150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo

Celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo concluded at Auroville, Puducherry.

About Sri Aurobindo

• 20th-century Bengali poet, philosopher, spiritual leader and revolutionary freedom fighter.

• Early Life: Born on 15 August 1872 in Calcutta district (now Kolkata),WestBengal. Education began in Christian convent school in Darjeeling. At the age of 7 years, he was taken to England along with his brothers. Studied at St.Paul’s SchoolLondon(1884) and King’s College in Cambridge in 1890. In 1893, Aurobindo returned to India and joined the Baroda state, first as a bureaucrat and then as a professor of French at Baroda College.

• Participation in the National Movement Pioneer of the Indian extremist movement and helped in establishing Anushilan Samiti in 1902. o Shri Aurobindo left his job and plunged into active politics after the partition of Bengal in 1905. o During the Surat session of INC in 1907, known for the Surat Split, he joined the extremist group led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak against the moderates. o Shri Aurobindo advocated passive resistance and not violence. He, however, did not opine that to attain freedom, it is wrong to resort to violence. o In May 1908, Aurobindo was arrested in connection with the Alipore Conspiracy Case. • Literary Contribution: o 'New Lamps for Old', articles written by him in InduPrakash from 1893-94, criticising moderate politics of Congress. oIn March 1906, in a Bengali newspaper, Yugantar, he preached open revolt and complete independence. o Edited Bande Mataram newspapers founded by Bipin Chandra Pal. oAfter his release in 1909, Aurobindo started two weeklies, namely Karmayogin in English and Dharma in Bengali.

• o In 1914, he started publishing a philosophical magazine, Arya. o Other Books include a compilation of poems, letters and essays such as Essays on the Gita (1922), Collected Poems and Plays (1942), The Synthesis of Yoga (1948), The Human Cycle (1949), The Ideal of Human Unity (1949), Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol (1950), etc.

• Spiritual Journey: oPlayed an active role in the Indian Freedom Movement till 1910, after which he became a spiritual reformer. o His important works like the Life Divine, Essays on Geeta, The Synthesis of Yoga, and the epic poem 'Savitri' were written during this period. o He developed a kind of Yoga called Integral Yoga. ✓ Through Integral Yoga, he believed human beings can achieve true self-realisation. ✓ Internal Yoga aims at spiritual realisation that not only liberates man's consciousness but also transforms his nature. o He founded a community of spiritual seekers, which took shape as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1926 with Mirra Alfassa. ✓ Mirra Alfassa founded the Auroville, i.e., the city of dawn, a universal town for a peaceful, progressive, and harmonious existence.

According to him, Jnana (knowledge), Bhakti (devotion), and Karma (work ethics) can lead man to the divine path.

(Important Topic/GK for NID NIFT Entrance exam 2024)