Letters to my little smile

Introduction

Here are two series of valuable correspondence. The first is between the Mother and Vasudha, one of the earliest members of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Vasudha came to Pondicherry as a girl of fourteen on 19 February 1928, about two months after my own arrival. She accompanied her brother Chandulal whose correspondence with the Mother forms the second series.

I remember both brother and sister as they were in those baby-years of the Ashram as well as their lives as sadhaks in later times. Both stood happily in the sunshine of the Mother's love — and their work brought a special attention to their souls from that light of lights.

The Mother used to call Vasudha "My Little Smile" and the gracious flow of spiritual feeling towards her is well summed up in what She wrote on 6 January 1963 on Vasudha's birthday:

Bonne Fete !

To Vasudha whose precious help prevents my feet from being hurt by the stones on the way.

With my love and blessings so that her aspiration may be realised this year.

The Mother undertook to teach French to her child. The way She taught her may be indicated. She put questions and Vasudha gave oral replies in English.

The Mother translated these replies into French. In an easy natural manner the new language was instilled in the pupil along with the new consciousness of an aspiring sadhika. This consciousness was chiefly developed through Vasudha's self-dedication to embroidery — just as for Chandulal it was mainly cultivated through his engineering service.

Chandulal was the one and only architect-cum-engineer of the Ashram in those days. A man of small build, he was yet a storehouse of energy. And a burning zeal for the Divine's Will to construct a fairer world kept him at his job unremittingly for most of the twenty four hours. But labour was pleasure for him and he had an alert sense of humour in the midst of all pressing problems.

When he passed away on 5 November 1945, 1 was in Bombay on a long visit. I may quote the letter I wrote to the Mother and her revealing reply to me. My letter ran:

"I was rather depressed on hearing of Chandulal's death after an operation for appendicitis. He was one of your workers with an exceptional ability. How is it that he passed away although under your influence and guidance ?"

And the Mother answered on 11 November:

"...It has been a sad event and a big loss for the work. But for some time he suffered much and felt tired of it. He had several times expressed the wish to change his body for a better one. It is surely this wish that is responsible for what happened."

In introducing the present book I feel happy not only because of my cordial relation with ever-smiling Vasudha and always-aspiring Chandulal, but also because of the glimpses it affords of the intimate relation they had with our unique Mother, so warmly human in the midst of her wonderful divinity.

Amal Kiran