Moments Eternal

Birthdays

Birthdays come year after year to whisper softly in our ear: know this life to be ever new

As at break of morn

Each new day is born,

Lit up with a joy forever true.

On our birthday we are immersed in a sea of infinite joy without even knowing it. No sooner have we met than friends and acquaintances happily greet us with ‘Bonne Fête’. What an extraordinary atmosphere is created on this day as we are led to recharge ourselves for taking our life forward through the coming year. One feels such eagerness, enthusiasm and joy on one’s birthday. One feels: ‘My soul is ageless, eternal. Eternity is my birthright.’ On this day our soul bows to the Mother in a movement of total faith and devotion with the resolve to walk on the path of life with renewed energy.

In the outside world this day also brings every year a special happiness and love into our lives. Many of the Mother’s children who live far away come rushing back to the Ashram even today in order to offer their pranam on this special occasion. They go to Sri Aurobindo’s room to meditate and as they bow to the Mother and the Master a prayer for progress rises in their heart and a marvellous divine glow lights up the face before they return to their everyday lives.

We would start making gowns, salwar-kameezes, handkerchiefs, right from the beginning of the year. In between work, especially on Sundays, we would all be busy with embroidery. So little time and so much to offer to the Mother! The Mother looked at all these offerings with a lot of interest. Smriti used to offer a lot of hand-painted handkerchiefs to the Mother on each birthday. On one birthday Smriti did not have enough time to prepare them. When she went to the Mother the Mother asked her:

“Haven’t you made anything for me?”

Smriti was both terribly surprised and embarrassed. From that time she never went to the Mother empty-handed. And even today she never fails to make as many handkerchiefs as she can in order to offer them to Her. The Mother must certainly be still appreciating these handkerchiefs from the subtle world and blessing Smriti with Her infinite love. Sumedha, Sudha, Kokila, Nirata and several other young girls from the school used to offer all kinds of embroidered things to the Mother, all exquisitely beautiful. The girls remained busy through the year with this.

The Mother too gave us all kinds of gifts on our birthday. We received books of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The younger ones received bags full of toffees. The Mother would fill up the bags with the same number of toffees as the years the person had completed. The children were so thrilled really!

You must have all seen this photo of the Mother: She is sitting and on Her lap She has placed a tray of flowers over an exquisitely embroidered cloth. She is waiting for the birthday people. Her eyes are looking very far away, towards the skies. When you look at this picture you feel that the Mother is praying for Her children’s well-being. What a marvellous picture it is indeed!

On every person’s birthday the Mother would personally bless him or her with Her special birthday blessings. Along with flowers we all received from Her a personalised envelope and a card inside. The Mother wrote the person’s name very carefully on the envelope and a few words on the card. The Mother used to keep a notebook which had the birth-dates of everyone. All the birthday people were given the opportunity of going up to Her for pranam. Everyone waited with bated breath for this happy moment. On waking up the first thought used to be, and still is today, ‘Ah! Today is my birthday!’ A mysterious joy coursed through the mind and heart. On this day we felt love for each and every thing: love and affection for one and all would flow out from the inmost heart!

How my heart has bloomed today,

In warm embrace with the world at play,

Ah, what’s this feeling at break of light?

Whose face to touch my eyes delight?

We would inwardly bow down to the Mother and launch a new year on our birthday.

Be it young or old, the Mother filled each one with Her inexhaustible Love.

Why did the Mother give such importance and significance to the birthday?

She told Mona many things about this:

Yes, it is truly a special day in one’s life. It is one of those days in the year when the Supreme descends into us—or when we are face to face with the Eternal—one of those days when our soul comes in contact with the Eternal and, if we remain a little conscious, we can feel His Presence within us. If we make a little effort on this day, we accomplish the work of many lives as in a lightning flash. That is why I give so much importance to the birthday, because what one gains in one day is truly something incomparable.

This is truly an opportunity in life. One is so open and so receptive that one can assimilate all that is given. I can do many things, that is why it is important.

The birthday celebration was equally joyous in the Playground too. All the groups would greet the person on his birthday with a loud Bonne Fête (Happy birthday) as the person, whether from the group of small children or from the group of grown-ups, stood before them. And immediately after this the birthday person would respond with Victoire à la Douce Mère (Victory to Sweet Mother)!

This custom was continued by the captains of the different groups very beautifully. It was lovely to hear the little children sweetly exclaim Victoire à la Douce Mère.

The grown-ups were one step ahead. They enjoyed singing all kinds of amusing songs on the birthday person, Udar Pinto and an elderly sadhak in particular. He is a jolly good fellow sounded beautiful in Udar’s voice and I can still hear the strains of that song…

Once there was a lot of hullabaloo in the Playground on Dyuman-da’s birthday, even though he was not a member of any sports group. A few people lifted him on their shoulders and took him around the Playground singing songs. And the Mother watched this childlike behaviour of the grown-ups, smiling and amused.

On Nolini-da’s birthday everyone would exclaim Bonne Fête à Nolini-da and there was respect in their greeting. Normally the birthday person used to respond to this greeting with Victoire à la Douce Mère but Nolini-da responded with à la Douce Mère, Victoire! It was very moving to hear Nolini-da utter à la Douce Mère, Victoire. The entire Playground resounded with this cry repeated by all the group members together: à la Douce Mère, Victoire.

Ah, so many incidents come flooding into the mind…

On Pranab’s birthday there used to be a lot of excitement in the Playground. The Mother personally celebrated his birthday in a very special way.

In his hometown, little Pranab’s birthday used to be a very simple affair. His mother, Prafullamayi-di, would fast on his birthday and pray for her son. Little Pranab was served a bowl of rice-milk dessert which he ate with great relish.

In our days this is how birthdays were celebrated back home. All the mothers spent the day in deep prayer for their son’s well-being. There was absolutely no ostentation or excitement.

In the Ashram a birthday took on quite another meaning. On this day each one received from the Mother a big bouquet of different flowers and some books of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

When that same little Pranab grew up and came to the Ashram, the Mother began celebrating his birthday in a special way from the very beginning. A wave of joy would unfurl over the Playground. On the Mother’s instructions, a special physical demonstration was organised by the boys and girls of the different groups. The Mother watched this demonstration along with Pranab. Before starting, the groups would stand in the Playground in their assigned spots. The Mother stood in the centre and called out Bonne Fête four times in the four directions. Then everyone repeated Bonne Fête after Her, all together. The whole atmosphere at that time was indescribable.

The Mother would start collecting gifts for Pranab on his birthday right from the beginning of the year: seven or eight boxes of different clothes, shoes, socks, toiletries, perfumes and colognes. Half a dozen people would go to fetch these boxes. She would offer him two boxes full of chocolate. He received two birthday cards from Her with the instructions that one could be shown to those who wanted to see it while the other was strictly for him. She also gave him a beautiful envelope filled with money. And the amount of money increased with each birthday. I still am amazed when I think of all those times.

Pranab was very fond of red. That is why the Mother would wear a red dress on his birthday. A new salwar-kameez was lovingly stitched by Minu, Bela, Jayi and others for the Mother at Her tailoring department under Vasudha’s directions. A red kameez with zari flowers was made for the Mother out of a Benarasi silk sari.

Vasudha, myself and the boys who used to play tennis with the Mother waited for Her at the Tennis-court. And then we would hear the horn! The Mother’s car gently entered the ground. We would all stand in rapt attention. And then as soon as Amiyo opened the door the Mother would come out smiling and stride ahead. It is impossible to describe the Mother’s beauty then. How marvellous She looked!

The Mother explained to Pranab the significance of the birthday:

There are some special days in the year when an individual can take a leap on the path of progress by making use of such a day like a spring-board. The birthday is one such day.

Even today the birthday brings to us the Mother’s invaluable love and Her blessings.