Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1. 1936

Letter ID: 1547

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

February 12, 1936

Spoke wrathfully? I thought I am a very calm and peaceful man. But I’ll tell you what happened. Dr. Becharlal and I were breaking our heads over the budget when A entered. 1 was a bit troubled about the budget and I asked Dr. B what A’s complaint was and he asked her in Gujerati: “Have you done some indiscretion in the diet?” That’s all. Now you can judge for yourself.

Well, I don’t know why, but you have the reputation of being a fierce and firebrand doctor who consider it a crime for patients to have an illness. You may be right, but – Tradition demands that a doctor should be soft like butter, soothing like treacle, sweet like sugar and jolly like jam. So!

I hear K is crying with pain and for my neglect of her condition. She is afraid of coming to the dispensary lest I should be displeased!

That’s the thing. General complaint, sir.

What thinkest thou of this anapaest poem, Sir,

Written by my humble self? Pray, does it stir

Any soft feelings in thy deep within

Or touches not even thy Supramental skin?

So soft, so soft, I almost coughed, then went aloft

To supramental regions, where rainbow-breasted pigeons Coo in their sacred legions.

N.B. This inspired doggerel is perfectly private. It is an effort in abstract or surrealist poetry, but as I had no models to imitate, I may have blundered.