India's Rebirth

1872, Aug. 15

-Sri Aurobindo is born in Calcutta; he spends his first years at Rang pur (now in Bangladesh), and at the age of 5 is sent to Loreto Convent School, Darjeeling.

1878,Feb. 21

- Mother is born in Paris.

1879,June

-Sri Aurobindo leaves India for England with his parents and his two elder brothers. He spends 5 years in Manchester, enters St. Paul's School, London, in 1884, and King's College, Cambridge, in 1890.

1885,Dec

-First session of the Indian National Congress at Bombay.

1886,Aug. 16

-Sri Ramakrishna passes away.

1892,August

- Sri Aurobindo passes the I.C.S.; he does not appear at a riding test and is disqualified.

1893,Feb. 6

- Lands at Bombay and soon joins the State service of the Maharaja Greek wad of Baroda. From August 1893 to March 1894, contributes a series of articles, "New Lamps for Old," to the Indu Prakash.

1893,May 31

- Swami Vivekananda sails for America.

1894,April 8

-Bankim Chandra Chatterji passes away. In July August, Sri Aurobindo writes a series of articles on him in the Indu Prakash.

1897-

Sri Aurobindo teaches French, then English at the Baroda College; he will become its Vice-Principal in 1905.

1897, Jan. 15

- Swami Vivekananda lands at Colombo, and on his way north delivers many lectures throughout India.

c. 1900

-Sri Aurobindo makes first contacts with secret societies in Maharashtra and Bengal.

1901,April 30

- Sri Aurobindo marries Mrinalini Bose.

1902,July 4

-Swami Vivekananda passes away.

1905

-Sri Aurobindo writes Bhawani Mandir, a revolutionary pamphlet. - Partition of Bengal, beginning of the Swadeshi movement.

1906, June

- Sri Aurobindo leaves Baroda for good.

1906, August

Bepin Chandra Pal launches the Bande Mataram (English daily); Sri Aurobindo joins it and soon becomes its editor.

On August 15, the Bengal National College opens with Sri Aurobindo as its principal.

1906, Dec.

At its Calcutta session presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji, the Congress declares Swaraj to be its goal.

1907,Aug.16

Sri Aurobindo is arrested for the publication of seditious writings in the Bande Mataram; released on bail. He resigns his post of principal of the Bengal National College, giving on August 23 a speech to the students and teachers. Acquitted a month later.

1907, Dec.

At the Surat session of the Congress, the Nationalist party with Sri Aurobindo presiding over its conference breaks away from the Moderates

First session of the Muslim League at Karachi.

1908, January

In Baroda, Sri Aurobindo meets Vishnu Bhaskar Lele, a Maharashtrian yogi, and experiences the Brahman consciousness. Gives many speeches on his way back to Calcutta.

1907-1908

Many Nationalist leaders, such as Lala Lajpat Rai, Tilak, Ashwini Kumar Dutt, etc., are deported under various repressive laws. The Nationalist movement goes underground.

1908, May2

Sri Aurobindo is arrested in the Alipore Bomb Case; spends a year in jail and is acquitted on May 6, 1909.

1909

he Morley-Minto reforms provide separate electorates for Indian Muslims.

1909, May30

Sri Aurobindo's famous Uttarpara speech.

1909,June 19

First issue of the Karmayogin (English weekly).

1909, Aug. 23

First issue of the Dharma (Bengali weekly).

1910, February

Sri Aurobindo abruptly leaves Calcutta for Chan-dernagore; on March 31, he will leave for Pondicherry.

1910, April 4

Sri Aurobindo reaches Pondicherry. Charged with sedition for an article in the Karmayogin (the charge will be rejected in November).

1914, March 29

- First meeting with Mother.

1914, June

- Tilak is released from a six-year-long deportation to Burma.

1914, Aug. 15

-First issue of the Arya (English monthly), which will appear until January, 1921.

1916, Dec

- "Lucknow Pact" between the Congress and the Muslim League.

1919-1920

-Beginning of the Khilafat and non-cooperation movements under the growing leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

1920

- Sri Aurobindo turns down several offers to return to British India and to active politics.

1920, April 24

- Mother returns to Pondicherry from Japan.

1920, Aug.1

- Lokmanya Tilak passes away.

1920, October

- Dr. B. S. Munje pays a visit to Sri Aurobindo.

1920, Dec.

- Nagpur session of the Congress; the goal of Swaraj is eclipsed by the Khilafat agitation.

1923, June 5

- Chittaranjan Das meets Sri Aurobindo.

1923, Sept

-Creation of the Swarajya Party.

1925, Jan. 5

- Lala Lajpat Rai and Purushottama Tendon meet Sri Aurobindo.

1925,June 16

- Deshbandu Chittaranjan Das passes away.

1926,Nov. 24

-Sri Aurobindo withdraws completely to concentrate on his work.

1928, Feb. 16

- Rabindranath Tagore meets Sri Aurobindo.

1928,Nov. 17

-Lala Lajpat Rai passes away a few weeks after having been assaulted by the police during a demonstration at Lahore.

1929,Dec.

- The Lahore session of the Congress, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, adopts the goal of complete independence.

1930-1932

-Three Round Table Conferences with, in August 1932, the Communal Award which hardens divisions between Hindus and Muslims. Savage repression of the Civil Disobedience Movement by the British ruler

1937

- Formation of Congress ministries in the Provinces.

1938, Nov. 24

-Sri Aurobindo breaks his leg while walking in concentration.

1939,Sept.

- World War II breaks out; the Provincial ministries resign in October-November.

1940,March

- The Muslim League, in session at Lahore, formally demands the creation of Pakistan.

1940,Sept. 19

-Sri Aurobindo's declaration in support of the Allies.

1941,March

- Sub has Bose, having escaped from detention in Calcutta, arrives in Germany.

1941,Aug. 7

- Rabindranath Tagore passes away.

1942,March 31

- Sri Aurobindo publicly supports Cripps' proposals; the Congress turns them down.

1942, April

- The Japanese overrun Burma and bomb cities on India's east coast.

1942, Aug. 9

- Start of the "Quit India" movement; Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders are arrested soon afterwards.

1944, July

-Sub has Bose's Indian National Army and the Japanese are repulsed in Manipur.

1946, Aug. 16

-The Muslim League launches its "Direct Action" plan; bloody riots follow in Bengal and Bihar.

1946,Sept. 2

- Formation of the Interim Government, which the Muslim League joins a month later.

1947,March 24

- Lord Mountbatten is the new Viceroy.

1947, June

-On the 3^rd, Mountbatten announces the British government's final decision to grant India independence on the basis of partition; on the 14^th, the Congress accepts the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan.

1947, Aug. 15

-India's Independence; Sri Aurobindo's 75^th birthday.

1947,October

- Pakistan attacks Kashmir; the Indian army repels Pakistani troops, but Nehru calls a halt to the fighting and takes the dispute to the United Nations.

1948,Jan. 30

- Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated.

1950, October

-China invades Tibet; India remains a silent spectator.

1950, Dec. 5

- Sri Aurobindo leaves his body. Mother continues his work.