Upcoming
Events
20-27
May 2010: Annual Workshop on Integral Education
The Society's Annual Workshop on Integral Education will be
held at Puducherry for teachers, parents and educationists dealing
with children of KG and Primary level, from 20 to 27 May 2010.
The Camp-cum-workshop will concentrate on Integral Education
as envisioned by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Along with study
and discussions, there will also be some practical programmes
for teachers at mainly K.G. and Primary levels.
Recent
Events
4 April 2010, Darshan Day: Centenary Year of Sri Aurobindo's
Arrival at Puducherry
Sri Aurobindo (circa 1918-20)
Sri Aurobindo came to Pondicherry on 4 April 1910 to pursue
a spiritual goal - the goal of supramental transformation -
never before successfully attempted by anyone. While engaged
in the freedom struggle in Bengal, Sri Aurobindo received an
Adesh (a Divine Command) to go to Pondicherry. In one of his
letters to a disciple he wrote:
"Pondicherry
is my place of retreat, my cave of tapasya, not of the ascetic
kind, but of a brand of my own invention."
"I
need some place of refuge in which I can complete my Yoga unassailed
and build up other souls around me.
It seems to me that Pondicherry is the place appointed by those
who are Beyond."
And the Mother, when she came back to Pondicherry in 1920,
speaks about her experience of entering into the atmosphere
of Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry:
"I
was on the boat, at sea, not expecting anything (I was of course
busy with the inner life, but I was living physically on the
boat),
when all of a sudden, abruptly, about two nautical miles from
Pondicherry, the quality, I may even say the physical quality
of the
atmosphere, of the air, changed so much that I knew we were
entering the aura of Sri Aurobindo. It was a physical experience
and I guarantee that whoever has a sufficiently awakened consciousness
can feel the same thing."
To commemorate this special day, devotees were allowed to visit
Sri Aurobindo's room on 4 April 2010. The message card distributed
on the occasion can be viewed by clicking
here.
24
April 2010, Darshan Day: The Mother's Final Arrival at Pondicherry
The Mother came to Pondicherry for the first time in March
1914. She returned to France in 1915 and then went to Japan
in 1916. She returned to Pondicherry on 24 April 1920, never
to leave again. On this significant date, the Mother once wrote
to a disciple:
April 24:
The anniversary of my return to Pondicherry, which was the tangible
sign of the sure Victory over the adverse forces.
The 90th Anniversary of the Mother's final arrival in Pondicherry
was celebrated on 24 April 2010. There was meditation around
the Samadhi from 6:00 to 6:30 am and a visit to Sri Aurobindo's
Room thereafter. The message card distributed on the occasion
can be viewed by clicking
here.
Programmes
by Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management (SAFIM)
Session in progress at IIM Indore
Two-day Management Development Programme on "Management
by Consciousness" for the Executive PG Students of IIM
Indore at their Management Development Centre was conducted
on 10 & 11 April 2010 by Prof.Saikat Sen and Ms. Smita Gupta
of Sri Aurobindo Foundation For Integral Management (SAFIM),
Centre of Excellence in Management of Sri Aurobindo Society,
Puducherry.
The same workshop "Management by Consciousness" was
also conducted in several places in Indore and New Delhi such
as:
1. Prestige Institute of Management, Indore
2. Sri Vaishnav Institute of Management, Indore
3. Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore
4. Police Training School, Indore
5. PTC Finance Ltd. New Delhi
Prof. Saikat Sen had delivered a talk on "Relevance of
Consciousness in Today's Business" in a seminar organized
by ICWA, ICSA and Sri Aurobindo Society, Noida Branch.
He also delivered a talk at Sri Aurobindo Society, Indore Centre
on "Method of Awakening of Psychic". Please
click here for the detailed report.
5-Day
Education Camp - 21 to 26 April 2010
Shivakumar, interacting with the Participants
A View of the Participants
Sri Aurobindo Society organised a 5-day Education Camp at the
Ashram premises from 21 to 26 April 2010, for two groups of
varying backgrounds: First group consisted of 19 members (7
women and 12 men) from Abhyudaya Sansthan and State Council
of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
They also wanted to set up a new school based on a higher vision
of life. The second group had 16 members (8 women and 8 men)
who are teachers from the Ashramshalas run by the Jashoda Narottam
Public Charity Trust which works in the field of Education,
Health and Natural Resource Management for the upliftment of
remote hilly & forest tribal areas.
21 April 2010: In the inaugural session Shri Vijaybhai
welcomed the participants and gave a brief introduction to the
Ashram's Centre of Education. He beautifully summed it up in
one line that education is more of being than of giving. Session
with Shivakumar commenced with a question of what have we developed
in us during our eighteen years of education in school and college.
He explained that an integral education must aim to develop
all the faculties of the child in an integral way. The session
also covered the following concepts:
Be what you want your child to be.
Attitude of the teacher should be one of a helper and a learner.
Each child is like a unique flower that blooms when it is in
a favorable environment.
Chetana Vikas is not an extra training that needs to be given
to the child, but it must form the basis of all other learnings
to take place.
In the session the Video of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its Centre
of Education were shown.
22 April 2010: Session with Dr. Sampad on the role of
Sanskrit in Education. In order to understand the essence of
our scriptures, we need to learn the language in which they
are written. By this we can try and understand the deep messages
delivered to us through such books and apply it in our life
for the growth of our consciousness. Later, Sampad took a session
on the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita to our life and education
in particular.
This was followed by a visit to Sri Aurobindo International
Centre of Education, where Gayatri-di explained the group about
the concept on the basis of which the Centre of Education functions.
Some of the points touched upon by her are:
Every child is special and has its own inner inclination and
should be guided accordingly.
Every child should feel the joy of learning.
Children should be given enough opportunity and environment
to enhance their growth.
After this, a visit to Sportsground was arranged. The variety
of activities in Physical Education were shown and explained
to the participants.
23 April 2010: Session with Uttama-di: She helped the
participants to understand how to know the true needs of the
child and how to fulfill them by providing them the right environment.
Session with Maitreyee exposed them to the methods on developing
qualities in children.
24 April 2010: Sushanto-da explained to the participants
the role of art in the education of the child. He said that
there is an artist in every one of us and we need to develop
this potentiality. For this, one needs to be trained in the
art of observation, and then on the techniques of expressing
them through art. There was also a session by Kadambari and
Swati who are part of the rural development programme of Sri
Aurobindo Society. They explained in detail the method they
were following for the education of the children with a rural
background. This was followed by a very fruitful question and
answer session, where the question of the development of the
entire village was taken up.
25 & 26 April 2010: The Camp was concluded by Shivakumar.
He said that the Integral Yoga is not really different from
Integral Education and every one of us must try to awaken the
aspiration for a better and more beautiful life - both for the
children we come into contact with, as well us for ourselves.
Everybody expressed their gratitude for having been given such
an opportunity to understand a deeper way of education.
News
from Branches and Centres
News from India
Tenali (Andhra Pradesh) - A.P. Annual State Committee Meeting
on 27 & 28 Feb. 2010
Pradeepbhai addressing the Committee
Children's performance - Flower Exhibition
On the eve of 27 February 2010, which also happened to be their
29th Anniversary, the 15th Annual State Conference and Exhibition
of Sri Aravinda Vidya Kendram, Tenali, was held. The Conference
was inaugurated by Shri Nadendla Manohar ( Dy. Speaker - Andhra
Pradesh Assembly) with Shri Pradeep Narang (Chairman -Sri Aurobindo
Society, Puducherry), Shri Venkataramaiyya (Chairman - Sri Aurobindo
Society, Andhra Pradesh), Shri Subba Rao (Secretary, Sri Aurobindo
Society, Andhra Pradesh) and a few others.
Representatives from Branches & Centres, Members of Sri
Aurobindo Society of Andhra Pradesh State participated in this
programme. As per the tradition of the past 15 years, activities
of all the Branches and Centres across the State were reviewed,
and planning was done for future programmes in the State. The
two-days Annual State Conference had talks on Sri Aurobindo
and The Mother's Integral Yoga, Future Poetry of Sri Aurobindo,
Role of Youth in Society, etc. Sri Aravinda Vidya Kendram, Tenali,
celebrated its 29th Anniversary with various cultural programmes,
Flower Exhibitions, Teaching Aids Display etc.
More than 100 Members of Sri Aurobindo Society, Andhra Pradesh,
participated in the Conference.
Ambala
(Haryana)
Shri Manoj Sharma - Shri Umakant
Participants at the Seminar
Ambala Branch in collaboration with Sanatan Dharma Sr. Secondary
School, Ambala Cantt. held a talk on "Sri Aurobindo: Confluence
of Nationalism and Spirituality" on 19 April 2010 in the
school auditorium to celebrate the centenary of the arrival
of Sri Aurobindo and the Golden Jubilee year of Sri Aurobindo
Society.
The seminar began with the Bhajan by Mayank, a student. The
Principal Mr. Ramesh Kumar Bansal welcomed the guests and speakers.
Shri Uma Kant of Ambala Branch spoke about the life of the Master
Sri Aurobindo. He narrated some inspiring incidences of Alipore
Jail. Shri Manoj Sharma of Bhopal Branch was the main speaker.
He narrated the letter of Sri Aurobindo to his wife Smt. Mrinalini
Devi about his three Madnesses and also the message of Sri Aurobindo
on the independence of India. He inspired the students to have
physical fitness, mental strength, moral strength, Dharmik Shakti
and above all spiritual strength. He said that for our country
spirituality and nationalism are not two separate things but
they are merely two sides of a coin. He quoted several relevant
quotations of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Shri Ravi Khandelwal
of Rudrapur also spoke on this occasion, and promised to carry
on this Lecture series in Uttarakhand also. The Principal Mr.
Ramesh Kumar Bansal suggested to have a Teachers workshop and
arranging for more talks for the students.
The attendance at the seminar was around 350 students and teachers.
Borivli,
Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Recital of Prayers
Devotees at the Centre
The Borivli Centre celebrated the Centenary Year of Sri Aurobindo's
Arrival in Pondicherry, on 4 April 2010. Incidentally, it was
also the inception day of the Centre which was on 4 April 2009.
The programme details are as below:
1) Recital of prayers in Sanskrit on Sri Aurobindo and The
Mother, by Mrs Bhagyashree Mahale
2) CD on the reading of 'Savitri' by The Mother (Book XI--Canto
I)
3) Brief note on the significance of Sri Aurobindo's Arrival
in Pondicherry
4) Brief note on the activities of the Borivli Centre of Sri
Aurobindo Society during 2009-2010
5) Meditation
6) Distribution of Message Cards and Prasad
There was also a celebration of the Darshan Day on 24 April
2010, the Mother's Final Arrival at Pondicherry. The programme
included
8.00pm to 8.30pm - Collective Meditation
8.30pm to 8.35pm - On the Importance of the Darshan Day
8.35pm to 9.00pm - Bhajan & Prasad
Noida
(Uttar Pradesh) - Programmes in March 2010
'Yog Sadhana' a programme for two days - 20 and 21 March 2010
- was organised at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida. The programme
was conducted by Acharya Virendra Nath Pandey, a Scholar of
Sanskrit and Shrimad Bhagwat. A total of 30 participants took
part in the programme.
Discussion on the Gita: Lead by Shri Viswa Mohan Tiwari, Air
Vice Marshal (Retd.), this programme was held on every Sunday
of March 2010, from 11 am to 1 pm, at the Bhavan. There were
about 15 regular participants who attended the programme.
Health: Activities of Treatment by Acupressure Therapy, Homeopathy
Dispensary, and Free Eye Check-up/Consultation at the Sri Aurobindo
Bhavan, are going on well.
Development of Women: Sewing & Tailoring Classes: These
Classes are being conducted daily from Monday to Friday at the
Bhavan and about fifteen ladies are learning the same.
Other Activities: Besides the above, regular activities of reading
from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, meditation with the Mother's
music daily in the morning and evening, Library, playing of
spiritual audio/video CDs etc. are being held.
Akhila
Bharata Patrike (Kannada verions of All India Magazine)
"Sirinudi portal(www.sirinudi.org)
has been launched with the purpose of documenting contemporary
and classical literature in Kannada on the Internet for the
benefit of the Kannada diaspora, now spread throughout the world.
This includes books and periodicals - originally published in
Kannada as well as translations of important books / magazines
from other languages into Kannada. The Kannada translation of
All India Magzine (Akhila Bharata Patrike) is available on this
portal."
