Words of the Mother - I

Paid Workers

You should be very polite with those who depend upon you for their living. If you ill-treat them, they feel very much but cannot reply to you as man to man for fear of losing their job.

There may be some dignity in being rough with your superiors, but with those who depend on you, the true dignity is to be very courteous.

23 June 1932

The shoe-maker would like a raise. He requests me to ask you for 10 rupees instead of 8, as he has to support a family of three.

Family considerations do not interest me at all. The salary should depend on the work of the worker, on his ability, his regularity, not on the number of people he has to feed. For if we took these circumstances into consideration, it would no longer be paid work but charity, and as I have said very often, we are not a relief committee. As a general rule I have not increased the salary of the workers and servants this year, but if this boy works very well and if you are satisfied with his behaviour, I can give him 9 rupees instead of 8, to begin with.

30 August 1932

When the workmen come to fetch their billas¹ do not detain them unduly.

After a day's work they need to go home for rest.

4 February 1933

Page 169

A servant is not a convict and must be allowed some amount of liberty and free movement.

I am sure that servants behave according to the way they are treated.

10 March 1935

It is very bad to constantly rebuke servants―the less you scold them, the better it is. When X asks you to scold them you must refuse to do so and tell him that I have forbidden you to do it.

As for your co-workers, each one must be left free to do according to his own feelings.

My love and blessings.

16 May 1940

If you are sure that the servants are robbing, it proves that they are not properly supervised and you will have to look to it more carefully.

19 July 1940

I told you already my point of view about the number of workmen. The more they are, the less they do. I do not approve of 14 men for the vegetables. The work can be done and well done with much less.

1 November 1943

My dear child,

X will have told you my decision about Y. I had to take it, in spite of your "objection", because this man only asked to be given another work in the Ashram; he neither threatened nor

Page 170

asked for more wages. He is a good worker and it would be a pity to lose him. This you can easily understand if you get over the first egoistic reactions to this affair; and surely you cannot accept the feeling of being "insulted" which is quite unyogic.

I hope that after reading this you will recover and come to a truer view of this very small and unimportant event.

With my love and blessings.

13 October 1944

You can take him as daily labourer at annas 10 per day, but I refuse to pay overtime; you will have to see that he finishes his work in time. Our experience is constant that when the workmen are paid overtime they do practically nothing during the working hours and so manage to have regularly overtime pay at a very high rate.

1 February 1945

Today after a break of several years owing to the tragic events which have disrupted the world, we resume our established custom of distributing cloth at New Year.

Unfortunately circumstances are still very difficult, almost worse than during the war, and do not allow me to do what I would have liked. The clothes I shall distribute today are all I could obtain, and even that was extremely difficult. I will only add that I hope that next year it will be better.

1 January 1946

DECLARATION TO THE WORKERS OF SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM

It is my desire to explain to the workers the special relationship that exists between them and me as compared with the ordinary relationship between employer and employees. It is also

Page 171

my desire that having understood this special relationship the workers should always keep this understanding before them in all their deliberations and in all the joint demands which they make to me.

This special relationship is as follows:

(a) The work in the Ashram is not done for profit, as is well known. Therefore during the war when things became expensive and difficult for everyone, it became so for me too, without my income increasing in any way by the fact of the same circumstances. Industrial and commercial concerns made more profits and so could easily increase the wages, but here in the Ashram only the expenses went on increasing. In spite of this, in view of the difficulties of the workers I gave them regular increments and dearness allowances.

(b) There have been times when there was no work for some workers, but unlike business firms I have never dismissed workers but have always endeavoured to find some other work for them to do. It has always been my policy not to send away, for want of work, workers who have served faithfully. I could have easily done so and could have even closed down all the works without any serious hardship to the Ashram. But by doing so I would have only increased the general misery which is already so great, and that I did not want to do.

(c) There are a good number of workers who have worked for me for many long years and have served me with devotion and faithfulness and who besides considering me as their employer have also looked to me as their protector, of them and their families.

(d) On the whole the workers of the Ashram have so far worked more or less as members of a family with me as their head, and this special relationship has no doubt brought benefit to many of them. I would like to preserve this relationship and make it the foundation for all my dealings with the workers.

With these points in view, it is suggested that the workers of the Ashram should form a separate syndicate of their own,

Page 172

since they stand with regard to their employer in a different position from other workers, as has already been explained. This syndicate might be affiliated to the general body of workers, but would maintain its own line of action and conduct.

It is further suggested that this syndicate of Ashram workers should elect a committee which represents the various shades of opinion among the workers. This committee would receive and consider the demands put forward by the workers and, having deliberated and arrived at a decision that it considers just and reasonable, would present it to me for action through their president. I will receive with goodwill and sympathy all requests of this kind and will act for the best according to the reasonableness of the demand.

In these times of struggle and conflict and misery and suffering I offer to all who wish to work under me, with me, the possibility of a reciprocal understanding and a fruitful and beneficial collaboration.

5 March 1946

What I said to the workers on April 21st, 1952:

It was unnecessary for you to assemble here and take all this trouble for nothing. But since you are here I have some things to tell you.

First, you are demanding your cloths. I have never said that you would not receive them. But it is difficult to get hold of them and it takes time. They are on the way now and when they arrive you will be informed.

As for an increase in your wages, I have already answered you, and I repeat, I have overstepped the limits of my present resources and I cannot add to my expenditure in any way. So if I increase the wages of some of you, I shall be obliged to dismiss some others in order to compensate. It remains to be seen which is stronger: your individual egoism or your collective egoism.

Page 173

Do you want to increase your own earnings at the expense of the livelihood of some of your fellow-workers?

You complain that you live in misery; and I tell you that you live in misery because you waste your money on drinking and smoking and because you waste your energy in sexual excess. All these—alcohol, tobacco and sexual excess—ruin your health.

Money does not bring happiness. The Sannyasi who possesses nothing and usually eats only one meal a day is perfectly happy if he is sincere. Whereas a rich man may be thoroughly unhappy if he has ruined his health by all sorts of excess and over-indulgence.

I repeat, it is not money that makes a man happy, but rather an inner balance of energy, good health and good feelings. Stop drinking, smoking and over-indulging, stop hating and envying, and then you will no longer lament your lot, you will no longer feel that the world is full of misery.

April 1952

TO THE EMPLOYEES OF SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM

What I wish to do for you.

I shall tell you how I view the solution of your problems, both individual and collective, and what is the truth of the relation between us.

But for the working out of the programme I am going to place before you, two essential conditions are necessary. First, I must have the financial means to execute my plan; secondly, you must show a minimum of sincerity, honesty and goodwill in your attitude towards me and towards your work. You have most unfortunately the habit of trying to deceive me. Bad advisers have taught you that that is the best thing to do in your relation with your employer. It may be that when the employer himself seeks to deceive you and exploit you, this attitude on your part is legitimate. But in regard to me it is a foolishness

Page 174

and a blunder; first of all, because you cannot deceive me and your deceit becomes immediately obvious and takes away from me all desire to come to your aid, and secondly because I am not a "boss" and I do not seek to exploit you.

All my effort is towards realising in the world as much truth as actual circumstances will allow; and with the increase of truth, the welfare and happiness of all will necessarily increase.

Differences of caste and class have no truth for me; all that counts is individual value. My aim is to create a big family in which it will be possible for each one to fully develop his capacities and express them. Each one will have his place and occupation in accordance with his capacities and in a relation of goodwill and brotherhood.

As a consequence of such a family organisation there will be no need of remuneration or wages. Work should not be a means of earning one's livelihood; its purpose should be twofold: first to develop one's nature and capacity for action, and, secondly, in proportion to one's physical means and moral and intellectual aptitude, to give service to the family to which one belongs and to whose welfare it is but proper to contribute, as it is proper for the family to provide for the real needs of each of its members.

To give a concrete form to this ideal under the present conditions of life, my idea is to build a kind of city accommodating at the outset about two thousand persons. It will be built according to the most modern plans, meeting all the most up-to-date requirements of hygiene and public health. It will have not only residential houses, but also gardens and sportsgrounds for physical culture. Each family will be lodged in a separate house; bachelors will be grouped according to their occupations and affinities.

Nothing necessary for life will be forgotten. Kitchens equipped in the most modern hygienic way will supply equally to all simple and healthy food, assuring the energy necessary for the proper maintenance of the body. They will function on a co-operative basis of work in common and of collaboration.

Page 175

In the matter of education, what is necessary is to arrange for the moral and intellectual instruction and development of all, children and adults: various schools, technical instruction in different vocations, classes for music and dance, a cinema hall where educational films will be shown, a lecture hall, a library, a reading room, varied physical education, a sportsground and so on.

Each one can choose the kind of activity that is most suitable to his nature and will receive the required training. Even small gardens will be provided where those who like cultivation can grow flowers, fruits and vegetables.

In the matter of health, there will be regular medical visits, a hospital, a dispensary, a nursing home for the segregation of contagious cases. A department of hygiene will have the exclusive function of inspecting all public and private buildings to see that the most rigorous rules of cleanliness are observed everywhere and by all. As natural adjuncts to this department public baths and common laundries will be put at the disposal of everyone.

Finally, big stores will be set up where one can find all the small "extras" which give life variety and pleasantness and which one will get against "coupons" that will be given in recompense for especially notable achievement in work or conduct.

I shall not give a long description of the organisation and the working of the institution, although everything in it to the smallest details has already been foreseen.

It goes without saying that for admission to live in this ideal place the essential conditions that need to be fulfilled are good character, good conduct, honest, regular and efficient work and a general goodwill.

10 July 1954

Do you know the story of the hen that laid golden eggs? There was once a peasant whose entire fortune consisted of one hen; but this was a wonderful hen. Every other day she gave him a

Page 176

golden egg. Now this peasant in his stupid and greedy ignorance imagined that the hen's body must be full of gold, and that if he opened it up he would find a great treasure. So he slit her open―and found nothing. Thus he lost both the hen and the eggs.

This story shows us that ignorant and stupid greed is sure to lead to ruin. So learn a lesson from it and understand that if you demand from me what is beyond my means, and if I were so foolish as to yield to you, I should go straight to my ruin and the result would be that all the work would be stopped and you would be out of work and would therefore have no wages at all, and no way to earn your living.

18 March 1955

To increase the salary of some will mean to deprive others of their livelihood.

Be careful about the various reports of the workers―they are always biased. Each one speaks always with his preferences (likes and dislikes) and twists things.

How to remove the distrust from our workers?

Can you make the blind see?

The whole of humanity―with very few exceptions―distrusts the Divine and yet His Grace is most active.

The Employer to the Employee

Nothing lasting can be established without a basis of trust. And this trust must be mutual.

Page 177

You must be convinced that it is not only my good that I am aiming at, but also yours. And on my side I must know and feel that you are here not merely to profit but also to serve.

There is no welfare of the whole without the welfare of each part. There is no harmonious growth of the whole without the progress of each one of its parts.

If you feel you are being exploited, I also will feel that you are trying to exploit me. And if you fear you are being deceived, I also will feel that you are trying to deceive me.

It is only in straightforwardness, sincerity and confidence that human society can progress.

(About the treatment of servants)

Don't be indulgent, don't be severe.

They should know that you see everything, but you should not scold them.

2 July 1968

Page 178