Down Memory Lane

Mother's Appointment

Pourna Prema came to see me one evening, early February 1971, with a message from Mother to see her next morning. It was something very important and in connection with Auroville. She knew what I will be told, but thought it would be better if I heard it first from Mother herself.

Mother had stopped seeing people from early December, and in the latter part of January, Nolini had resumed going to her and then Madhav also. But it was just coming and going, work was not resumed yet.

There was some natural suspense in my heart. Never before Mother had sent for me and on the way I felt its importance.

I did my pranam to her as usual and when I lifted my head, she smiled and asked, "Will you do what I say?". It was an unexpected start, but I immediately answered, spontaneously,

"Yes, Mother."

She was still very weak and her voice feeble, but clear. She first spoke of the sad state of Auroville and of the way things were being done there. She specifically mentioned the name of Nava and wanted a change.

"I have none else in view," Mother said. "You are my last chance for Auroville."

Then she spoke of the hard and difficult work that was being assigned to me, in spite of my weak health of which she would take care.

She also said, "Don't think that I am giving you a big and comfortable chair to sit on. You will have lots of difficulties, but I will be with you. You will not give up saying that you are incapable."

She added, "And I will hold you morally responsible for all that happens at Auroville."

In the end she said that if I agree to do the work, she would see me daily with my report and problems, and with her divine solicitude and humility, she added, "I will try to help you."

I repeated, "Yes, Mother."

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The very next morning she asked with expectant smile, "So, what did you do yesterday?" I reported to her, and for further steps suggested to wait for Navajata's return. Mother did not like to wait, and we started in full gear.

A chapter in my life had ended. No more of silent pranams and blessings.

The Auroville work was a full-time occupation. Mother relieved me of several activities, mainly concerning Sri Aurobindo Memorial Fund Society, Sri Aurobindo's Action, and the non-Auroville part of Sri Aurobindo Society.

A sort of Auroville office was there at Navajata's residence and people were called there by him for meetings. We then needed a bigger place for the Auroville Office and shifted to a big hall owned by Sri Aurobindo Society on the sea-side. It came to be known as the Beach Office of Auroville. When Mother told me that meetings should not be held at somebody's house, but in the office, I arranged accordingly and informed Navajata about it.

The land for the Matrimandir building had not yet been purchased. Its construction was a priority of which Mother had been reminding before. Land purchase for the other zones of Auroville was another neglected priority. Regulating the admission of people to Auroville and making the people aware of the needed discipline for the Auroville life was another. Financial management was absent.

I had to look after almost every detail. Here are some of her directions:

For the proper progress of Auroville all personal demands concerning the life of Auroville will be presented to The Mother exclusively by Shyamsunder.5.4.71

The Mother has advised that all requests to the various Auroville associations abroad, for money, books, any objects or equipment should be centralised by Shyam Sunder who will organise the distribution of the requests and establish an order of priority according to the needs of Auroville.2972

Auroville is still in the state of elaboration, and those who want to remain there have to collaborate to its erection according

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to the plans made and to be made, approved by me and signed by Shyam Sunder.4.3.73

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Towards the end of February 1971 Udar told a German visitor that Mother had approved of his admission to Auroville. This person had been declined admission a few days earlier, mainly because of financial conditions. Udar's understanding was different and he had reported accordingly. This naturally created confusion, misunderstanding and some rumours.

Kumud who was attending upon Mother had noticed that various things were being said and advised me to ask Mother if she had authorised Udar as claimed by him. I wrote a note for Mother and gave it to Kumud who had thought of showing it to her and getting her answer before I would see her.

The matter, in fact, came up only when I was with Mother. She was not happy over the situation. She spoke to Kumud and to me and said, "I want to clarify the position so that there is no doubt about Auroville administration", and wrote the following message, original in French :

8.2.73

For the affairs of Auroville and whenever Aurovilians are concerned it must always be done in consultation with Shyam Sunder to whom I have entrusted the responsibility of Auroville.

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She told me to show it to Udar in the correct way. She did not use the words "in the correct way", but that is what I understood from her expression and gesture. On my way back from her room, I saw Udar coming up the stairs. A word had gone for him to come. I gave him the message and he went with it to Mother.

I went straight to the office as usual. Shortly after, Udar came there and handed over the message to me saying, "Mother has told me to give it to you to keep."

I must say, he was very happy and shared his happiness with Chamanlal Gupta who happened to be there.

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I took this message of Mother's as her confirmation and acceptance of my Auroville services and her sacred blessings for the continuation.

There was a suggestion that the message should be put on the notice board or circulated. But in view of my above feeling and of the fact that it was a formalisation of what was actually happening, I did not give it for circulation and the news spread by word of mouth and the message was stored along with other messages.

The work went on as before, upto May 20, 1973 when Mother received me for the last time.

Then during the six month period from May to November that year, when Mother had retired from outer work, I continued to work on the lines set by her.

After her passing on 17.11.73, for some time, things went on as before, but then started a long chapter of dissension, revolt, quarrels and intrigues. In brief, I will just say here that I fell a victim to attacks from all quarters, and here I confine myself to the subject of Mother's message about my work and place in Auroville.

The arguments put forward by Navajata, adopted by Sri Aurobindo Society and supported by the top of the Ashram hierarchy to declare the above direction to be invalid were as follows :

The message was meant for Udar only.

In February 1971, Mother did not speak to Navajata about the work given to me, although in the normal course, he would have been asked.

I had manipulated things with Mother to get authority in the temporary absence of Navajata.

In any case, even if the Mother's direction is taken to be genuine, it stood replaced by the decision of the Society's Executive Committee to remove me from the work and to entrust it to Navajata.

The following arguments were made from the Auroville side :

Mother's message was valid for her life-time only.

Mother was free to change her mind, and they knew that she had changed her mind about me.

Mother had given me a chance, but I missed it.

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I have betrayed the Auroville community.

There were still a few left who saw the factual falsehood and hollowness of these arguments, but theirs was a cry in the wilderness.

When Jayantilalbhai tried to persuade Navajata to follow Mother's statement about me, he was simply ignored.

When some rethinking was taking place in Sri Aurobindo Society, Udar took the initiative to meet its General Secretary, Guru Pershad, and some others with the advice to act according to the Mother's directions. Regarding her above message, it was agreed to refer to Nolinida the issue of its interpretation. On 9.5.1977 Udar wrote the following letter to Nolini after showing the draft to Guru Pershad :

"I thank you very much for your advice on how I should take the Message given by The Mother on 8-2-73 regarding Shyam Sunder and Auroville. I now write to confirm what I had asked from you and shall be very grateful for confirmation of your advice on a copy of this letter which can then be kindly returned to me for record,

The case is as follows:-

There were some difficulties regarding a German couple who wanted to stay at Auroville. The matter was referred to The Mother and to this She wrote as follows:-"8-2-73. Pour les affaires d'Auroville et quand il s'agit d' Auroviliens il faut toujours le faire en consultation avec Shyam Sunder a qui J'ai confie la responsabilite d'Auroville".

The Mother

Now this is the Message given by The Mother as late as the 8th February, 1973 and so is, perhaps, Her last instruction on Auroville.

There are several persons who say that this Message should not be read out of its context and that its import is related to that context.

I felt, however, that the Message is wide and forceful and cannot be limited to the context. The context was just an occasion for Mother to express Her will on the affairs of Auroville and so this Message has a great importance and validity, irrespective of the context which occasioned it.

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I came to you with this question and you have confirmed that the Message should be taken as Mother's directive on the conduct of the affairs of Auroville in its full wide sense.

I shall be happy to have your written confirmation of this.

With love and respect,

Udar

In his reply, noted on Udar's letter itself, Nolini bracketed the words 'full wide' in the paragraph, put the word 'simple' and wrote 'yes' and signed. Thus according to him, "the Message should be taken as Mother's direction on the conduct of the affairs of Auroville in its simple sense."

Udar sent a copy of it to the Society. was not to their liking and there the matter ended.

It will be interesting to know that in the course of the CBI investigations, Navajata, Sri Aurobindo Society and the Auroville people, all took the stand that I had been duly authorised by Mother for all the Auroville affairs and that I was looking after everything there. In fact, Mother's message about me was quoted by the CBI in all the three cases and relied upon by them to fix the liability on me. It was put forth by the CBI as the Mother's power of attorney in my favour. A certain part of the period covered by the CBI investigations related to the time after Navajata had taken over from me by virtue of the decision of his Executive Committee, but even for this period no distinction was made by his witnesses and the CBI.

In the eighties Nata disclosed that in August 1970 Mother spoke to him of the mismanagement of Auroville and the sad state of affair there. It was clear to him that she wanted to replace Navajata when she said that she was still preparing the man for it, and he thought that it was he himself to whom she was referring, but when he asked Mother if it was so, Mother said, "No, it is Shyam Sunder."

It is interesting to note that Carlo Schueller had intuitively spoken of Mother having prepared me for the Auroville work, much before Nata made his above disclosure.

It is again interesting that while a large number of Ashram residents chose to join others in wriggling out of Mother's direction about Auroville and myself, Carlo Schueller, not an

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Ashramite, stood firmly for it for the simple reason that it was her direction.

So far as the Auroville 'community' is concerned the ban on the circulation and printing of Mother's messages about me still continues, though with a diminishing force. Also the ban on my name in their list of Aurovilians.

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