20-Dec-09 Sri Aurobindo Kendra Sammelan

On 20 December 2009, Sunday, a reunion of all Sri Aurobindo Ashram Centres situated in West Bengal was organized, under the banner of 'Sri Aurobindo Kendra Sammelan', at the 'Hall of Light'. Around fifty delegates from 12 centres, including Sri Aurobindo Pathamandir (College Street), Sri Aurobindo Shakti Centre (New Alipore), Sri Aurobindo Sangha (Behala), Sri Aurobindo Bhavan (Hooghly), Karuna Bhavan (Amtala), Sri Aurobindo Kendra (Madhyam-gram), Sri Aurobindo Sadhanpith (Howrah), Sri Aurobindo Kendra (Habra), Matri Bhavan (Jot-Sibrampur), Ushagram, Dalanghata Centre and Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, participated in the session. The occasion was graced by the presence of Shri Shyamal Mukherjee, Treasurer, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture, Shri Dilip Chatterjee of Sri Aurobindo Pathamandir, Shri Bakul Ghosh of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry and Shri Chandranath Chatterjee, Area Manager, Peerless.
The session commenced at 10:30 a.m. with collective meditation along with the rendition of the Mother's Organ Music (Construction of the Future). Prof. Biswanath Roy, eminent scholar and orator, spoke on The Role of the Ashram Centres in the Path of Sadhana shown by Sri Aurobindo. Shri Satyabrata Saha and Shri Saibal Sengupta of Department of Technical Education (West Bengal Government) spoke of how varied employment can be generated by providing vocational education and training. The session, was followed by a tour of Lakshmi's House including Meditation Hall, Sri Aurobindo Parichay Gallery, Dilip Kumar Roy Resource Centre, Knowledge, Galerie La Mére and the exhibition ground.
Post-lunch, the delegates were taken on a bus-tour to some of the places in Kolkata where Sri Aurobindo had stayed or visited, namely, 12 Wellington Square (Raja Subodh Mullick's residence), 2/1 Creek Row (Office of Bande Mataram newspaper), 19/3 Chhaku Khansama Lane (Sri Aurobindo's residence after his final return from Baroda in 1906), 191/1 Bowbazar Street (Initial location of the National College of which Sri Aurobindo was the Principal), 164 & 166 Bowbazar Street (Location of the National College where Sri Aurobindo delivered his famous address), 23 Scott Lane (Sri Aurobindo's residence), 32 Muraripukur Road (the Garden house where explosives were purportedly prepared by Barindra Ghose and his associates), 48 Grey Street (Navashakti's office from where Sri Aurobindo was arrested), 6 College Square (Residence of Sri Aurobindo's uncle Krishna Kumar Mitra where Sri Aurobindo stayed till February 1910) and 4 Shyampukur Lane (Office of Karmayogin newspaper of which Sri Aurobindo was the Editor).
The delegates have described their visit to Lakshmi’s House as a memorable experience.

---