Sri Aurobindo

Autobiographical Notes

and Other Writings of Historical Interest

Part Two. Letters of Historical Interest

1. Letters on Personal, Practical and Political Matters (1890–1926)

Letters and Telegrams to Political and Professional Associates 1906–1926

To Aswinicoomar Banerji [2]¹

[July – August 1907]

My dear Banerji,

Yes, I am still at large, though I hear warrants are out against myself, Subodh and three others. The contribution is not with us, it is in other hands at present, but I will get hold of it and return it, if I am not previously arrested.

Yours sincerely

Aurobindo Ghose.

¹ Sri Aurobindo wrote these letters to Aswinicoomar Banerji (1866–1945), a barrister, labour leader and nationalist politician, shortly before Sri Aurobindo was arrested for sedition in August 1907. On 7 June 1907 the editors of the newspapers Jugantar, Sandhya and Bande Mataram were warned by the Government of Bengal that they would be prosecuted if they continued to publish inflammatory articles. On 5 July police arrested Bhupendranath Bose, whom they believed to be editor of Jugantar. He was tried and sentenced on 24 July. Six days later, the police searched the office of the Bande Mataram. It was evidently around this time that Sri Aurobindo wrote this note to Aswinicoomar. The originals of these two letters are in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Delhi (Banerji papers).

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