Champaklal Speaks

Portrait of Sri Aurobindo

1948-02-22

A letter was received from the Danish artist who had taken Sri Aurobindo's photograph in standing profile and also done an oil painting.¹ He was offering to sell his painting for Rs. 3,500.

Mother: “We cannot afford it; it is not worth it.”

C: “You had said it was very well done, very good, very good.”

Mother: “To whom did I say that?” I did not answer.

Mother repeated the question but still I did not answer. She said quietly: “Yes, but it is not worth paying that much for it.”

I said something which looked like I was insisting. Then Sri Aurobindo who had been listening all the while, said with some force: “But she says it is not worth...”

C: “Yes, for Mother it is not worth, but for me it is.” (I had heard that the artist himself considered it excellent.)

After Mother's passing, the artist's wife offered to sell it for $ 6,000; but the Ashram could not afford it. Finally, through Jayantilal's efforts, Eckhard, a German disciple, purchased and presented the painting to the Ashram in December 1978.