MEMORIES OF SRINVANTU

As I said before, I was sent to Srinvantu by my father from time to time. Sri Promode Kumar Sen, the then editor of Srinvantu, used to talk of the Ashram which I liked to hear very much. Thus time passed, and intimacy developed between me and Promodeda.

In 1957 I asked Promodeda to give me a chance to serve the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. He willingly gave me some work to do. In the same year they were going to Pondicherry for the April Darshan and Promodeda asked me if I would like to join them. I jumped at the chance and set out for Pondicherry.

There were many people in this group. On reaching Pondicherry we all proceeded to the Ashram first. There we sat around the Samadhi. Suddenly I felt uncontrollable tears flowing from my eyes. Being very sensitive, I felt uneasy that others of our group might find my unbecoming behavior. I opened my eyes and saw all of them sitting with their eyes shut. I was relieved that nobody had witnessed my torrent of tears. Such happy tears of ananda and relief I have never experienced again.

We were stayed at the Parc-a-Charban (Now Park Guest House). The next morning we all went straight to the Ashram for Balcony Darshan. I was following the Mother's schedule and waited for her everywhere: when she went to the Tennis ground I ran and in the same way I went to the playground. Within a few days I was almost like a part of the Ashram. As days passed I started liking to stay there and I got a chance to join the Ashram but my parents did not agree.

Back at Kolkata I started my work with Promodeda and became very busy with the organisational work of the New Life Movement (SRINVANTU). The New Life Movement came into existence with the publication of its two organs SRINVANTU Bengali and English. Its aim is to practice Sri Aurobindo's Yoga of Life Divine upon earth and to materialise His Truth-Vision of a New World Order, based on unity of human race and a new social order based on spiritual anarchism, when every man will be entirely free, his movement being regulated by its manifested self. In order to popularise this ideal, the New Life Movement has been publishing a Bengali monthly and a English half yearly journal. It was also carrying on lecture and study class campaign for the people and organising Physical Education Centers for the youth and children of this country. The new life movement hoped that by actively participating in this work and in the work of Sri Aurobindo's Jayanti every year, the people of our country would be able not only to keep the ideals alive in them but also able to open themselves effectively to Force, so that they can realise in their lives.

In 1959 the Mother gave the New Life Movement, a very big responsibility to organise the reception of the great Relics of Sri Aurobindo in West Bengal. The Relics were given to Bangavani, Nabadwip, a big many-faceted educational institution , whose aim is to the follow the integral ideals of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The Mother gave the Relics to Gobindolal Goswami, Rector, Bangavani on the 12th of February, 1959 for enshrinement on February 21, 1959, the Mother's 81st Birthday, in the specially-built temple, approved by the Mother.

The Mother gave the message to The Bangavani workers on 20.06.59. as follows. " No great work can be done without co-ordination and discipline. A True and organised collaboration is the condition of success".

The Relics consisted of three packets, one of hair and two of nails - of the hands and of feet - prepared by the Mother of August 15, 1950.

A huge plan of a grand royal reception to the Relics was prepared by the New Life Movement, placed before the Mother. The Mother approved and blessed the plan. It included mass propaganda and organisation of reception at Kharagpur, Bagnan, Andul and Howrah Station. The Relics were to retain, from the Howran Maidan, on a golden chariot. Four thousand uniformed volunteers of the New Life Movement were to march with the Chariot. The whole city came out on the streets and the people from the suburbs arrived by train, to pay homage to the Relics, uncountable human heads on both the footpaths of the road from Howrah Maidan to Lake Maidan via KaliKrishna Tagore Street. Vivekananda Road, Chittaranjan Avenue, Chowringhee Road, Ashutosh Mukherjee Road, Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Road, Rahbihari Avenue and Lansdown Road, long route of about fifteen miles, arrived at the Lake Maidan at 9-30 p.m. after starting from Howrah Maidan at 4-30 p.m. The meeting at the Lake Maidan was presided over by Sri Triguna Sen, the then Mayor of Calcutta, who received the Great Relics on behalf of the city, and addressed by Dr. Smith of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, Sri Surrendra Mohan Ghosh and Sri Promode Kumar Sen, and Sm. Kalpana Bhattacharya sang 'Mahaabirbhave' by Nishikanto.

On the following day the Relics were taken to Sri Aurobindo Pathamandir. The Pathamandir Hall was decorated beautifully with flowers. Many devotees and members offered their homage in an atmosphere of peace; serenity and beauty prevailed there. At 10 a.m. the Relics were taken to the central office of the New Life Movement, 52B, Indian Mirror Street, Calcutta. From 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. thousand of persons, disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother paid their homage to Sri Aurobindo's Relics. The whole place was decorated with bouquets, colours and carpets and a joyful atmosphere of peace and silence, full of fragrance of incense and flowers prevailed there.

On the next day, 16ht February, 1959, the Relics were carried by a special train arranged specially by the Railways, organised by the New Life Movement, from Sealdah to Krishnagar and from Krishnanagar the Relics were taken to Nabadwip Ghat on a Jeep.

Enroute reception was also organised by the centres of the New Life Movement. People gathered at the stations offered flowers. For shortness of the time the train did not stop at all the stations. Stopping at Halisahar, Naihati, Kanchrapara and Ranaghat it reached at Krishnanagar. At all these stations hundreds of men and women had assembled to poay their homage.

At Ranaghat a big procession with richly decorated horses and elephants, organised and led by the workers of the New Life Movement, had arrived for the Relics reception.

At Krishnanager many had come from Nabadwip to Krishnanager to receive the Relics. The Relics was enshrined in the newly built temple at Bangavani, Nabadwip on February 21, 1959 on the 81st Birthday of the Mother.

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 k now 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. The 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. Then the Mother gave the message to SRINVANTU.

The Mother entrusted Nolinida with the task of reorganising SRINVANTU. Then the entire course of our destiny was changed. The Mother gave her symbol to Srinvantu to print it on the cover page of Srinvantu for both of its English and Bengali editions.

Nolinida took the entire charge of the affairs of Srinvantu. Srinvantu has been fortunate to have received the direct counsel and guidance of Nolinida who took special care of its continued publication.

The publication of new Srinvantu started with Sri Nolini Kanta Gupta as its Editorial Adviser from February, 1968. The editor was Sri Amalesh Bhattacharya, though for some time Sri Subir Kanta Gupta, son of Nolinida , also worked as editor. Amalesh was assisted by Sri Arun Basak; Sri Nikhil Kanta Gupta, brother of Nolinida , was the printer and publisher. Myself and Adinath were engaged in fund collection and advertisement. Office administration responsibility was on Sri Santosh Chaki.

The editorial responsibility of English edition of Srinvantu was initially on Amalesh Bhattacharya but subsequently Nolinida gave that charge to Sri Manik Mitra, Secretary, Sri Aurobindo Bhavan.

In 1974 the editorial office of Srinvantu was inaugurated at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan by Sri Himansu Kumar Niyogi, who also took charge of Srinvantu at the request of Nolinida.

The publication division of Srinvantu also started during this time which was initiated by Nolinida. Srinvantu published some very interesting books but major achievement was the publication of Complete works of Nolinida.

The Mother left her body on 17th November 1973. On 7th February, 1984 before leaving his body, Nolinida gave a Mother's mantra to SRINVANTU "Matri Debo Bhaba" which is one cherished eternal mantra, that leads Srinvantu from strength to strength. Srinvantu is engaged in the services of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, the aim of which is essentially to uphold before the country, Sri Aurovindo's vision of a strong and united India and establishment of His ideal of Life Divine and spiritualized society.

Srinvantu was running smoothly, but there was setback when Amlesh resigned from Editorship of Srinvantu. At the request of Himansuda, Sri Supriyo Bhattacharya, renowned Lecturer or Economics at Calcutta and Kalyani Universities and a man of letters agreed to become the editor or Srinvantu for both of its Bengali and English editions.

At present Srinvantu has two offices, one at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan for book sale which is looked after by Sikha Ghosh and Ram Sengupta. The publication office at College Street is managed by Pulak Roy Chowdhury and Sankari Das. The Trustees are Sri Narash Chandra Dasgupta, Sri Sekhar Guha, Sri Miraprasad Mukherjee, Sri Supriyo Bhattacharya, Sri Biswajit Ganghopadhyay, Sri Pulak Roy Chowdhury and myself.

Before I conclude, I have to remember those who gave their services to Srinvantu at different stages in one way or the other for all these long fifty years. I sincerely thank all.

We also remember our early associates and dear sons of the Mother : Himansu Niyogi and Adinath Chakravarti, who as good as others justified Nolinida's choice by their devout dedication and sterling integrity which helped Srinvantu to grow and flower, passed away just before its Golden Jubilee, into the desired protection of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and warm watchful affection of Nolinida. We also lost one active and blessed member Tinkari Ghosh (our Tinuda), who single - handedly shouldered the responsibility of Srinvantu at College Street.

I am sure with the blessings of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and with the Mother's mantra "Matri Debo Bhaba" given to Srinvantu by Nolinida in due course Srinvantu will celebrate its centenary.