| SRI AUROBINDU |
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INTRODUCTION |
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15th of August, 1972 commemorates not only the Silver Jubilee of the achievement of Independence by India but also the birth centenary of one of her illustrious sons, namely, Sri Aurobindo who was, at one stage, in his career, actively associated with the freedom struggle in India. The latter half of the 19th century saw the birth In India of several personalities who attained high eminence in diverse fields. Of these, the name of Sri Aurobindo stands among the foremost. After receiving his early education in India, he studied for 14 years in England. His career in England was marked with several successes. Sri Aurobindo mastered several European languages including Greek and Latin, passing the Classical Tripos from the University of Cambridge with First Class Honours and winning all the prizes in the Classics. As a student at Cambridge, Sri Aurobindo participated in the debates of the Indian Majlis making revolutionary speeches where one could discern several hints about achieving independence through armed revolution. Later in 1890, he passed the open competition for the Indian Civil Service, but he felt no urge to Join that service and managed to find some way to escape from that bondage. Sri Aurobindo returned to India in 1893 having secured an appointment in the State of Baroda where he spent 13 years. During this spell at Baroda, Sri Aurobindo learnt several Indian languages including Sanskrit and made a deep study of the literature, scriptures and the cultural heritage of India. He also frequently contributed to 'Indu Pra-kash,' a Marathi-English Journal of Bombay. In his writings which were fired with revolutionary zeal, he criticised his contemporaries in the political field and was not afraid to put forth his own challenging and radical ideas on the subject of achieving independence for the country. |
| This list was prepared by Dr. Jinadatha |