Autobiographical Notes

and Other Writings of Historical Interest

 

CONTENTS

 

Pre-content

 

 

PART ONE

 

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

   
 

Section One

 

Life Sketches and Other Autobiographical Notes

   
 

Sri Aurobindo: A Life Sketch

   

Sri Aurobindo: A Life Sketch

   

Appendix: Letters on “Sri Aurobindo: A Life Sketch”

     
 

Incomplete Life Sketches

   

Incomplete Life Sketch in Outline Form, c. 1922

   

Fragmentary Life Sketch, c. 1928

     
 

Other Autobiographical Notes

   

A Day in Srinagar

   

Information Supplied to the King’s College Register

     
 

Section Two

 

Corrections of Statements Made in Biographies and Other Publications 

     
 

Early Life in India and England, 1872 – 1893

   

Language Learning

   

At Manchester

   

School Studies

   

In London

   

Early Poetry

   

At Cambridge

   

The Riding Examination

   

Political Interests and Activities

   

The Meeting with the Maharaja of Baroda

   

Departure from England

     
 

Life in Baroda, 1893 – 1906

   

Service in Baroda State

   

Language Study at Baroda

   

Poetry Writing at Baroda

   

Meetings with His Grandfather at Deoghar

     
 

Political Life, 1893 – 1910

   

A General Note on Sri Aurobindo’s Political Life

   

The Indu Prakash Articles

   

Beginnings of the Revolutionary Movement

   

Attitude towards Violent Revolution

   

General Note (referring especially to the Alipur Case and Sri Aurobindo’s politics)

   

Sister Nivedita

   

Bhawani Mandir

   

The Indian National Congress: Moderates and Extremists

   

The Barisal Conference and the Start of the Yugantar

   

Principal of the Bengal National College

   

Start of the Bande Mataram

   

The Policy of the Bande Mataram

   

The Bande Mataram Sedition Case

   

The Surat Congress

   

The Alipore Bomb Case

   

The Open Letters of July and December 1909

   

The Karmayogin Case

     
 

The Departure from Calcutta, 1910

   

To Charu Chandra Dutt

   

To the Editor, Sunday Times

   

On an Article by Ramchandra Majumdar

   

To Pavitra (Philippe Barbier Saint Hilaire)

     
 

Life in Pondicherry, 1910 – 1950

   

Meeting with the Mother

   

The Arya

   

The Development of the Ashram

   

Support for the Allies

   

Muslims and the 1947 Partition of Bengal

     
 

Early Spiritual Development

   

First Turn towards Spiritual Seeking

   

Beginnings of Yoga at Baroda

   

Meeting with Vishnu Bhaskar Lele

   

Sadhana 1908 – 1909

     
 

Philosophy and Writings

   

Sources of His Philosophy

   

Perseus the Deliverer

   

Essays on the Gita

   

The Future Poetry

   

The Mother

   

Some Philosophical Topics

   
 

Appendix: Notes of Uncertain Origin

     
 

PART TWO

 

LETTERS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST 

     
 

Section One

 

Letters on Personal, Practical and Political Matters,1890 – 1926

     
 

Family Letters, 1890 – 1919

   

Extract from a Letter to His Father

   

To His Grandfather

   

To His Sister

   

Extract from a Letter to His Brother

   

To His Uncle

   

To His Wife

   

To His Father-in-Law

   
 

Letters Written as a Probationer in the Indian Civil Service, 1892

   

To Lord Kimberley

     
 

Letters Written While Employed in the Princely State of Baroda, 1895 – 1906

   

To the Sar Suba, Baroda State

   

To Bhuban Babu

   

To an Officer of the Baroda State

   

Draft of a Reply to the Resident on the Curzon Circular

   

To the Dewan, on the Government’s Reply to the Letter on the Curzon Circular

   

To the Naib Dewan, on the Infant Marriage Bill

   

A Letter of Condolence

   

To R. C. Dutt

   

To the Principal, Baroda College

   

To the Dewan, on Rejoining the College

   

To the Maharaja

   

A Letter of Recommendation

   
 

Letters and Telegrams to Political and Professional Associates, 1906 – 1926

   

To Bipin Chandra Pal

   

A Letter of Acknowledgement

   

To Hemendra Prasad Ghose

   

To Aswinicoomar Banerji

   

To Dr. S.K. Mullick

   

Telegrams about a Planned Political Reception

   

Extract from a Letter to Parthasarathi Aiyangar

   

Note on a Forged Document

   

To Anandrao

   

To Motilal Roy

   

Draft of a Letter to Saurin Bose

   

To K. R. Appadurai

   

Fragmentary Draft Letter

   

To a Would-be Contributor to the Arya

   

To Joseph Baptista

   

To Balkrishna Shivaram Moonje

   

To Chittaranjan Das

   

To Shyamsundar Chakravarty

   
 

Open Letters Published in Newspapers, 1909 – 1925

   

To the Editor of the Bengalee

   

To the Editor of the Hindu

   

To the Editor of the New India

   

To the Editor of the Hindustan

   

To the Editor of the Independent

   

To the Editor of the Standard Bearer

   

To the Editor of the Bombay Chronicle

     
 

Section Two

 

Early Letters on Yoga and the Spiritual Life, 1911 – 1928

     
 

Extracts from Letters to the Mother and Paul Richard,

   

To Paul Richard

   

To the Mother and Paul Richard

   

Draft of a Letter

     
 

To People in India, 1914 – 1926

   

To N. K. Gogte

   

Draft of a Letter to Nolini Kanta Gupta

   

To A. B. Purani

   

To V. Chandrasekharam

   

Extract from a Letter to K.N. Dixit

   

To Ramchandran

   

To and about V. Tirupati

   

To Daulatram Sharma

     
 

To Barindra Kumar Ghose and Others, 1922 – 1928

   

To Barindra Kumar Ghose

   

To Hrishikesh Kanjilal

   

To Krishnashashi

   

To Rajani Palit

   

Draft Letters to and about Kumud Bandhu Bagchi

     
 

To People in America, 1926 – 1927

   

To Mr. and Mrs. Sharman

   

To the Advance Distributing Company

   

Draft of a Letter to C. E. Lefebvre

   

To and about Anna Bogenholm Sloane

     
 

Draft Letters, 1926 – 1928

   

To an Unknown Person

   

To and about Marie Potel

     
 

Section Three

 

Other Letters of Historical Interest on Yoga and Practical Life, 1921 – 1938

     
 

On Yoga and Fund-raising for the Ashram, 1921 – 1938

   

To and about Durgadas Shett

   

To and about Punamchand M. Shah

     
 

To and about Public Figures, 1930 – 1937

   

Draft of a Letter to Maharani Chimnabai II

   

On a Proposed Visit by Mahatma Gandhi

   

To Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

   

To and about Morarji Desai

   

On a Proposed Visit by Jawaharlal Nehru

   

To Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury

     
 

PART THREE

 

PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONSON INDIAN AND WORLD EVENTS, 1940–1950

     
 

Section One

 

Public Statements, Messages, Letters and Telegrams on Indian and World Events, 1940 – 1950

     
 

On the Second World War, 1940 – 1943

   

Contributions to Allied War Funds

   

Notes about the War Fund Contributions

   

On the War: An Unreleased Statement

   

India and the War

   

On the War: Private Letters That Were Made Public

     
 

On Indian Independence, 1942 – 1947

   

On the Cripps Proposal

   

On the Wavell Plan

   

On the Cabinet Mission Proposals

   

The Fifteenth of August 1947

     
 

On the Integration of the French Settlements in India, 1947 – 1950

   

The Future Union (A Programme)

   

On the Disturbances of 15 August 1947 in Pondicherry

   

Letters to Surendra Mohan Ghosh

   

Note on a Projet de loi

     
 

Messages on Indian and World Events, 1948 – 1950

   

On the Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

   

On the World Situation (July 1948)

   

On Linguistic Provinces (Message to Andhra University)

   

Letters Related to the Andhra University Award

   

The Present Darkness (April 1950)

   

On the Korean Conflict

     
 

Section Two

 

Private Letters to Public Figures and to the Editor of Mother India, 1948 – 1950

   

To Surendra Mohan Ghosh

   

To Kailas Nath Katju

   

To K. M. Munshi

     
 

Notes and Letters to the Editor of Mother India on Indian and World Events, 1949 – 1950

   

On Pakistan

   

On the Commonwealth and Secularism

   

On the Unity Party

   

On French India and on Pakistan

   

On Cardinal Wyszynski, Catholicism and Communism

   

On the Kashmir Problem

   

On “New Year Thoughts”

   

Rishis as Leaders

   

On Military Action

   

The Nehru-Liaquat Pact and After

   

On the Communist Movement

     
 

PART FOUR  

 

PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND NOTICES CONCERNINGSRI AUROBINDO’S ASHRAM AND YOGA, 1927 – 1949 

     
 

Section One

 

Public Statements and Notices concerning the Ashram,1927 – 1937

     
 

Public Statements about the Ashram, 1927 and 1934

   

On the Ashram’s Finances (1927)

   

On the Ashram (1934)

     
 

Notices for Members of the Ashram, 1928 – 1937

   

Notices of May 1928

   

Notices of 1929 – 1937

     
 

Section Two

 

Public Statements about Sri Aurobindo’s Path of Yoga, 1934 and 1949

   

Sri Aurobindo’s Teaching

   

A Message to America

     
 

NOTE ON THE TEXTS

     

 

Letters Written as a Probationer

in the Indian Civil Service, 1892

 

To Lord Kimberley

 

[1]

 

To

the Right Hon the Earl of

Kimberley

Secretary of State

for

India.

6 Burlington Rd

Bayswater W

Monday. Nov. 21. 1892

May it please your Lordship

I was selected as a probationer for the Indian Civil Service in 1890, and after the two years probation required have been rejected on the ground that I failed to attend the Examination in Riding.

I humbly petition your Lordship that a farther consideration may, if possible, be given to my case.

I admit that the Commissioners have been very indulgent to me in the matter, and that my conduct has been as would naturally lead them to suppose me negligent of their instructions; but I hope your Lordship will allow me to lay before you certain circumstances that may tend to extenuate it.

I was sent over to England, when seven years of age, with my two elder brothers and for the last eight years we have been thrown on our own resources without any English friend to help or advise us. Our father, Dr.. K. D. Ghose of Khulna, has been unable to provide the three of us with sufficient for the most necessary wants, and we have long been in an embarrassed position.  

 

Page 149


It was owing to want of money that I was unable always to report cases in London at the times required by the Commissioners, and to supply myself with sufficiently constant practice in Riding. At the last I was thrown wholly on borrowed resources and even these were exhausted.

It was owing to difficulty in procuring the necessary money, that I was late at my appointment on Tuesday Nov 15. I admit that I did not observe the exact terms of the appointment; however I went on to Woolwich by the next train, but found that the Examiner had gone back to London.

If your Lordship should grant me another chance, an English gentleman, Mr.. Cotton, (editor of the Academy) of 107 Abingdon Road, Kensington. W. has undertaken that want of money shall not prevent me from fulfilling the exact instructions of the Commissioners.

If your Lordship should obtain this for me, it will be the object of my life to remember it in the faithful performance of my duties in the Civil Service of India.

I am

Your Lordship's obedient

servant

Aravinda. Acroyd. Ghose

 

[2]

 

6 Burlington Rd

Bayswater W

Monday Dec 12 1892

May it please your Lordship

As the Civil Service Commissioners have decided that they cannot give me a Certificate of qualification for an appointment to the Civil Service of India, I beg to apply to your Lordship for the remainder of the allowance that would have been due to me as a Probationer.

I am fully aware that I have really forfeited this sum by my failure in the Final Examination but in consideration of my bad

Page 150


pecuniary circumstances, I hope your Lordship will kindly listen to my petition.

I enclose the required Certificate as to residence and character at the University.

 

I am

Your Lordship's obedient

servant

A. A. Ghose  

 

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