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 were led to be body searched man by man and woman by woman.

Surendra, who was a friend of my uncle Suren Datta was given the charge to represent the Asrham for all the custom formalities. He was also in charge of the dairy where the local milkman came twice a day to milk their cows. A few Ashramites would be present when milking was done. It was then weighed and then sent to Dining Room. (There was another dairy just by the side, it was looked after by Jalad-da and there the cows were Ashram property). Surendra-da or Kaku as I called him, being a friend of my uncle, was also in charge of going to different local offices to pay taxes for electricity, water, houses etc.

I may mention here that the Ashramite in general were not encouraged to have any social inter action with the local people. As a matter of fact there were three Sadhaks who dealt with the outside world be it local or some where out of station.

The one being (Surendra-da) Kaku who was given this work but also after Pondicherry became an Indian Territory he was to see that all goods coming by train or bus were brought and sent to their respective departments for which the consignment arrived. Even for personal railway parcels one had to take his help as they were not allowed to involve themselves with anything other than the work given to him/her by the Mother. The second being Kameshwarji who looked after anything regarding the police department. He would also visit the banks daily to deposit or draw money as he was asked.

Then there was Tulsibhai who had the permission to go out of station any where in India for Ashram work.

There were lots of restrictions, like not to eat outside cooked food, washing vegetable & fruits with potassium parmaganet if bought at the market, ladies to go to market only in Sari or Salwar Kameez etc. etc.

Then there were only two trains from Pondy to Kandamangalam; one in the morning and one in the late afternoon.

Now, Surendra-da who had to leave Pondy by the morning train had to take his meals along with him. In that period the Sadhakas hardly had any cooking arrangements at home. If any they could just may make a cup of tea in their rooms. A few, very few were allowed to cook and that too I believe if there were children at home or needed something other than the D.R. preparation.

So Kaku was supplied with an Ikmic cooker. I don’t know whether this contraption is still found in some household, just a brief description may give some idea to the new generation.

It is a tiffin carrier encased in a metal body. At the bottom there used to be a tray like bowl in which one had to put coal or charcoal and above in the carrier with 3/4 bowls measured rice, dal, water and ingredients. Put fire on the charcoal/ coal and let it take its course. The amount of coal or charcoal regulated the fire. Kaku used this till Pondy was a part of Indian Territory. For me who had come across only of wood burning oven, spirit stove, this particular cooker certainly was a novelty.

On 19th February early morning we arrived at Madras central station. From there how we reached Egmore I don’t remember. But after reaching the station a middle aged man informed that the next train was only in the afternoon; so we had no other option but spend the whole day at the station. And the day passed for me gazing at the people around us, not so much for their dress or stature as much for their language. We were but dumb witnesses to all that passed around us. Uncle with whom I travelled was for a short time in the army so he could speak some sort of Hindi. His English was zero, except a few words and that too pronounced in Bengali intonation. The middle aged gentleman was there with us and tried to help us with our meals. He bought some idlies in the morning and in the afternoon two packets of rice mixed with sambar.

When the train arrived he showed us the compartment and in return as far as I remember uncle gave him a rupple or so. By evening we reached Kandamangalam. A tall and robust gentleman entered the compartment, walked directly towards us and asked my name. Beside him was another gentleman whom I recognised not very assuredly as my uncle Suren Dutta (I was meeting him nearly after a decade). We took the train for Pondy and reached the French territory at about 8.30PM.

In the fifties there were no rickshaws as we see them today. They were pulled by men; we can still find them in some localities in Kolkata. On the way I was shown the Ashram building. Next day being a Sunday, was the day for blessings. In the fifties the Mother used to come down to the Meditation Hall and give blessings three days a week: Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. I believe even before that she used to come for blessing everyday.

Before coming down to the Meditation Hall she came for Balcony Darshan, the northern balcony on the first floor. Balcony Darshan was daily whereas I mentioned there were only three days a week of Blessings. She would come to Balcony any time between 9 am and 11 am. But on blessing days she would try to come by 9 or 9.30 am.

Balcony Darshan at that particular hour and also Her coming down to Blessings came to an end when in mid-fifties She was indisposed; thus an old routine of the Ashram came to an end. From then on the Balcony Darshan shifted to early morning between 6 - 6.30 am. This continued till she stopped coming down to the first floor. After that we saw The Mother on four Darshan days on the eastern balcony of the second floor and if she permitted then on our birthdays; we would go to the second floor in Her room or in The Music room and received Her Blessings.

As I have mentioned about he Balcony Darshan, it may interest some to know a few interesting points. If one was observant then in a few days time one saw a distinct pattern of The Ashramites coming, going and taking there place in the gathering.

In earlier days by nine in the morning one could see Thakuma (Charu Dutta’s wife), Puti-di or Pratibha Devi, a relative of C. R. Das and his nieces (Sahana-di and her sisters), Charubala-di - sister of freedom fighter Suryasen of Chittagang, Mridu-di who used to cook for Sri Aurobindo, taking their respective places on the footpath in front of Mridu-di’s house. Around them there would be Priti-di, Minoo-di; Amita-di, Arati-di, Lilouben, Pushpaben, Chitra-di and others. One could say every one had his/her fixed place to stand and wait for the Mother. And I believe by this the Mother was also aware of the Ashramites present for Balcony Darshan. For if She found someone absent (in earlier days) She would ask Amrita-da or Nolini-da to find out whether the individual was unwell. This reminds me of an incident I heard from one of the old Sadhaks.

This particular individual was still visiting the Ashram as a visitor and in those days whoever even visited the Ashram tried to learn a few French sentences or words thinking that if the Mother said something in front of them, they may be able to understand a little of what She spoke. So often they would catch hold of Benjamin an old and ancient Sadhak and try to learn smattering of French sentences or words. This particular gentleman did the same and instead of going to the Balcony Darshan he had gone to Benjamin to learn French and became late. The Mother must have marked his absence so when Amrita-da and Nolini-da went to the Mother for their daily work, She asked Amrita-da to find out why so and so’s brother was absent for Balcony Darshan.

After the work when Amrita-da came down he asked one of helpers to go and ask the individual to come and meet him. This visitor has been praying to the Mother to accept him in the Ashram but the Mother always assured him that she would call him at an appropriate time. She did exactly that, when She needed his service. So at Amrita-da’s summon he rushed to the Ashram thinking that may hap the Mother has decided to make him an Ashramite, only to be charged by Amrita-da, “Why were you absent for Balcony Darshan ?”

“How do you know that I wasn’t present?”

“I didn’t”, replied Amrita-da, “The Mother told us so.”

“But I thought the Mother didn’t know me” was the lame excuse.

“Just remember this”, Amrita-da in his mild way admonished, “She knows each one of us, never make this mistake.”

Going back to Balcony Darshan most of the Ashramites would gather on the road below the balcony. In the early fifties one of Sri Aurobindo’s nieces lived for a period in the Ashram. She used to stand on the footpath by the side of the small door of the staircase going up to the first floor. The Mother would come out and step directly to the eastern side of the balcony, look down on this lady and give a board smile. Then Her look would move from near to far; after taking note of those present she stepped to the northern side and in a long sweeping look as if she gathered everyone in Her fold concentrated for a few minutes or so. Then She stepped back and the gathering dispersed.

My first Darshan of the Mother wasn’t at the balcony but at the time of Blessings. I still remember 20th Feb.1953, a Sunday. And it being a Sunday those who worked in different departments were free. So two of my aunt’s friends came too, I believe out of curiosity, to see what type of material I was made of. They sort of decided what frock I was to wear, how I should comb my hair before going to the Mother and after being ready; with my uncle I went along with them to The Ashram. We entered the Ashram premises and what struck us was flowers, flowers, flowers every where. It was a fairy land of colours and fragrance.

We were shown the Samadhi and after offering our pranam we stood on a queue to go to the Mother.

On the turning corner to the Meditation Hall, the circle in which there now is a bush of “Joy of faithfulness,” there was an adult pine tree and under it stood an imposing figure of a middle aged man with a big Vermilion tika on the forehead. He was simply dressed in a dhoti and chadar, who very much resembled a priest of a temple, particularly that of a “devi” temple. Step by step we advanced towards the Meditation Hall and from a point one could see, the Mother seated and three or four people around Her.

Expression on Her face varied according to the individual in front of Her. But most of the time it was smile of great beauty.

We approached Her, She gave us each a white flower with very long petal and we moved out of the Meditation Hall. We didn’t have the time to see anything around, as She was the centre of gravity, the focal point. One didn’t have the eyes for anything else.

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