AUROBINDO GHOSE --- MY CONVICTIONS

Sugata Bose I am sorry to say, Nandan Chaudhury, that Subhas Chandra Bose, on the contrary, was highly critical of Aurobindo Ghose's running away from revolutionary life post his experience of internment in a British prison. Subhas Chandra Bose was inspired by the valorous Vivekananda instead. Netaji's stance in life was at sharp variance with that of Aurobindo.

Sugata Bose Early ideas of Subhas Chandra Bose hinged on the hope that Aurobindo Ghose would after a while of self-exile seek an opportune moment to return to revolutionary activity for freedom of the motherland. However, when that did not materialise with the passage of time, later on Subhas Chandra Bose absolutely repudiated the sustained relinquishing of revolutionary work by Aurobindo and criticised him for not joining the freedom movement. In his ethical code Subhas Chandra had said, "Embracing sannyas when your country needs you is a refined from of betrayal." Again in the same ethical code he had said, "By disacarding life, you cannot attain the life divine."

Sugata Bose Nandan Chaudhury, I hold the view that Aurobindo Ghosh had run away from revolutionary life and sought asylum in Pondicherry out of fear. Envisioning Vivekananda was no joke and I am inclined to rejecting this affirmation of Aurobindo. A true sadhak is fearless and, hence, my considered and considerable doubt about the real case.

Sugata Bose But let me tell you Nandan that despite all these happenings and their diverse interpretations of which I hold one, I hold Aurobindo Ghose / Sri Aurobindo as dear for his overall contribution to Indian thought, although, I do not again subscribe to his stupendous spiritual claims and fantastic philosophy. His clarity of intellectual thinking as opposed to philosophical or spiritual thinking appeals to my mind and his writing also somewhat resonates to the creative one within me.