My Savitri work with the Mother

15 September 1960

My parents and all the family members were now in Pondicherry, because on 15th September 1960 the Mother was to inaugurate The New Horizon Sugar Mills Ltd. at Sacrur, about twelve miles from the town. She came there in the afternoon and pressed the button—the siren lifted its banshee voice. Then she saw the whole process of sugar-making. The huge rollers squeezed out the sugar-cane juice which was then pumped into large tanks to be heated, clarified with certain chemicals and then allowed to settle and dry. Finally the sugar was packed in big bags. The smell of heavy sweet molasses diffused everywhere.

There was a shower of rain which indicated the Divine's Grace. Afterwards the Mother went into the office and sat on the chair specially made for her. My father offered the Mother Rs. 51,000/-. All my family was photographed with her except me. One last snap was to be taken. I managed to come closer so that I too might come into the picture. Meanwhile Mr. Surendra Mohan Ghosh (M.P.) entered the room. I rose from my place at the sign of command in the Mother's eyes. I was disappointed—I had been left out.

The next morning I went to the Mother. She was with Vasudha in the small passage leading to Sri Aurobindo's room. She looked at me and started telling Vasudha something in French which I failed to comprehend. Her eyes twinkled for one instant as they met mine. She then disclosed:

Yesterday I saw you among your family members. You are quite different from them. You don't belong to them—you have come from another sphere (gesture lifting her index finger up).

Later Vasudha told me that the Mother had said the same thing to her in French. I laughed at my stupidity and thought: "I should not have been disturbed when I was not photographed."