April-2015 Newsletter

April 2015 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY VOL 29.04 Singapore Permit No. MICA (P) 125/11/2013 NEWSLETTERCommon Name: Water lilyBotanical Name: NympheaSpritual Significane: Integral Wealth of MahalakshmiWealth in all domains and all activities, intellectual, psychological, material, in feeling andaction. – The Mother Mahalakshmi Mother of Delight Of Love that moves the sun and stars! She is the Rapture that quickens our inmost heart, She is Beauty‟s self that enthrals our earthly senses; In her is the whole meaning of existence. (A verse from Nolini Kanta Gupta's poem Mahalakshmi, To the heights, Vers Les Hauteurs)

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. Guiding Light of the Month “All is to me beautiful, harmonious, silent, despite the outer turmoil.And in this silence it is Thou, O Lord, whom I see; and I see Thee in so unique a way that I can express this perception only as that of an unvarying smile. In truth, the real nature of the feeling experienced inthe presence of the sweetest, most calm, most compassionate smile has a poor resemblance to what I feel when I see Thee in this way.” The Mother, ‘Prayers and Meditations’ August 8, 1913 From the Editor’s DeskWe caught glimpses of the power of Force and in reference to a woman, held in high regard. In the mortal sphere, one may take another look at what theWisdom in the last two issues of our Newsletter. We phrase would have meant with an understanding ofbecame acquainted with the idea of the need of the subject, as a person, who deserved such a title.wisdom and force in working towards the expressionof the Divine. However, these Powers are not the But truly, in our own lives, who is thisonly Powers embodied by the Divine, nor are they Mahalakshmi? Has one known her, felt her touch?alone sufficient in expressing the Divine in fullness. When would those moments have been? In what wayIn this April issue of our Newsletter, we carry the – mentally, physically, emotionally or more? Thesefragrance of Mahalakshmi, whose power of are some questions that one can dwell on for a whileHarmony and Beauty enhance the Powers of Force and get a mental idea or picture of an inexplicable,and Wisdom. unfathomable truth. But to truly know Mahalakshmi and let her live in one‟s life, integrally, now thatTo just mention aloud, “Mahalakshmi”, or to hold could be an offering worth considering. Sriher high in one‟s thoughts, to keep her folded in the Aurobindo lays sure guidelines to reach thatlotus of one‟s heart, to partake of her form with Divinity, who is one embodiment of The Mother,one‟s vision is to invoke the embodiment of Beauty, amongst many. He writes, “Where there is affinity toLove, Joy, Harmony and more, an abundance of the rhythms of the secret world-bliss and response tothese, in one stroke. The fruits of invocation do the call of the All-Beautiful and concord and unitypromise to multiply, simply because something in and the glad flow of many lives turned towards theone responds to these qualities, something in one Divine, in that atmosphere she consents to abide.”longs for them and grasps them full at the least Here Sri Aurobindo places the requirements, or theopportunity and keeps them cherished as long as can passwords to Her entry into one‟s life and around it.be. However, upon the invocation itself is placed the Then he also spells out all that turns her away: “…alldemand of purity, simplicity and sincerity. For she that is ugly and mean and base, all that is poor andcherishes not the presence of, “selfishness and hatred sordid and squalid, all that is brutal and coarse repelsand jealousy and malignance and envy and strife…” her advent.” But she does wait, “…for this bitter andin the heart of the person and either refuses to show poisonous devil‟s stuff to be rejected and disappearher face or retracts her presence. before she will found anew her happy influence.” Here he plants hope and also the grand plan of ourOne would have often heard the phrase, in usually transformation so that She may manifest.traditional households, with a voice tinged with prideor awe or gratitude - “…there goes Mahalakshmi!”www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 2

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. Savitri Here living centre of that vision of peace, A Woman sat in clear and crystal light: Heaven had unveiled its lustre in her eyes, Her feet were moonbeams, her face was a bright sun, Her smile could persuade a dead lacerated heart To live again and feel the hands of calm. Men hail in my coming the Almighty‟s force Or praise with thankful tears his saviour Grace. I smite the Titan who bestrides the world And slay the ogre in his blood-stained den. I am Durga, goddess of the proud and strong, And Lakshmi, queen of the fair and fortunate; “ O Savitri, I am thy secret soul. I have come down to the wounded desolate earth To heal the pangs and lull her heart to rest And lay her head upon the Mother‟s lap That she may dream of God and know his peace And draw the harmony of higher spheres Into the rhythm of earth‟s rude troubled days. ( Book Seven, Canto Four ) Question of the monthQ:Ma, please help me to have a clear representation of the four aspects of the Mother asdescribed by Sri Aurobindo in his book The Mother.A: Mother:In their aspect above the Overmind, in the higher regions, the aspects of the Motherhave very simple forms and don‟t have multiple limbs.All the details and complications are appearances mostly added by men in order to give asymbolic expression to invisible qualities.(CWM, Volume 15, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) Mahalakshmi Mother of Delight Of Love that moves the sun and stars! She is the Rapture that quickens our inmost heart, She is Beauty‟s self that enthrals our earthly senses; In her is the whole meaning of existence. She has come down close and intimate to a humanity avid of joy; She casts her noose of charm and captures us even by our weakness; Her radiant smile transfigures a whole world of gloom and painwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 3

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. Into an Abode of Bliss- And we know not when have we transcended our human frailities In our eagerness to contemplate her gracious form, To kiss those glorious feet of hers That trail the Dawn! Hasten to welcome her, O heart, hasten! Lest she turn away- For she will not force herself, Our adorable and shy Mother! - Nolini Kanta Gupta(NoliniKantaGupta, „To The Heights, Vers Les Hauteurs‟ , Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education,Pondicherry) The Mother as MahalakshmiWe know Mahalakshmi popularly as the goddess of wealth. But she is not just the power ofwealth, she also represents material organisation because the two are deeply connected. Wealthcannot appear where material organisation is lacking. Wealth cannot appear where the flow ofmatter, the flow of energies and the flow of thoughts is wasted or is in chaos. It is the samepower presiding over both aspects. And it was interesting to observe that the Mother alwaysinsisted on proper utilisation of material resources. When the Ashram was first established, therewas not much money available. And she made sure every little bit was used, even waste paperwas collected and recycled. During the war when there was a serious shortage of goods, even thetiny pieces of soap were collected and put together to make new cakes of soap. Such was thedetailed effort to prevent waste.Much later, in the fifties, she noted that Mother Nature has agreed to cooperate with her in theWork. And since then, as you know, the wealth and resources available in the Ashram have beenincreasing. But when this decision to cooperate was first made, the Mother wanted to test howfar that cooperation could go in material circumstances. She took as one of the experiments thework which was being done by one of the disciples to establish a sugar factory on the outskirts ofPondicherry. The Mother took special pains to see how far Nature‟s cooperation would go in thateffort.Before the factory was started Mother herself saw the plans. There was a need to dig for water.She looked at the layout for a while and then marking one spot said, “Dig here”. That spot has aperennial flow of water gushing out to this day, something quite unusual for that region.The machinery was installed and all the time she was receiving detailed reports. At some stagewhen the machines were started they were seen to undergo frequent breakdowns for no apparentreason. The Mother was asked about it and she said that the sugar cane which was being crushedto make the juice was putting out an energy of resentment which was accumulating and causingthe breakdown of the equipment. She described that she had then created an occult formationthere so that the same energies would be diverted towards the maintenance of the factory. Sincethen the breakdowns stopped and to this day it is one of the most prosperous sugar factories inthat region. Such was the detail to which she tested the cooperation that Nature extended to her. (The Mother: Some Insights, Sraddhalu Ranade, Service Letter, February 1996)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 4

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015.Ramalakshmi Janamanchi has grown up in our Centre and was introduced to „Savitri‟ byProfessor Nadkarni and Mrs. Sonia Dyne. Now a mother of two, she lives in Cleveland, Ohioand is a member of our virtual community. We are glad to include another of her insightfularticles in this issue of our Newsletter. “The Intoxicating Sweetness of the Divine”: Meditation on Mahalakshmi“All turn with joy and longing to Mahalakshmi” says Sri Aurobindo when he describes thisaspect of the Mother. What joy then to begin this meditation – the sweetness of this aspect of theMother is embodied in the mysterious smile of the Divine Mother in the large photograph in theCenter in Singapore. I have fallen in love and been struck silent in the presence of that smile. Yetall the words that flow from me in praise of her are products of that Grace. The Mother of Love– this is how I think of her.As with Kali, I grew up with images of Lakshmi: they showed her seated on a pink lotus, withelephants offering her garlands, holding a pot from which gold coins stream down while herhand is raised in the gesture of blessing. We children were warned that she would leave thehouse (or not enter it) if we did not abide by certain rules regarding cleanliness and behavior:“Don‟t allow dirt to accumulate in corners – Lakshmi will not enter! Girls must not cry in theevenings or on Fridays – Lakshmi will not enter the house! Make sure you refresh the Rangoli(floor art) in the doorway – Lakshmi will be pleased.” It felt as if almost anything we did couldjeopardize the presence of the Goddess in our home.Reading Sri Aurobindo‟s description of the Goddess, I begin to understand why I heard theserules. He tells us “where love and beauty are not or are reluctant to be born, she does not come.”While it is easy to imagine a physical space that is beautiful and aesthetically arranged, it isharder to see this beauty within oneself. I am too aware of my limitations and my weaknesses tovisualize beauty within myself. My love too, is limited and is more focused on how I feel than onhow this feeling, this love is a direct conduit to the Divine Love. It is through my capacity tolove that I can most easily identify with the Divine because the feeling intensifies and reachesout beyond myself to return to its true source in a formless Being, like a bright light whichsuffuses me with quiet joy, a deep peace, and a vibrant calm.When I first came upon these words I was struck by how Sri Aurobindo loves to juxtaposeopposites. Yet, as I sit here trying to create space in my mind for the words best suited todescribe my feelings, there are none more apt than these. When I normally think of joy, it is afeeling of soaring, of leaps and bounds, and most importantly, a feeling with movement. When Ithink of how much I love this Mother of Sweetness, I become aware of a leap in emotions but itis contained within a sense of stillness, of no movement at all – a quiet joy.One of my favorite stories of Mahalakshmi is of how AdiShankara composed his hymn to theGoddess – the Kanakadharastavam. As a young initiate to Vedic thought, Shankara wasexpected to gather the ingredients for his daily meal from the homes near his residence. Everyhouseholder knew that donating food to the needy was one of acts that led to spiritual well-beingand greater prosperity. As such, most households would be only too happy to offer food to theyoung Shankara. On one such occasion, one of the homes visited has a long line of people, andShankara notes that the home owner is engaged in acts of philanthropy without paying anyattention either to the offering itself or to the people receiving it. He also notes that the gifts ofwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 5

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015.food and clothing werebeing given to all who were waiting in line. Unimpressed by thesegrandiose gestures, Shankara moves to a different home. In this smaller home, there is no activityvisible from the porch. Shankara calls out, “Mother, give me alms.” In response, the housewifewithin rushes out looking distressed. She apologetically begins to explain that because herhusband was still trying to gather food she has at present nothing to offer the young initiate. Shepauses in her apology and suddenly rushes inside, telling Shankara to wait. She returns with joywrit large on her face because she has remembered some berries she had saved and now offerstheseto Sankara. Her unfettered generosity inspires one of Shankara‟s great poems addressed tothe Mother. A myth has developed around this poem that reciting it will result in wealth andrelief from material distress. I learned the poem from my mother, who taught me to love itsalliteration, its rhythms and nuances. What I have since realized is that the famed efficacy of thepoem points not to the sort of blind recitation which would put me alongside the rich manseeking to donate food in order to achieve more material prosperity. It points instead to the ladywho inspired the young poet – the lady whose love for her fellow human being was reflected inher generosity. It is the Spiritual wealth of love that Mahalakshmi confers.Describing the transformation she effects, Sri Aurobindo says, “Life is turned in her supremecreations into a rich work of celestial art and all existence into a poem of sacred delight.” In thecourse of this month, I have been privileged to see some art inspired by Savitri. The Sadhak whoshared her work with me described the art as the product of a period of intense meditation withSavitri. There is those works of art, as in the art of Huta, a sense of the fullness of experience.For me, these paintings became literal ways to access the Divine and then to see that Divine artistin the world around me. To imagine existence as a poem, I saw those startling juxtapositions ofSri Aurobindo and saw in those juxtapositions a veracity and an acceptance of all life. If I loveShankara‟s rhythms and nuances, if I am drawn repeatedly to Sri Aurobindo‟s rhythms andnuances, then perhaps I will begin to see in life‟s rhythms and nuances, the work of the sweetMother. - Ramalakshmi On Mahalakshmi and generosity of the heart Dear to thee are gardens of the lotus, Where else shall I spread thy seat, O Mother? On the lotus of my heart press the dawn-roses of thy feet and make it flower. Things ungainly afflict thee, O Mother, I will not cherish them anywhere in me even a little. O Queen of Beauty, Charmer of the worlds, Keep abiding thy grace upon me. Thou sufferest not an arid heart, So of thyself hast thou come and put on bonds of affection- O Mother, by the magic of thy sweetness, quicken and upheave me with Love. (Mahalakshmi, Nolini Kanta Gupta - translated from Bengali)How can we open our flawed human nature to the direct and living influence of the Mother? Theanswer to this question can be found in the wonderful book The Mother, in this sublime work,Sri Aurobindo by his inner vision and high state of Yogic consciousness has explained the fourgreat Powers of the Mother and the secret to opening our “earthly nature “ to the \"direct andwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 6

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015.living influence of the Mother\". Of the four aspects, Mahalakshmi is the \"most attractive to theheart of embodied beings\".What are the conditions that attract Her? What repels Her?Where there is affinity to the rhythms of the secret world-bliss and response to the call of the All–Beautiful and concord and unity and the glad flow of many lives turned towards the Divine, inthat atmosphere she consents to abide. But all that is ugly and mean and base, all that is poorand sordid and squalid, all that is brutal and coarse repels her advent. Where love and beautyare not or are reluctant to be born, she does not come; where they are mixed and disfigured withbaser things, she turns soon to depart or cares little to pour her riches. (Sri Aurobindo, TheMother)Sri Aurobindo by his powerful words has illumined the path to meet the demand of thisenchanting power and to keep Her Presence “. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar in his Biography of theMother explains “it is not the mere external opulence, luxury and splendour, for these areirrelevant. What really matters is the generosity of the heart. ”“An extremely rich man may be terribly poor from Mahalakshmi‟s point of view. And a verypoor man may be very rich if his heart is generous..A poor man is a man having no qualities, no force, no strength, and no generosity. He is also amiserable, unhappy man;;; It is those who are doubled up on themselves and who always want todraw things towards themselves, who see things and the world only through themselves- it isthese who are unhappy. But when one gives oneself generously, without reckoning, one is neverunhappy, never. IT is he who wants to take that is unhappy; he who gives himself is never so”(The Mother)It was beautifully illustrated by Ramalakshmi in her meditation on Mahalakshmi by the story ofAdi Shankara. As she said it‟s not the “grandiose gestures“ of generosity, but the simplicity, thepurity and generosity of the heart that touched the heart of Adi Shankara. This is as she pointedout the gift of Mahalakshm - the spiritual wealth that she confers. I have been reading PeriyaPuranam, recently – (the stories of the sixty three Saivite Saints) The stories of the saints purityand extreme examples of generosity and devotion are truly astonishing. The story ofMaanakkanjhaara Naayanaar, is my favourite - on the eve of his daughter‟s wedding, a SivaBhakta comes and fancies her long tresses, without any hesitation he disfigures her and happilygives it to him. The story of this great Naayanaar ends with this –Can the greatness of the father who without a thought sheared the tresses of his only daughter,while still in her bridal robes, to make an offering to a stranger hermit be ever assessedadequately?May we ever open to this Divine Shakti and meditate on her deep secret of beauty and harmony. - SudhaReferences - On The Mother, K.R.Srinivasa Iyengar, Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Puducherry - The Mother, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Aurobindo Ashram - To the heights, Nolini Kanta Gupta, Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Puducherry - Periya Puranam, Translated into English by R. Rangachari, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 7

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. Happy Birds Playfield! (Image sourced from Internet) Deeply hidden in Nature‟s ways, Are sweet little pearls of wisdom, Open but subtle books of secrets, Treasures to grow a mystic heart. Nature sings through her breeze, And dances through her trees. Journeys through her rivers, And smiles through her flowers. A flock of birds fly so high Together in the blue sky, Watching the little world below Flapping their wings and gliding smoothly… A natural sense of Harmony organizes them, In their sense of togetherness. Have you observed? They form a „V‟ To me it says Victory, A Victory of Harmony in their search Together. A bead of wisdom Nature shows us, Being an example herself. The sky is indeed Happy Birds playfield! - Sandhyawww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 8

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. March Sunday Activities at the Centre – A glimpseMarch 1st- Readings from the Bases of YogaThis book is a compilation of Sri Aurobindo‟s answers to queries of his disciples to enableunderstanding and practice of the yoga. This passage is about our dreams of various hues andcolours. Sri Aurobindo says our dreams can arise from any of the planes like vital, mental, evenfrom non- human forces or beings from other planes. Dreams can be symbolic and some thatindicate existing movements and propensities in us. If we are observant and could interpret themcorrectly we can get rid of the many unwanted stuff which will hinder our journey to a higherconsciousness.March 8th- Readings from The Synthesis of YogaIn this book the Mother answers to the questions of the disciples to give them a clearunderstanding of Sri Aurobindo‟s The Synthesis of Yoga, ”The Four Aids”. This question isabout what is the meaning of the period of divine movement in the instrumentality of Time(Kala) which has the cycle of their action and a period of the divine movement?Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have introduced us to the deeper meaning of Time like theprevious thought on Dreams. Generally our awareness of time does not go beyond our routineactivities. The Mother has explained that like the seasons of the year which has a rhythm, so tooin our life, Time has a rhythm or pattern of thoughts, actions and reactions, inspiration andunderstanding unique to each individual. If we are attentive we can break the rhythm to progressfor betterment, though the rhythm in our various planes is criss-crossing and complicated. - Jayalakshmi PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2015DATE TIME DETAILS 5thApril 2015 8:00 AM Monthly Morning Walk * 6:00 PM Sunday 6:00 PM Reading from Mother‟s works5th April 2015 6:00 PM 7:00 PM Q&A on Synthesis of Yoga followed by OM Choir Sunday 6:00 PM12th April 2015 Meditations on Savitri with Huta‟s Visuals Darshan day special meditation – The Mother‟s Final arrival Sunday19th April 2015 in Pondicherry Savitri Reading Circle Sunday24th April 2015 Friday26th April 2015 Sunday* Please see below for details.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 9

Date: Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. APRIL 2015 MORNING WALK – NO. 356 Sunday, 5th April 2015.Time: 8:00 A.M. sharp for warm up exerciseMeeting Point: Lower Pierce Reservoir Car Park (marked “P”)Directions to Driving: Follow the direction of Upper Thomson Road. Turn left before thethe Meeting traffic lights at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 into Old Upper Thomsonpoint: Road. Follow the road until you see the entrance of the trail (marked P). Parking facilities are available along the road near the Casuarina Entrance.Contact No.: Bus: Bus nos. 163, 167, 169, 855, 980. Alight at the bus stop nearest to the Sembawang Hill Food Court and walk along Old Upper Thomson Road towards Lower Peirce Reservoir Park. The entrance to the trail (Casuarina Entrance) is about five minutes away. Ramanathan: 9138 5130Hosts : Mr. and Mrs. Krishnamurthy Block 105, Jalan Rajah, # 06-85, Singapore 320105. Tel: 62557907 (HP: 8453 2656, 8210 2656)Directions to Bus: SBS Transit 139 (From Toa Payoh Int. or Bt. Merah)the Hosts‟ Car:residence : Approach 1: Thomson Road-Balestiar Road- Turn Left before SPC Petrol Stn to Jalan Rajah Road. Land mark: Next to GIIS School (Balestier Branch) Approach 2: CTE to Ang Mo Kio from City-Exit at JalanBahagia-Kim Keat Road - Turn right into Jalan Rajah Road. Land Mark: Opp. to Curtin University or Next to GIIS School (Balestier Branch) PREVIEW OF FORTHCOMING SUNDAY MORNING WALKSWALK DATE TIME PLACE HOST NO 357 03.05.15 8.00 AM East Coast Park Mr Ashok & Mrs Bakthi Patel 07.06.15 8.00 AM 358 05.07.15 8:00 AM TBA Mr.Anand Patel and family 02.08.15 8:00 AM 359 PasirRis Park Mr. Sanjay Mehta & Family 360 Singapore Botanical Mr K V Rao and Mrs Shailaja Gardens Raowww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 10

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. Along the Way… March 2015 Morning Walk No. 355 – A ReviewThe Sri Aurobindo Society Singapore has been holding a morning walk open to members andfriends on the first Sunday of every month. This activity has been regularly done since 1985without a single break. The one held on Sunday 1st March 2015 was Walk No. 355.A group of around twenty persons met in a very beautiful part of Singapore – an open space nearCosta Rhu Condo at the junction of Rhu Cross Road and TanjongRhu View Road. The weatherwas somewhat windy and absolutely perfect for a nice walk.We started with the whole group making a circle and doing several routine exercises, ably led bySaurab Nair. Then after a group photo we started our walk from that spot towards the SportsHub Complex some distance away.This was indeed a beautiful walk. We were in an area where there was much water around usand we could see some people rowing boats.The Sports Hub is a very large and beautiful complex. It was indeed a pleasure and goodexperience for members to experience walking and going through its various facilities.I had the great pleasure to meet Mr. Ramadoss in this walk. He is new to the Society and wetogether left the rest of the group and enjoyed the walk at our own pace. I found Mr. Ramadoss avery knowledgeable and interesting person who was deeply immersed into the works of SriAurobindo and The Mother. So throughout the walk we thoroughly enjoyed each other‟scompany and mutually sharing discussions on Indian spiritual thought.We then proceeded to the house of our host in the Waterside Condominium – Mr. Tapan Kumarand Mrs. Prabha Rao. Several members and friends who did not join the walk came directly tothe home. As usual we started the programme with meditation followed by birthday and otherannouncements.The brunch arranged was indeed very sumptuous with a delicious touch of Bengali style foodsuperbly home cooked by Prabha and her two daughters.The Society has four quarterly Mangement Committee Meetings viz December, March, June andSeptember. These are normally held at the host‟s place of the morning walk. So after the brunchwe all adjourned to another room and had our Meeting.The whole programme was highly enjoyable with many thanks to our wonderful hosts. - ShashiLal Kashyapwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 11

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. The Banyan Talks... European pavilion – A BeginningThe International Zone of Auroville occupies roughly a quarter of the available land, and yet it isthe last to be developed. The Mother was quite clear when she outlined her vision for this area.She wanted all the nations of the world which had developed a tradition and culture expressive oftheir 'nation soul' to be represented in Auroville.She said: \"If nations collaborate in the work of Auroville, even to a very modest extent.....it willdo them good - it can do them a lot of good, a good out of all proportion to the appearance oftheir actions.\" Auroville International is actively engaged in the process of discovering how tocarry out the Mother's intention. The ceremony on her birthday, 21st February marked in asymbolic way the aspiration of the European nations to work together to create and carry forwardinto the future a true representation of the best in their diverse cultures and achievements. Activegroups from Africa, China, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, the U.S. and South America are workingtowards the same goal.The announced ceremony of the European pavilion groups took place in the afternoon ofFebruary 21 and was attended by an unexpected big number of 160 people. In a beautiful atmosphere - concentrated and charged with the aspiration for freedom, peace and unity on the European continent and in the world at large, but also light and cheerful with little musical performances - a tree was planted to mark the beginning of further development in the European area of the International Zone. Soil from 44 European countries had been collected, was brought to the ceremony, mixed with soil from the Samadhi and given to the Auroville soil with the sincere wish that it may nourish the tree and also our own dedication and joy of togetherness.As an acompanion to the tree a stone sculpture has beenerected close by, a combination of white marble piecesfrom Matrimandir, originally hailing from Italy, and a shelllime stone which is endemic all over Europe. The centralmarble piece carries the Mother‟s name Mirra in Sanskrit, asymbol with great protective power, as described by Her.Protection is very much needed, for the International Zoneand for Auroville‟s overall integrity, so it is hoped that thislittle ceremony will have its positive repercussions in thefuture!*News sourced from Auroville Members and published under „Newsfrom Centers‟www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 12

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. Welcoming Spring’s SmileWe as Mother‟s children are gifted with a legend that lives along with us in our lives. We growalong with „Savitri‟ – the dynamic woman portrayed in the legend by Sri Aurobindo. She touchesevery aspect of our growth, journeys along through the curves and serves as a light on the pathlaid down for us.This article attempts to write few glimpses of a small part in this legend keeping with the themeof the Newsletter to describe the Spring season the earth is now going through.The earth, very much our living space, is described as a stage and is prepared for a beautiful soulto take birth. It is like an introductory music, a music welcoming Savitri into the world. A poet‟sway of singing Alaap.Then Spring, an ardent lover, leaped through leavesAnd caught the earth-bride in his eager clasp;The planet has gone through the winter season. Now, it is yearning for a fresh breath, for acolourful breeze. It becomes a beautiful bride. Spring is personified as the lover here; He comesgliding, touching the trees with green leaves and clasps the bride eagerly.Impatient for felicity he came,High fluting with the coil’s happy voice,His peacock turban trailing on the trees;Then, the lover Spring is, becomes our Eternal lover. The stealer of all our hearts. He enters withhis peacock feathered turban and music emerging from his flute. He is described here as„impatient for felicity‟. The place where his feet lay does become a celebration.Gently, the magic of Spring is described in these lines –The life of the enchanted globe becameA storm of sweetness and of light and song,A revel of color and of ecstasyPale mango-blossoms fed the liquid voiceOf the love-maddened coil, and the brown beeMuttered in fragrance mid the honey-buds.The sunlight was a great god’s golden smile.All Nature was at beauty’s festival.(Savitri, Book 4, Canto 1)It is as though the earth is showered with blessings for a precious event to occur. Sweet beads ofwords are stringed together in these lines to make up a fine jewel. The sunlight is bestowed onearth and described as a „smile‟ from the gods above. Mother Nature is really in her festivemood. Indeed a gift to the world, a treasure is Savitri. She concretely lives among us sharing ourjoys and sorrows. - Sandhyawww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 13

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. April 2015. ANNOUNCEMENTS Membership Renewal for 2015 & Subscription to AIMThe committee has resolved to simplify the annual membership fee structure beginning 2015.The previouscombined fee will be split into 2 parts:A) AnnualMembership fee (SGD 60)B) All India Magazine fee (SGD 30)For 2015, Annual Members need to pay SGD 60 as their membership subscription to the Society.Those subscribing to the All India Magazine will need to pay an additional SGD 30 for the magazine.Please send a cheque payable to \"Sri Aurobindo Society\" and post it to the Treasurer, Sanjay Mehta atthe following address: Blk 720 Tampines Street 72 #03-31 Singapore 520720.You may also physically pay it to him in cash or by passing a cheque to a committee member and letting Sanjayknow, during our activities. Printed and Published by The Sri Aurobindo Society of Singapore 2A Starlight Road 01-07, Singapore 217755.Saurab: 86559940 or [email protected]; Sanjay: 98750767 or [email protected]; Email: [email protected] our website at:www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sgwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 14