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Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Jharna Ghosh/English/Diary/Arrival in Pondicherry and my first Darshan of The Mother.htm
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
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Jharna Ghosh/English/Diary/My Introduction to the Cultural Programmes of the Ashram.htm
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.
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Jharna Ghosh/English/Diary/The Hut under The silk cotton tree.htm
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
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Jharna Ghosh/English/Diary/Sadabala.htm
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