Sri Aurobindo

Bande Mataram

Calcutta, October 11^th, 1907

Part Four. Bande Mataram under the Editorship of of Sri Aurobindo (28 May – 22 December 1907)

The Shadow of the Ordinance in Calcutta

The latest move of the bureaucrats to hamper the Swadeshi-boycott in Calcutta is one that has long been foreseen. The riots in Shyambazar had a double utility, to intimidate the people into giving up the boycott and to put an end to the meetings in the public squares which bore periodical witness of the quick and continued heart-beats of the great movement. The first object has not been served; on the contrary, popular exasperation has manifested itself in a more thorough-going resort to the weapon of boycott and the chances of a large sale of foreign goods, which were before the riots fairly good, are now, we believe, nil. The police and their goondas failed also to intimidate the student and middle-class population of Calcutta who showed a far more sustained courage than an ordinary European mob would have shown if placed at a similar disadvantage. But although the riots have not frightened the people of Calcutta into cessation from public meetings, they have afforded an excuse for taking advantage of the unlimited and irresponsible powers provided for the coercion of the people by an alien-made law. In so far they have served their end. Meetings have been prohibited in Calcutta in any public place, and the bureaucrats no doubt hope that this will cripple the boycott and spoil the celebration of the Partition day. Such is the wisdom of bureaucrats! The obvious answer to this proclamation is to celebrate the rites of Partition day with greater solemnity than ever, to meet in large private courts and compounds, instead of the public squares, to take organized and stringent measures for the social boycott of all who take a scrap of British goods in future and for the leaders to denounce and end any kind of co-operation with or recognition of the bureaucrats who are responsible for these continued outrages on public sentiment. We look to see this done and if the leaders are not ready to do it, it is for the people to make their voice heard in that sense with no uncertain utterance. It is useless to go on glossing over the issue; the time has come when it should be clearly recognised that any act of compromise with the bureaucrats in Bengal is an act of treason to the people and their aspirations. Whoever is not utterly for the Mother and for the Mother alone, is, however unconsciously, working against her, no matter how high his reputation for patriotism may stand, no matter how great his services in the past have been. His good intentions will but pave the way to the hell of her continued servitude.

This work was not included in SABCL, vol.1 and it was not compared with other editions.