Pondicherry. The return contributed to great relief and high expectation in Madame Mirra Richard. As earlier, the Richards started to live in a separate house. But on November 26, of the same year, a cyclonic storm damaged the house where Mirra was living. So her belongings were shifted to the same house where Sri Aurobindo was living with some disciples. Gradually, she took charge of the household and her caring hands changed its shape. In course of time Sri Aurobindo introduced her as the Mother to his disciples. November 26, 1926, the day when Lord Krishna is supposed to have descended on Sri Aurobindo, is marked as the Siddhi Divas - the de facto birthday of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. According to excerpts from Mother's Agenda, Sri Aurobindo then called everyone and said, “I have resolved to withdraw from activity; She will be your Mother.....”, thus officially naming Mirra as the Mother. Immersed in sadhana, he never again came out in public.

If Sri Aurobindo was the founder of the ashram, Mother was its builder. She had a dream that she would create a little world where people would not be dogged by the imperative necessities of life, so that they could devote their time for the divine life. Ashram, according to her, was the beginning of the realisation of her dream. A School started in 1943 was upgraded in 1951. Auroville was founded in 1968. With the expansion of activities ashram produced its daily needs. Yoga and study centers were created throughout the country and abroad. Mother communicated with her innumerable children - ashramites who numbered 750 in 1952 itself, when K M Munshi, the leader and statesman visited the Ashram. Writing down his experiences following the visit Munshi wrote, in Sri Aurobindo Ashram: A Pilgrimage: “A tennis playing, silk-garmented lady of seventy-five … saluting the ashramites at march-past….

Mother was everywhere. She planned, she financed, she regulated, she drew up schemes of education, buildings and workshop… she knew every disciple intimately… almost invisible, played such harmonious tunes on this seven-fifty souled orchestra… The atmosphere of the Ashram was drawn out of a living and abiding influence… of a man who lived there for nearly four decades… but how long will this mighty influence last?'”In order to remove such misunderstandings Sri Aurobindo wrote- “An Ashram means the house or houses of a teacher or master of spiritual philosophy in which he receives and lodges those who come to him for the teaching and practice…. And ends with his life-time unless there is another teacher who can take his place.”Mother was the teacher who took his place and the ashram reached the pinnacle of its glory during her lifetime. The author can be contacted at ajum24@yahoo.co.in


ELIMINATING SEX-CONSCIOUSNESS: A dress to fit and be comfortable with

Peoples of different countries had different dresses with varied colours and shapes, which stroke wonder in one's heart. Dress is attuned to the climate of a country, a part of its culture. Indians in ancient time had two lengths of cloths as their main attire: Upper garment, uttariya and the lower one from the west, paridhana or vasana. In colder places a third garment was worn, draped like a mantle, called pravara. Differing in fashion of wearing, the same pieces of dresses, called dhoti, sari and chaddar were used to cover the body of all Indians of both sexes. Ladies in olden times perhaps kept the upper part of their bodies naked up to waist, as evidenced by the sculptures and paintings and confirmed by historians like A L Basham and James Ferguson. The Nayyar women of Kerala used to appear likewise in public until the recent past.In spite of innumerable foreign invasions the pith of Indian culture remained almost the same. In dress and fashion Muslim and Western influences have been more perceptible in recent time.Young ladies have almost discarded saris, mekhalas and such things. After salwar kameez, it is the time for trousers. It may be mentioned that trousers entered with the Sakas and Kushanas from the Central Asia.

The Mother introduced white shorts and shirts with kitty caps way back in 1944, for the girl students who took part in games and athletics. Not merely for convenience, the most potent point was to eliminate sex-consciousness among the young people. To her critic she said that she came to break the conventions and superstitions. But she respected all cultures. She herself learnt wearing kimono in Japan, veil in Algeria and sari in India. One takes from others when the wind of fashion blows, but it is better not to give up one's own cultural treasure altogether. In diversity remains the unity, not necessarily in uniformity. AM

Wisest man, Worst poet, any takers?

• The swadeshi movement was, from a Moderate point of view, a negation of the entire Congress project. As a partisan of the Moderates it gives me great satisfaction that Bengal’s greatest poet, Tagore, got it exactly right and her worst, Aurobindo Ghose, got it perfectly wrong.

Mukul Kesavan The Telegraph Sunday, May 29, 2005

• We move on to Aurobindo, who, again, at times propagated ideas uncannily similar to Islam, as in the wish to return to a Golden Age where all was truth and righteousness. Then we come to Vivekananda, to this writer the most ambivalent, and hence most appealing, of the four.

Ramachandra Guha The Telegraph Saturday, April 17, 2004

These are unreasonable remarks from fairly reasonable people. And, similar impressions have gained wide currency over the years through such supposed expert comments. By ticking off the versatile legacy of Sri Aurobindo in just one sentence is certainly cruel to his memory. It appears that he is still standing before the bar of the High Court of History.

Everybody is eminently entitled to her views but what is questionable is the methodology. It has become a fashion, or almost a compulsion of sorts, to mention the name of Sri Aurobindo as an appendage to others. But, why bring in his name at all, if only to show him in bad light?

For the fact is that, the very project of comparision in this manner, is arbitrary. Sri Aurobindo’s work in the political sphere begins when Swami Vivekananda is no longer there. Tagore is almost a spectator in the sidelines and Gandhi is yet to enter into the picture. And again, the tenor of their work, so dissimilar.

Each of the great men like these has contributed to areas of specific significance which come to form our national mosaic. But in manufacturing the synthetic metaphysics of The Life Divine and composing the epic, Savitri, Sri Aurobindo’s genius is unparalleled, not only in India but also in the whole world.

All writers may not be competent to perceive the nuances of poetry or philosophy. But then, they are expected to be honest enough not to beat someone with the wrong stick. It is only rarely that we read any independent assessment of Sri Aurobindo in the media. But his role is indispensable for the national regeneration everyone is hoping for.

Raja Subodh Mullick’s once palatial house

Heritage house entangled in legal web Statesman News Service KOLKATA, April 27, 2003 — Another case of playing the blame game while heritage crumbles to the ground — that approximately sums up the conservation saga of Raja Subodh Mullick’s once palatial house at 12, Raja Subodh Mullick Square near Wellington. The giant three-storied structure lies in a shambles, bearing the status of a disputed property. A tablet put up near the entrance by Calcutta University, which is in possession of the building, says that Sri Aurobindo usually resided in the building when he was in Calcutta, up to 1907, as a guest of Raja Subodh Mullick. The building, now bearing the look of a haunted house, is said to have boasted of intricately designed interiors and French paintings, among other expensive furniture.

Colonial rule challenged India in its very concept of civilization

Twilight of the Bengal Renaissance: R K Dasgupta and his quest for a world mind. By Subrata Dasgupta. — Soumitro Das The Statesman Oct 03,2005

British rule came as a shock to many thinking people in India, especially in Bengal. What was distinctive about British rule was that it manifested an overwhelming superiority in practically every sphere of human activity as compared to what India had on offer, whether it be science, education, law, culture and society. For a single Tagore the Europeans could boast of at least 50 great poets; for a single Shankaracharya, the Europeans could boast of at least 25 or 30 major philosophers. Besides European philosophy had totally freed itself from the burden of religious doctrine, right from the time of Plato and Aristotle. Europe, at least since the Renaissance had produced a brilliant artistic and scientific culture that will take us centuries to match. Macaulay was right when he remarked that a single shelf in a good European library could match the entire corpus of Indian literature and philosophy. The result was an abiding complex of inferiority vis -a- vis the British in particular and the West in general. This inferiority complex impacted on our culture in two different ways. One result was a mad scramble for certificates of excellence from Western writers and intellectuals.

R K Dasgupta is a typical product of the shock induced by colonial rule in Bengal and his quest for the world mind, as Subrata Dasgupta puts it, is just another quest to regain and recover the lost universality of Indian, specifically Hindu, culture. This loss of the universal continues to traumatize the Hindu mind uptil now. It is a question, for Dasgupta, to stand up with dignity to the cultural might of the West. It is, above all, a question of national pride.

Dasgupta takes a look at R K Dasgupta’s thinking on what is sometimes called the Bengal Renaissance. Here, R K Dasgupta, instead of relying on historians, either British or Indian, whom he reproaches of applying blindly the model of the European Renaissance, turns to a poet and a politico-religious figure to better understand the phenomenon. In Tagore and Sri Aurobindo, R K Dasgupta finds an emphasis on the indigenous element in the Bengal Renaissance rather than on Western influences. The spiritual dimension is also stressed. Once again, of asserting national pride. It is evident from R K Dasgupta’s thinking on this subject that colonial rule challenged India in its very concept of civilization, something that Muslim rule has never been able to do. (The reviewer is a freelance contributor)

Brahmabandhav Upadhyay

Felix Raj The Statesman Oct 03, 2005

Brahmabandhav was a fiery patriot from an early age. He had joined the Brahma Samaj influenced by Keshabchandra Sen and went to Sind to preach his new faith. In Sind he met Reverend Kalicharan Bandyopadhyay who inspired his conversion to Christianity. On 26 February 1891, Brahmabandhav was baptised by Mr Heaton, a clergyman of the Church of England. But soon, as a protest against the British Raj, he decided not to attend the Church services.

Influenced by Swami Vivekananda, Brahmabandhav retraced his steps back to Hinduism. To propagate Vedanta in the West and to enlist the sympathies of European savants in his cause, he travelled to Europe in 1902. He gave a series of lectures on Hinduism with a view to winning the authorities of the Church over to his side. He wanted to make Europe pay homage to Hindu thought.

Christian and Hindu, holy man and savant, prophet and revolutionary, Brahmabandhav Upadhyay was a paradoxical figure who played a key role in the struggle for India’s independence, alongside Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Aurobindo Ghose and others. His fiery convictions and passionate rhetoric won him many admirers and branded him a dangerous revolutionary in the eyes of the British colonial establishment. He was an ardent nationalist, who died while under arrest — he had been arrested for alleged seditious activities — on 27 October, 1907. The author is professor of economics, vice principal, St. Xavier’s College and director, Goethals Indian Library and Research Society, Kolkata