Recollections

There were three sadhaks, Surendra uncle, Kameshwarji and Tulsibhai who were authorized by The Mother, to have contact with the outside people; local as well as out of town. Kameshwarji was in charge of contacting the local police, solving problems arisen from law and order. He had also to visit the banks to draw money or to deposit papers and other documents relating to money matter. Then there was Tulsibhai who had the permission to go out of town for Ashram work and lastly Surendra uncle who was given the responsibility to clear from the customs office at Kandamangalam all goods that came from India. (As we all know till 1954 Pondicherry was a French colony.). This was an unpredictable duty for anytime of the day a telegram would come concerning the arrival of some goods and he had to go to clear it out. Apart from this he had also the responsibility to pay the house, electric, vehicle taxes. And in the morning and afternoon supervise milking of cows which were brought by the local milkmen. They came to the dairy and milked the cows under some sadhak’s supervision.

Surendra uncle came from a village in West Bengal where his father was a landed man. Having too many brothers and sisters, he being one of the youngest was left to himself most of the time. But from very young age he came under good influence of a village youth. This was Charu Chandra Sarkar our dear Charu da of the playground gate. He was a swadeshi by nature and spirit. He inspired many of the village youngsters with his zeal to serve The Motherland. Surendra uncle was one of them.

Charu-da came to know that Sri Aurobindo had founded an Ashram in Pondicherry, he decided to join the Ashram; for what can be more fortunate than to live under Sri Aurobindo’s protection. It seems one fine day without letting anyone know he left his village and came to Pondicherry. In due course he was accepted in the Ashram.

In the fifties he served in the Dining Hall banana in the morning, rice for lunch. In the afternoon he was present at the Playground gate from 4.30 pm when the activities began and left only after The Mother went back to The Ashram, which could be as late as 10 pm. It all depended on The Mother’s schedule for the evening.

Charu-da’s joining the Ashram was a turning point in Surendra uncle’s life. He too decided to join the Ashram. He arrived and in due course he was accepted as an inmate. Surendra uncle began to work under Amrita-da his duty being wipe and clean all the doors and windows of the Ashram building. He began with the  ground floor but in time was promoted to wipe also those of the first-floor barring of course those of The Mother’s and Sri Aurobindo’s room. For those there were other people.

Very many years he lived with us that is with my uncle Suren Datta, aunt Abha Datta and self. Thus many a time small pieces of older days way of life in the Ashram would be discussed. These old sadhaks had the habit of collecting things and not throwing away anything old. Once I happened to tell Surendra uncle “Why have you kept this bag, it is in tatters.”

He then gave me the reason for not throwing it away. When he used to wipe the windows and doors of the Ashram building he was given a single brush for the job. And it had to serve for the maximum period. In due course the brush began to lose its bristles and at the end not many remained on the wooden base. Repeatedly he informed Amrita-da about the condition of the brush but he advised him to make use of it as long as possible. One day he had enough of this advice, took the brush and showed it to Amrita-da. He in his turn informed The Mother, for without The Mother’s permission nothing was handed over to anyone, not even for department work. The Mother sanctioned a new brush, obviously Surendra uncle threw away the old one.

Next day The Mother asked Amrita-da whether Surendra uncle got his new brush. Amrita-da answered “yes”. Then The Mother inquired “where is the old one?”

Next time when Amrita-da met Surendra uncle asked him the same question. He had by then thrown it in the dustbin. Amrita-da ordered him to get it, “for The Mother wants to see it.”

Surendra uncle rushed to the Ashram  dustbin only to find that the garbage was still not collected for the day. He retrieved his old brush, washed, wiped and took it to Amrita-da who in his turn took it to The Mother. The Mother mentioned a certain wall cupboard and asked Amrita-da to put it there; an object which has given service not to be thrown away. We must be thankful for the service,” was Her comment.

Surendra uncle remembered that cupboard and said very many old objects were there for a long period. Surendra uncle was a very simple and an honest man. I came in contact with him from the day of my arrival. He had great respect for women. He believed in every individual; for he could never imagine that a Mother’s child can be other than honest. If someone tricked him he would not only get upset but also ask himself the question as to how anybody can behave in The Mother’s kingdom in the fashion.

There were a few French aged ladies who lived on their own. There were three sisters Mme Brink and Mme Felatrien, there was Mme Pierre. Of those ladies I may say something as The Mother was in touch with them through Surendra uncle. Mme Pierre used to send furniture, The Mother arranged with her to send in some houses furniture on rent. In the fifties and even later one could see in some houses those pieces of furniture. After Ashram had a full fledged furniture department under Rishabchand-da it was suggested to The Mother that Mme Pierre’s furniture may be returned. Surendra Uncle said that The Mother didn’t agree to it as “this amount which Mme Pierre received from the Ashram as rent was a great help.”

So was the case with Mme Brink and her sister. Their house was the building where we have now Parul’s & Kusamanjali’s boardings. On the western side of the building there were two garages. The Mother took these two garages on rent to help these old ladies. After the building was bought by the Ashram, the  garages were demolished and the present SABDA building came up. The “Bayoud House” which is now a hotel was one of the houses where The Mother had lived for sometime. That building too remained with the Ashram on rent till in the seventies it was sold off by the niece of Mme Brink who inherited the property. The Mother’s instruction to Surendra Uncle was that he should go personally to hand over the money of the rent and find out if they needed any help.

Surendra uncle was one of those early sadhaks who tried to live the life of the Ashram as it should be.