Sri Aurobindo

Autobiographical Notes

and Other Writings of Historical Interest

Part Three. On Indian and World Events 1940–1950

2. Notes and Letters to the Editor of Mother India 1949–1950

On French India and on Pakistan¹

June 27 1949

Amal,

I sent you a telegram asking you to withhold the spokesman’s statement. It was not to be republished. The statement does not adequately represent Sri Aurobindo’s views. It over-stresses one point and leaves out others which are as important, but I see that you have already featured it in Mother India. Anyway Sri Aurobindo doesn’t want anything further to be written about his view on the French India question; what is done is done but in future he wishes to remain silent unless an imperative need arises for a statement. Just now Sri Aurobindo does not want strong attacks to be made on the policy of the Congress Government as by their action they have removed many of the difficulties of the Asram and all that it needs for its institutions are coming in freely as a result of special orders given by the Madras Government so he does not want to figure as their enemy or opponent. Certain things in their attitude may seem doubtful but he does not want them too much stressed at present unless it becomes very necessary to do so.

About your Franco-India article, the main objection is that Mother does not want herself to be represented in that way (or in any way) and she objects to figuring in any special way as a representative of France or French culture. The article is inopportune at this moment. It contains many statements that would have to be modified or not put forward at all.

As for the contravention article Sri Aurobindo thought that one could wait to see what was the further action or attitude or inaction of the Government and whether what was meant was a complete prohibition of any dealing with the Pakistan issue before you determined the paper’s own attitude towards all that and any extreme action. That does not mean that you will have to postpone indefinitely any necessary decision. If you think it necessary to take advantage of Nehru’s speech that can be done while avoiding committing ourselves to any conflict for the moment.

¹ On 25 June 1949, the following text was published in Mother India under the title “Sri Aurobindo Supports Merger of French India”:{{1}}Sri Aurobindo in his own supreme spiritual way strives for India’s solidarity and greatness, Sjt. Nolini Kanta Gupta the Secretary of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram told the A.P.I. special representative on June 14.{{1}}Sri Aurobindo feels certain and has expressed it more than once, the Secretary said, that the different parts of India, whoever may be their present rulers, are bound to join the mother country and that India, free and united, will become a dynamic spiritual force bringing peace and harmony to the war-scarred world and suffering humanity in general.{{1}}Asked whether this meant that Sri Aurobindo desired Chandernagore, Pondicherry and other French Settlements in India to join India, the Secretary said: “Certainly so. He has  prophesied that these small foreign pockets in India would sooner or later become one with India and India would become the spiritual leader of the world. Sri Aurobindo’s great Yoga-Shakti is directed to that end.” . . .{{1}}As a spiritual home, the Ashram as such adopts a neutral attitude towards the burning question of the day in Pondicherry, namely, the referendum to decide the future of the French settlements in India, the Secretary said. He, however, strongly refuted the notion in certain quarters that the Ashram is pro-French, and referred to one of his public statements wherein he had stated: “Nobody here (Ashram) is for the continuation of French rule in India.”{{1}}On 22 June, before publishing the statement, Sethna wrote to Nolini asking for Sri Aurobindo’s views on Franco-Indian culture and on “the Contravention question”. He concluded: “The statement on behalf of the Ashram by your honourable spokesman self will be featured on top of page 12 in the next issue.” On receipt of this letter, Nolini drafted a letter to Sethna saying that the statement ought not to have been published as it “does not adequately represent Sri Aurobindo’s views”. Sri Aurobindo corrected and considerably enlarged Nolini’s draft, making it his own letter. He also added a paragraph on the Pakistan problem. The revised text was typed and sent to Sethna in Bombay.

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