"Every step you take you may always ask

for something."

Extracts from an interview with An u Purani by

Anie Nunnally :from the book 'The Golden Path'

Early days in the Ashram

Well, I was just an infant and there was actually not much of an Ashram community at that time and no school. I remember one story that my father told about me when I was still in the crawling stage. My father's quarters were just across from Sri Aurobindo's rooms. The talks with sadhaks would take place in the evenings. The sadhaks meditated also with Sri Aurobindo and perhaps I heard them speaking about meditation. Sometimes, as Sri Aurobindo's room had swinging doors, I would crawl into Sri Aurobindo's room and settle into a chair. My father would come looking for me and apologize to Sri Aurobindo....

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Once Mother asked me to dance and in the story I had to conquer the Asura (evil power). The Asura was attracted to me. I found this to be so difficult. Nothing seemed right in the way of dance movements. Usually I hear a sound within my head indicating the correct choreographic movement. It is like a bell inside me. But that bell never rang. I went to the Mother and I started to cry. She then showed me the correct movements Herself. So, I repeated them in front of Her and She said, "Yes, that is it!" She would come to see the dress rehearsals and She saw me on the stage. She asked me to dance again and I thought that was the greatest compliment anyone could receive so I happily danced for Her again.

I remember trembling all over when I saw Mother and Sri Aurobindo on darshan days. Once the Mother asked me, after one of the darshans (Sri Aurobindo was still here at that time), "How was the darshan? For what do you ask? " I said, "Mother, I do not ask anything." She said, "Every step you take you may always ask for something. " So, one day I asked Her if Sri Aurobindo was pleased with me. She said, "Yes. " I asked, "Why doesn't He smile at me?" Mother said, "He doesn't smile, but he is pleased. " This would be the last Darshan that I would have of Mother and Sri Aurobindo together. I could see that Sri Aurobindo was uneasy and uncomfortable. I felt like going quickly. Then He looked straight at me and smiled. His look completely stopped me and I began to cry and cry. Something told me that I would not see Him again. This was November 24, 1950 and of course He withdrew from His body on December 5, 1950.

By 1978 I was fully involved as a teacher at Udavi School -Auroville. I have greatly expanded inwardly from my experience at Udavi... I felt they were all my children. I was so proud of them. I knew some would go to college and one boy even entered the army. It was total/ unconditional love on my part towards them.

Sanjeev Agarwal of SAIIER (Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research) in Auroville came to see what the children were doing. He saw them acting, dancing, reciting

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and he was impressed. Sanjeev asked me to be the director of the school.

Courtesy: East West Cultural Centre, Culvercity, CA 90230

(Joined as an infant in the ashram, Anu Purani was a dancer, choreographer, writer and teacher at Udavi Village School, Auroville)

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