Dortoir

I — Recollections of Surendra Nath Jauhar

Boarding-House

“Mother, my children are too small and you know there is no proper care, environment or atmosphere at home. Is it not possible that a hostel could be opened for the children to be kept and taken care of?”

The Mother said, “Why not? If you want I can immediately do that.”

She quickly called Chandulal, the Engineer of the Ashram, and asked him by making signs in the sky, “Chandulal, you know that dilapidated building at the back of the Play Ground?”

Chandulal said, “Yes, Mother.”

“In how much time can you clear the debris and raise a double-storeyed building on the spot?”

Chandulal, trembling, said, “Mother, in three months!”

The Mother said in a loud voice, “Three months! I want it within fifteen days!”

Chandulal said, “All right Mother, all right Mother.” And perhaps within a few minutes or an hour the work was started and continued day and night, for fifteen days in three daily shifts. During the night, work was carried on under the dazzling lights of the gas-lamps.

Poor Chandulal! He was alone all the twenty-four hours there. He never went to his room to sleep. He was supervising the work standing, dozing or sleeping simultaneously, perhaps sometime in the chair. His whole anxiety and concentration was to raise the structure within fifteen days as desired by the Mother.

The structure of the building was of course ready within fifteen days.

Hostel

On my next visit to the Ashram the Mother called me.

She said, “I have very happy news to give you. You see the Boarding-House for your children is now ready, I have made very beautiful and perfect arrangements for your children to be looked after. Suitable persons have been put as Wardens. You can now send your children to the Boarding-House.

“Separate arrangements have been made for the boys and the girls to be lodged in the Hostel. On the ground floor boys will live, and on the first floor the girls.”

The Boarding-House was started only with my five children, Snehlata, Tara and Chitra in the Girl’s Dormitory and Narendra and Jitendra in the Boy’s Dormitory, on the 15th of January, 1945.

Of course, gradually, in about a year or so other children were also admitted and the number became about twenty.

I was happy and felt relieved.

Hostel-Wardens

After a few days the Mother again called me and said: “I have, further, to give you a very happy news. I have been able to find a most suitable person as Warden for your children. She is a local person. She knows Hindi very well. She is M.A. in Hindi. She will be able to confer better with your children. She is good at cooking and she will also be looking after the food arrangements.”

My First Visit to the Boarding-House

Next time when I paid a visit to the Ashram I was full of happy anxiety that I will now be able to go frequently to the Hostel to see my children in the Boarding-House.

So, soon after getting into the Ashram, I took the opportunity to go to the Boarding-House. I knocked at the gate and a lady appeared to talk to me, opening the door only two or three inches. With all the confidence and ego, I told her that I wanted to come in to see my children.

She strongly said, “No! You cannot be allowed to come in. It is not permitted.”

She just closed the door and went in.

I was shocked, perhaps also for the reason in my subconscious mind that I had paid for the construction of the Hostel and no courtesy or consideration was shown to me. I felt that I would complain to the Mother.

Next day when I went to the Mother for Pranams, she spontaneously said, “You see, I have received a report from the Hostel-Warden that you wanted to go inside and she had to refuse you.

“You see it is a strict rule and discipline that no parents are allowed to go into the Boarding-House to see their children.”

So, I was put in my place.

(From the book 'My Mother', Surendra Nath Jauhar, published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram — Delhi Branch, New Delhi, 1982, pp. 19-22)

The next article is by Lata Jauhar, the eldest and the first boarder of this hostel.

This will be followed by two articles by the two care-takers, the hostel Wardens.

The last one in the series will be by Parul Chakraborty, one of the younger boarders.

Each one shares with us the experience of the hostel-life at that time.