Sri Aurobindo

Autobiographical Notes

and Other Writings of Historical Interest

Part One. Autobiographical Notes

2. Sri Aurobindo’s corrections of statements in a proposed biography

Early Life in India and England. 1872–1893

School Studies [2]

Aurobindo studied in the Manchester Grammar School for a period of about five years. . . . The Head Master of St. Paul’s from the first entertained a very high opinion of Aurobindo’s character and attainments.

[First sentence altered to:] Aurobindo studied at home, learning Latin, French and other subjects from Mr. and Mrs. Drewett.

Sri Aurobindo never went to Manchester Grammar School, it was his two brothers who went there. He himself studied privately with Mr. and Mrs. Drewett. Mr. Drewett was a very fine classical scholar and taught him Latin and grounded him so firmly that the Head Master of St. Paul’s after teaching him personally the elements of Greek which he had not yet begun to learn, put him at once from the lower into the higher school. There was no admiration expressed about his character.