Sunil da

Sunil‑Da was a man of many parts. Born on the 3rd of November 1920, in a musical family that was already devoted to Sri Aurobindo, he grew up to become a brilliant student of Science, having studied at St. Xavier's College, Calcutta. He also was a very gifted football player as well as one who taught himself to play the sitar wonderfully well. When he came to Pondicherry in 1942, he not only helped to shape the Ashram football team, but became one of the finest teachers of Mathematics and Botany at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram School. From 1945, he began composing musical pieces as accompaniments to the dance performances that were staged during the School Anniversary Programmes on the 1st of December. From these simple beginnings grew the splendid body of sound that has come to be known as Sunil's Music. Gradually music became the means of his sadhana and, after having taught at the School for twenty years, he gave up teaching to devote himself almost entirely to composing. When, in 1959, the Mother asked Sunil‑da to orchestrate Her New Year Music, it was a great event in his life. Later, from 1965 onwards, he was entrusted by Her to compose the New Year Music, the theme of which She always gave him, usually on his birthday. This music became an important part of our Ashram life. In 1966, the Mother requested him to write the musical accompaniment for Her Savitri readings, a work he continued to do till the end of his life. He had just finished the composition of the music for the last part of Book X and for a portion of Book XI,—but these were never recorded, for his work was interrupted by his illness.

In the middle sixties, Sunil‑da recorded for the Delhi Music Archives, which wanted some of his music, how music had been revealed to him.

Some twenty years ago I heard for the first time the Mother of our Ashram improvising on the organ. In the beginning the music seemed strange to me. It was neither Indian nor Western, or shall I say it sounded like both? The theme She was playing came very close to what we know as bhairon, the whole closely knit musical structure expanding melodiously. Then suddenly, notes came surging up in battalions, piled one on top of another, deep, insistent, coming as if from a long way down and welling up inevitably—the magnificent body of sound formed and gathered volume till it burst into an illumination that made the music an experience.

Thus She revealed to me the secret of a magic world of music where harmonies meet and blend to make melodies richer, wider, profounder and infinitely more powerful. I have tried to take my music from Her.

My music is my labour and my aspiration for the Divine and what I try to convey through it are the voices of my inner experience.

My grateful thoughts are with Her who has been my Guide, Guru, Mentor and Mother. One day it was Her Light that sparked my heart, it is Her Light that has sustained its glow, it is Her Light that I seek through my music. If this music brings some comfort, some delight or some message to someone, I have achieved that for which She has placed Her trust in me.

[All letters below, except one, have been translated in English from the original French.]

For indeed, She had placed Her trust in him. One day, on the 10th of February 1966, She wrote to him,

At other times, She wrote to him:

Again, later She wrote,

Another letter, this one written in English,

After listening to another composition, She sent him the following letter:

On 8.12.65, She wrote to him:

The following letter is dated 30th of December 1965:

Sunil‑da was always modest to the point almost of shyness. And though he received so much praise from the Mother, he continued his work quietly, unassumingly, in all simplicity. But about that too, She had once written to him:
“Sunil, my dear child, those who are truly capable are always modest.”

He passed away, just as quietly as he had lived, at 1 p.m. on the 30th of April, held closely in the arms of Her whom he had always loved.

[Mother India, June 1998]