A new religion was enshrined on December 5, 1957

With the enshrinement of the sacred relics of Sri Aurobindo on December 5, 1957 in Delhi, a new religion can be said to have been instituted. Since then, the roots of this religion have spread far and wide, and the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo can be found across the globe. A vocal section of the followers, however, dislike the practice of performing Pranam before the Samadhi as, they feel, it applies a tacit pressure on them to mimic the gimmick.

Habermas has a word of advice for the secular-minded which can as well be relevant in the aforesaid circumstance. He called upon his tribe not to be unduly uncompromising with the believers and hoped co-existence of both the camps within the civil society. The situation within the followers of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, however, is slightly different. Here the question is not about belief, but rather concerning the modalities of its expression.

The behavioral aspects within a global community surely can’t be immune from cultural variations. Moreover, this new religion itself encourages eschewing the beaten track and devising innovations. Despite guarding against the anathema of dogma, however, the physical flow succumbs to certain habits and conveniences over time. Tolerance of such “oddities” in a generous and democratic spirit, therefore, is the only way in the circumstances. [TNM]