August 02, 2012

Uttarpara to Uttara Yogi

Sri Aurobindo, The Avatar
Gems from the Experiences of Sri Aurobindo in the Alipore Jail
— Badal Chakraborty
Publisher: Sri Aurobindo Bharat Ashram, Dogachia
Binding: Soft Cover Pages: 32 Price: Rs 50

This booklet examines a few of the spiritual experiences that Sri Aurobindo had during his year in the Alipore Jail, as described by him in his speech at Uttarpara shortly after his release. The author uses portions of the speech as a springboard to provide an overview of the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and to call for a renewed dedication to their vision of a divinised life on earth.

Smriti Tirtha
Places that Echo the Stormy Days of Sri Aurobindo's Brief Stay in Bengal
— Anshu Banerjee
Publisher: Dipak Kumar Gupta, Pondicherry
Binding: Soft Cover Pages: 168 Price: Rs 125

Through chapters based on the locales in Bengal where the dramatic events in Sri Aurobindo’s life played out, this book draws the reader back to the years 1906 to 1910, when Sri Aurobindo was at the centre of the freedom movement. Using multiple sources and first-hand accounts, the story is rich with details of the life and activities at such locations as 12 Wellington Square, Sri Aurobindo’s revolutionary headquarters, the National College at Boubazar Street where Sri Aurobindo acted as principal, the office of Bande Mataram at Creek Row, the house on Grey Street from where he was arrested in April 1908, Alipore Jail, the Sessions Court where he was acquitted, and Chandernagore, his place of seclusion before he departed for Pondicherry.

Sri Aurobindo and The Cripps Mission
— Essays and articles by various authors
ISBN: 978-0-9562923-2-2 Publisher: First Feature Ltd., London, UK
Binding: Soft Cover Pages: 166 Price: Rs 225

Several strands of narrative documentation are woven into this account of the Cripps Proposal, a significant attempt at intervention by the British Government during the Second World War that offered dominion status in exchange for India’s cooperation and collaboration in the allied war effort. Quotes from the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and passages from the writings of several of their disciples reveal the steps Sri Aurobindo took – and the reasons he took them – to convince the Indian leaders of the day to accept the proposal. Extracts from official documents and from personal letters and diaries highlight first the viewpoints of the Indian leaders and then of the British, helping the reader to understand why the proposal was not accepted.

UTTARA YOGI
— ARUP MITRA
ISBN: 978-81-89738-55-6 Publisher: Niyogi Books, New Delhi
Price: Rs 495 Hard Cover Pages: 576 
           
In Uttara Yogi, Arup Mitra, longtime resident of Pondicherry and disciple of Sri Aurobindo, offers a new work based on a mix of history, legend and fiction. While the historical personality of the Master finds a place in many contemporary novels, notably in Journey to Ithaca by Anita Desai, it is perhaps for the first time that a radically new attempt has been made to present the career of Sri Aurobindo’s pre-Pondicherry life through a modern day Sutradhar Works of Other Authors >> Literature

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