Sri Aurobindo to Dilip - Volume IV

Notes

1. Kalyan Chowdury (1909-1993) son of Kumud Chowdury, a well-known hunter, studied engineering in Europe. He was a good sportsman who played cricket and tennis remarkably well and also a good shooter. His other kinsmen included General J.N. Chowdury, an ex-Chief of the Indian Army and Pramatha Chowdury, the famous writer. After joining the Ashram he taught Physics and General Science in the Ashram school as well as looking after a paddy field acquired by him for the Ashram. The tiger and leopard skins in Sri Aurobindo’s room were from Kalyan’s or his father’s collections.

2. Surendranath Bandopadhyay (1848-1925), the great Bengali politician, had left his property to his grand-daughter Esha. He founded the newspaper Bengalee.

3. Esha was Dilipda’s niece.

4. Latika Ghose, daughter of Manmohan Ghose, Sri Aurobindo’s second brother.

5. Sachin, most likely Dilipda’s cousin.

6. Tajdar Begum was a sadhika of the Ashram who came from the Royal family of Hyderabad. She was the step-mother of Dara and Rene.

7. Gyanprakash Ghose was a well-known tabla player of Bengal renowned for his extensive knowledge of all the tabla gharanas as well as his own Faroukhabad gharana. He was the Music Director and Station Director of All India Radio, Calcutta.

8. Hashi left her body on January 22.

9. This passage within brackets has been omitted from the published letter.

10. Clough’s line: “Found amid granite dust on the frosty scalp of the Cairngorm.... “

Page 266

11. M. S. Subbulakshmi the well-known singer was born in 1916 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She and her husband, T. Sadasivan dedicated their lives to her music, not for personal gains but for the good of humanity. She gave innumerable concerts in India and abroad. In the forties she performed in four films, one being “Meera, “ based on the life of Mirabai. She learned Hindi bhajans from Dilipda.

12. Annadashankar Roy (1904-2002) was a celebrated novelist, poet and essayist of Bengal. He was awarded Padma-bhushan, Rabindra Puraskar and Vidyasagar Puraskar. He was the Founder-President of Paschimbanga Bangla Academy.

13. Toru Dutt (1856-1877) was one of the earliest poetess of Bengal to write in English and French.

14. Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) was born in Hyderabad. She was a poetess and a nationalist. She was the first lady Governor of Uttar Pradesh after India’s independence.

15. Sotuda, a Royal Chartered Accountant who settled in the Ashram after retirement.

16. Tarapada Patra was in charge of Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, the publisher of Sri Aurobindo’s books and Ashram books. He later settled in the Ashram.

17. Minnie, wife of Chittaranjan Ganguly, brother of Manoran-jan, Kanak, Robi and Amiyo Ganguly.

18. Millie, wife of Anil Bhattacharya, elder brother of Sunil Bhattacharya.

19. Ambalal Sarabhai, a noted industrialist.

20. Bansidhar was a Gujarati sadhak of the Ashram, younger brother of Champaklal.

21. Gurudas Library: Publisher of Dwijendralal Roy and Dilip Kumar Roy’s books.

22. Sajantikanta Das (1900-1962) was a renowned critic who criticised Nazrul, wrote satiric poems and was associated with Probashi, Dainik Bashumati of which he became the editor and of Bangashree. He joined Sanibarer Chithi while studying for M.Sc. and from the eleventh issue he became the editor and soul of it. Several noted authors joined his group. He established Saniranjan Press and Ranjan Publishing House.

23. Professor Gilbert Murray (1866-1957) was a British scholar and intellectual with connections in many spheres. He authored numerous books and was an outstanding scholar on Ancient Greece.

Page 267

24. Jayantilai Parekh was an artist of Santiniketan who studied under Nandanlal Bose, the famous artist and director of Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan. He was a sadhak of the Ashram associated with the publication of Sri Aurobindo Centenary Volumes and also the Founder-Director of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives.

25. Manju Gupta, wife of Asit Ranjan Gupta, was a well-known singer.

26. R.K. Venkataraman Iyer, a sadhak and writer in Tamil who translated some of Sri Aurobindo’s books, a good musician: he was assistant editor of a Tamil daily. He left the Ashram in 1950 to return later.

27. J.N. Chakravarti, a well-known Theosophist, vice-chancellor of Lucknow University and husband of Yashoda Ma, the Guru of Krishnaprem.

28. Indu Roy, manager of the Hindustan Co-operative Insurance Company at Madras. He started “Advent “, a guarterly dedicated to Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga and his writings. He later continued its publication from the Ashram where he settled after retirement.

29. These words within brackets were omitted from the published letter.

30. The sentence within brackets has been omitted from the published version of the letter.

31. Raymond and Sammer were the two architects of Golconde, the oldest guest-house of the Ashram.

32. Mona Pinto (1911-2004), a sadhaka and the caretaker of Golconde, she was the wife of Udar Pinto.

33. Sir Chunilal Mehta: Dilipda and Indira Devi stayed in his house at Pune (Dunlavin Cottage) for six years after leaving Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

34. Dr. K. M. Munshi (1887-1971), eminent novelist, writer, politician and founder of the well-known Institute of Indian culture, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

35. Ranjit Sen a sadhak and Mechanical Engineer related to Jatin Bal (Building Service of the Ashram). He left the Ashram after 1950 and joined the Government Arms Factory, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu and subsequently Dum Dum Factory, Calcutta.

36. Premanand: a Gujarati sadhak who was the Librarian of the Ashram Library.

37. Mrs. Elizabeth Montgomery connected with Harper & Collins publishing house of America. She arranged for the publication of Sri Aurobindo’s books in America and Canada.

38. Sunil Bhattacharya (1920-1988), came to the Ashram in the 1940’s and taught at the Ashram school. A good instrumentalist, he played the sitar remarkably well and had the charge of the Ashram Orchestra.

39. Indira Devi.

40. Roxy – a cinema-cum-Theatre Hall of Calcutta where Dilipda sang. Tagore used to bring his Santiniketan Dance Troupe to perform there, Uday Shankar’s first dance was staged there under Haren Ghosh, an impresario friend of Prithwi Singh and Dilipda.

Page 268

41. Raja Dhirendra Narayan Rao of Lalgola, Murshidabad, Bengal, and poet and friend of Dilipda.

42. Keshav Chandra Sen (1838-1884) joined the Brahmo Samaj in 1857 and launched a dynamic program of social reforms. He was given the title of ‘Acharya’ in 1862 by Devendranath Tagore. He went on to form the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in 1878.

43. King Antigonus (382 BCE-301 BCE), son of Philip and founder of the Antigonid dynasty in 306 BCE. He died in the Battle of Ipsus.

44.Narayan Jyotishi, an early 19^th century astrologer of Bengal.

45. Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), a world famous writer and speaker on psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasized that such a revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.

46. Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934), an English clergyman, author, clairvoyant and prominent member of the Theosophical Society.

47. Annie Besant (1847-1933), a prominent Theosophist, women’s rights activist, writer and orator. She launched the Home Rule movement in 1916 and was also elected the President of the Congress.

48. Dr. Satyavrata Sen, son of Nolini and Ila Sen, started the Tresor Nursing Home in the Ashram.

49. Mahendranath Gupta.

50. Surendranath Jauhar (1903-1986), a freedom fighter and industrialist who founded the New Delhi branch of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Mother’s International School.

51. Rani was the wife of Dr. Somnath Maitra.