AUROBINDO GHOSH - MODERN HISTORY
News: Sri
Aurobindo inspired generations, left his mark wherever he went: PM Modi
What's in the news?
● Hailing
Sri Aurobindo’s life and work as reflecting the oneness and cultural
pre-eminence of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the
poet-philosopher’s modern thoughts, higher consciousness and uncompromising
nationalism should inspire India’s leadership role in the world in greater
measure.
Key takeaways:
● The
Prime Minister noted that Sri Aurobindo,
along with Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi, were the three icons whose
lives and contributions around the same period shaped the destiny of the
nation.
● He
recalled that Sri Aurobindo on his return to India after education and global
exposure in England, had become proficient in several languages, and had
studied the scriptures and translated
texts ranging from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Upanishads to
Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti and Bharatthari.
● The
Prime Minister said Sri Aurobindo’s ideological clarity, cultural strength and
patriotism made him a role model for freedom fighters of that time.
● He
was among the first freedom fighters to call
for full Independence and instrumental in helping India break free from the
colonial mindset.
● Sri
Aurobindo, whose uncompromising patriotism inspired the likes of Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose, had even declared that, “If we want to rebuild our country, we
have to stop genuflecting before the British Parliament”.
Aurobindo Ghosh:
● Aurobindo
Ghosh was an Indian philosopher, yoga
guru, poet and Indian nationalist.
● He
was born on 15th August 1872 at Calcutta.
● At
the age of seven, Aurobindo was sent to England by his father to insulate him
against any Indian influence.
● In England, he organized
a secret society called “Lotus and Dagger” for the uplift of his motherland.
● In
1890, Aurobindo competed for Indian Civil Service (I.C.S) and won the position but was later disqualified as he came
purposefully late to the horse-riding practical exam as he had no interest in
the ICS.
● In
1893, he came back to India and joined Baroda state service as a professor of English at Baroda College.
● In
1906, he joined as principal of National
College, Calcutta but resigned from the post in 1907 to join the National
Freedom Movement.
● He
associated himself with Journals and periodicals like the “Jugantar” and Bande Mataram through which he made stern criticism
of British imperialism.
● Aurobindo
attended the 1906 Congress meeting headed by Dadabhai Naoroji and participated
as a councilor in forming the fourfold objectives of “Swaraj, Swadesh, Boycott, and national education”
● In
1908, he was arrested on the charge of the Alipore
bomb conspiracy case but was acquitted in 1909 after a long trial.
● Once
out of the prison, he started two new publications, Karmayogin in English and Dharma in Bengali. He also delivered the
Uttarpara Speech hinting at the transformation of his focus to spiritual
matters.
● In
1910, he left active politics and stayed in Pondicherry as a Yogi till his
death on 5th December 1950. At Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo developed a spiritual
practice called Integral Yoga. The
central theme of his vision was the evolution of human life into a divine life
in the divine body.
● Some
of his important writings are - The Life
Divine, Savitri, Essay on the Gita, The Ideal of Human Unity, Defence of Indian
Culture etc.