Arrival in Pondicherry and My First Darshan of the Mother   1953, on 19 February in the evening, with one of my father’s cousins, I arrived in Pondicherry. That was the period when there were no bus service between Pondy and Madras; Pondy being a French territory. The only route available was the railroad. A place called Kandamangalam was the International Boundary between the two territories and thus there was a custom office there. The train from Egmore station would arrive at Kandamangalam where all the passengers destined for Pondy had to get down and allowed to be body searched. In the main custom office there was a small room full of goods where the passengers

Five Decades and More   It is said that time is like a flow of water, that which has passed by doesn’t return. But in a man’s life the years, months, days, hours, now and then leave a stamp which remains with him even after decades. It is more than five decades that as a girl entering her teens, I came to the Ashram in the early fifties. From then on time has gone by and event after event have left some interesting memory, ever lasting memory. So one day I felt like going deep down in me and see what I still remember. HOME

My Introduction to the Cultural Programmes of the Ashram   First December 1953   It was in 1953 that I went to the stage to perform for 1st December Programme. In that epoch the vacations were meant for the preparation for 1st and 2nd December celebration. The academic year ended by the 31st  October, and the rehearsal for both the dates would begin in full swing. It is, I feel necessary to mention that many an item used to get prepared for the 2nd December by 18 October. It is Pranab-da’s birthday and members of green and red group would compose quite a few items to demonstrate on this particular occasion i.e. Pranab-da’s birthday. The members of

The Dance Teacher from Sri Lanka   It was the period when we were privileged to learn different schools of classical dance from different visiting teachers. One who left a deep impact on our dancing was Sri Premkumarfrom Sri Lanka. It was in mid-fifties and the Mother was still coming to the Play Ground and participated in all that was presented: dance by students, plays written by Sadhaks. For all cultural programme She consented to be present and later give Her opinion. All these functions were generally held either on Darshan days or on rare occasions on other days also. In order to learn from a visiting teacher we were obliged to give some extra time.

The Hut under the Silk Cotton Tree   The silk cotton tree is a very special landmark of Pondicherry town. Though the house in which was this giant tree belonged to a local gentleman, yet it was rented to the Ashram. The house was called “Chettiar House”. Chettiar might have been the name of the proprietor. When this particular property was in the hands of the Ashram, it had three buildings. On the eastern side there was a long building with a narrow verandah in front: it had five or six rooms and were occupied by some Sadhaks. Then there was an annex to the eastern building; two Parsi sisters lived in that and lastly on the south there was the main building u

Periple D’or   In the fifties the Programme for first December consisted of various items. There were western vocal music; if Monique was visiting then there would a ballet dance; a dance drama choreographed by Anuben with the help of other dancers, a play written by the Mother and lastly some passage from Savitri. Amita-di always played the role of Savitri.  One year the programme began at 6 pm and ended at one in the morning. Then there came a period when it was decided that on the first December only Sri Aurobindo’s work will be presented. But then once in a while the Mother made an exception, one such year was 1961. A French inmate of the Ashram had written a symbolic play and

News Reading at the Play Ground   At present nearly every Ashramite has a TV set. But in the early fifties very few possessed even a radio set. There were a few gramophones, which are lost or once in a while which are seem in an advertisement, were the only means to enjoy songs by Rafi, Lata or Talat Mahmud. It was the habit of the young boys and girls to visit those friends who possessed a gramophone and sit around it listening to the hit song provided there were any in the collection. We are told that in the Ashram there was only one radio set in Pavitra-da’s room. His duty was to listen to the news and when he went to meet The Mother, he would let Her know

Washing The Mother’s Lunch Tray   It was a phase in the Ashram life, which I wonder whether many of us remember. It was in mid fifties, one day we were told that Ashram was having some difficulties on monetary side and the Mother desired that all older students work in some department or other for a period of time each week. It should be noted that in those days no student was living as a mere student. All those who studied in the Ashram school were accepted by the Mother as Ashramites and naturally everyone felt the necessity to do something for the Mother and the Ashram. Manoj-da was entrusted with the responsibility. He was to organize the students in groups to go to wo

A Sunday Morning      For us, the school children, every day was a day of happening, of celebration if 1 may say so. But Sunday was something very special. It was a day when we were free to spend as we liked till 5pm when the group activities began. There was naturally music class with Sahana-di which she used to hold in the Play Ground old gymnastic hall. Just a small sketch of the day may give an idea how some of the children spent the Sunday. There were naturally cricket tournaments in the winter but other than that we were free all through the year. A few of us who arrived in the Ashram in a period of five or six months time bonded into a group and that too a mixtur

Sadabala   The only inmate of the Ashram who had the privilege to sit on Sri Aurobindo’s lap was possibly Sadabala. Bala’s father Sada (That’s how he was known in the Ashram) was connected to this small Ashram community. He would often bring along his baby daughter and leave her at the feet of the Master and go to help in the Ashram chores. As the baby grew she began to crawl all over the room and slowly holding on to Sri Aurobindo’s legs stand up. From that step to climb up to the lap wasn’t difficult. Once she confided to one of the Sadhikas who was her co-worker in the Press, “I used to climb on Aiya’s lap; sit facing him and then catch hold of his beard”. This child grew