The vitriol of internal feud flooding the Sri Aurobindo Ashram,
Puducherry often spills over to the Internet after regular intervals, but they
are not the whole truth. The row is not merely about two groups fighting over the
spoils but involves a larger civilizational trigger. With a bit of a speculative
flourish, no harm, however, in dwelling upon the theme on the eve of the
Republic day.
Echoing Tagore, Amiya
P. Sen notes that “For the English-educated Bengali, Western thought or values acted
more as a heady intoxicant rather
than life-giving nourishment; it touched people's lives on the outside without
also producing concomitant internal social changes. (Explorations in Modern Bengal, C. 1800-1900:
Essays on Religion, ... - Page 2 - 2010 - Preview)”
He also adds in the Preface that “I remain convinced as ever that the scope for
writing intellectual history, even for academically so well-traversed a region as modern Bengal, is far from exhausted. (
ibid. - Page ix)”
Since Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry can safely be seen as a stream
or extension of the East-West encounter that germinated in Bengal ,
the silent coup enacted by Babaji Maharaj and Prapatti in irrigating Odisha - thus
securing a rich harvest - cannot be overlooked. Agreed that the general social milieu
is still not propitious but the geography has amply been taken care of with Schools
and Relics Centres scattered across the length and breadth of the State. These institutions,
over time, must be able to do enough navel-gazing and perform their
evolutionary task in due course.
Let Bengal remain imprisoned by Vivekananda, Tagore, and Subhas;
Odisha has stolen away the legacy of Sri Aurobindo. On a rough estimate,
eighty percent of The Mother’s devotees reside in Odisha. So, contemplating on the
future of the Ashram in Puducherry without reckoning the role of Odisha is myopic
and anomalous. In this context, the ideological slant that the praxis in Odisha
has effectuated over the years entails no mean role in shaping the political future
of the world. [TNM55]
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