Esha's recollections of some episodes of her life, as narrated to Nirodbaran in Bengali, who translated it in English. This is presented here in form of a book.
Sri Aurobindo : Contact
Nirodbaran on Esha's story : Esha, the late Dilip Kumar Roy's niece, was a little girl visiting the Ashram when I came to know her through my niece Jyotirmoyee with whom she had become very friendly. She wanted to settle in the Ashram, but her mother did not want it as she was still a minor. When after many years she came to the Ashram again and stayed with Sahana Devi, I became more closely acquainted with her. By that time she had already married and obtained her divorce and had decided to settle here. I came to her help and made all possible arrangements for the purpose. Since then I have come to know her well and listened to her narration of the incidents of her life. As I found them interesting I began to note them down and was thinking of publishing them in Mother India when somehow she got wind of it and strongly objected to it. As I felt I had Sri Aurobindo's sanction for it, I did not listen to her. In spite of my disregarding her objection, luckily she did not stop recounting her saga. Of course she narrated it in Bengali and later I put it down in English as faithfully as I could. When the story began to appear in Mother India, she insisted more than once that I should stop it. My answer was that I believed it could be helpful to many readers and that Sri Aurobindo seemed to support me.
THEME/S
A few months ago someone came to me with her paintings of saints, of which one was of Sri Ramakrishna. It was really well done. I had been wishing for some time to have a picture of Thakur and here it was. The lady said that she was in need of money, and asked me if I could find a customer for the painting. She would sell it for Rs. 300. I would have bought it but not at such a high price. So I suggested that we put it up for sale at a friend's shop. But though the painting was displayed there it did not sell. When after some time it was returned to the artist, she approached me again and pressed me to buy it. I offered a sum I could afford — Rs 100/-, which she declined. But after a few days, she returned with the painting and said she would accept my offer, adding, "You know, Thakur appeared to me in a dream, and asked me to give the painting to you."
After she left, I joked with the Thakur, "You have come to me on the strength of a bargain!" Strange to relate, more than a year later, she returned me the money, declaring that she has decided henceforth not to sell this kind of paintings of hers.
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