154th Birth Anniversary of Aurobindo Ghose:
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Sri Aurobindo on his birth anniversary on 15th August 2026, highlighting his contribution to India’s freedom struggle and his ideas on human progress and transformation.
- Aurobindo Ghose, born on 15th August 1872 in Calcutta, was a yogi, philosopher, poet, seer, and nationalist. He died on 5th December 1950 in Pondicherry.
- He passed the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination but did not qualify for appointment after failing to present himself for the compulsory horse-riding test.
- Contributions:
- Revolutionary Career: Advocated radical nationalism and called for mass mobilization before Gandhi’s leadership.
- New Lamps for Old was a series of articles by Aurobindo Ghose that criticized the Congress for its moderate policies.
- He was arrested in the Alipore Bomb Case (1908) and successfully defended by Chittaranjan Das.
- Spiritual and Philosophical: He established the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (1926) in Pondicherry and collaborated with Mirra Alfassa (The Mother), who later founded Auroville, a universal township.
- Literary: He authored seminal works including The Life Divine, Savitri, Essays on the Gita, The Synthesis of Yoga, and Defense of Indian Culture.
- He wrote for nationalist publications such as Bande Mataram and founded Karmayogin; he was also closely associated with the revolutionary milieu of Jugantar and Anushilan Samiti.
- He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature (1943) and Nobel Peace Prize (1950).
- He envisioned India playing a leading spiritual and civilisational role in humanity’s future, emphasising cultural self-confidence and spiritual regeneration.
