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
Political Life, 1893–1910
Start of the Bande Mataram [2]
[The Bande Mataram was started on 7 August
1906. The joint stock company was declared on 18 October 1906. From August to
October 1906 Bepin Pal was the editor.]
Bepin Pal started the Bande Mataram with 500 Rs in his
pocket donated by Haridas Haldar. He called in my help as assistant editor and I
gave it. I called a private meeting of the Nationalist leaders in Calcutta and
they agreed to take up the Bande Mataram as their party paper with Subodh and
Nirod Mullick as the principal financial supporters. A company was projected and
formed, but the paper was financed and kept up meanwhile by Subodh. Bepin Pal
who was strongly supported by C. R. Das and others remained as editor. Hemprasad
Ghose and Shyamsundar Chakrabarti joined the editorial staff but they could not
get on with Bepin Babu and were supported by the Mullicks. Finally Bepin Pal had
to retire, I don’t remember whether in November or December, probably the
latter. I was myself very ill, almost to death, in my father-in-law’s house in
[Mott’s]1 Lane
and did not know what was going on. They put my name as editor on the paper
without my consent, but I spoke to the Secretary 
pretty harshly and had the insertion discontinued. I also wrote a strong letter
on the subject to Subodh. From that time Bepin Pal had no connection with the
Bande Mataram. Somebody said or wrote that he resumed his editorship after I was
arrested in the Alipur Case. I never heard of that. I was told by Bejoy
Chatterji after I came out from jail that he, Shyamsundar and Hemprasad had
carried on somehow with the paper, but the finances became impossible, so he
deliberately wrote an article which made the Govt come down on the paper and
stop its publication, so that the Bande Mataram might end with some éclat and in
all honour.