On the occasion of Sri Aurobindo’s Siddhi Day, 24th November (2024) Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre hosted an enlightening event featuring Shri Subrata Sen as the keynote speaker. Addressing the topic “Sri Aurobindo’s Mahasiddhi and its relevance in the solutions of our problems,” Shri Sen eloquently explored how Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual realization offers timeless guidance for overcoming life’s challenges. The Centre was beautifully adorned with lamps, symbolizing the light of higher consciousness and divine grace. Devotees gathered in a serene atmosphere of devotion and reflection, paying homage to Sri Aurobindo’s legacy and the transformative power of his teachings on this sacred day.
Notice & Events
Admission to Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir – Session 2025
Independence Day & Sri Aurobindo Jayanti – 15th August 2024
Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre with its units Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir, Art and Music Section and Sri Ma Library observed the country’s 78th Independence Day and the 152nd birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo on 15th August 2024. Hoisting of the National Tricolour took place at 8.00 a.m. by the Managing Trustee of the institution and Principal of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir. The students and teachers of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir performed a choreographed dance recital on patriotic songs with short portrayals on the lives of eminent revolutionaries. All students, including those of the Art and Music Section, who were present were given cakes and chocolates. Meditation was held at the Shrine from 10.30 to 10.45 a.m. There was a cultural programme, paying tribute to Sri Aurobindo on the occasion – song offerings by Sri Riton Kumar Dhar and flute recital by Sri Ranadhir Das, guest performers from Chittagong, Bangladesh, both empaneled artists of Bangladesh Betaar and Bangladesh Television. Accompanying on the tabla was Sri Sudip Chattopadhyay, eminent tabla player of West Bengal. Prasad was distributed to devotees, guests and workers of the Institution in the end.
Workshop for parents at Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir – How to study at home
At times it is helpful if we discuss and help parents with tips and techniques to follow when they sit with their children for their studies at home. It is observed that parents too seek guidance to make studying at home effective. On this note, we at Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir held a workshop which we called “studying at home” with parents of KG1 students on Saturday 10th August 2024. The workshop was conducted by the teachers of KG1 classes. Here, topics covered were preparing routine for home, preparations before sitting down for studying including mindfulness, revision plans as well as the need of the physical like adequate rest and food habit. In the end, a mindfulness activity was also held with the parents. Parents who attended shared their feeling on the need for such workshops.
Outdoor art session – Art Section
Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Art Section held another outdoor session at the Parasnath temple on 12th March (2024). The temple exhibits marvellous artistic inclinations that are displayed in the overall decorative patterns of the interiors and the exteriors. Senior students enthusiastically participated in the session of drawing and painting under the guidance of Mr. Pradip Haldar, Instructor at the Art Section.
Sri Ma Jayanti observed on 21st February 2024
Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre (New Alipore, Kolkata) and its wings viz. Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir School, Art Section and Sri Ma Library observed 146th birth anniversary of The Mother on 21st February 2024. In the morning, students of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir arrived to receive toys and chocolates on the auspicious occasion.
Jayanti meditation was at the Shrine in the afternoon. An art and craft exhibition organised for this occasion was inaugurated by Dr. Abhijit Ray, Professor and Head of the Department of Film Studies, Jadavpur University. Prizes were handed over to students and staff who performed well and were regular during the previous year. The students, ex-students and staff of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir presented a cultural programme as an offering to The Mother, a dance ensemble on the unity amidst diversity of India and a drama based on Rabindranath Tagore’s “Tota Kahini” portraying the fallacy of the conventional education system and the need to move to a free progress one. Prasad was distributed at the end of the programme.
The observation of the auspicious occasion moved into the following day, 22nd February, when the Art Section with its students and staff joined in to pay homage to The Mother with a cultural programme and a drama subsequent to distribution of prizes and certificates to candidates who had performed well in the previous year. Both evenings saw gathering of parents of students and guests who witnessed the performances.
Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir team visit to Delhi in December 2023
A team from Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir, during their stay at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi, in December 2023, visited The Mother’s International School, one of the best schools in Delhi as well as Mirambika, a free progress school, both under the aegis of the Delhi Ashram and interacted with teachers and students, saw the conducting of classes and the teaching methods. They also visited L’avenir, a pre-primary school of the Gnostic Centre, had interactions with eminent personalities like Ms. Tara Jauhar and Ms. Amita Mehera during their stay. They also attended a workshop on theatre as a tool for education conducted by Shapno Ekhon, a prominent theatre group of Delhi. The tour was an enriching experience for the team.
Art Section workshop held on 10th December 2023
The Art Section arranges annual workshops where the participants can try different forms of art and crafts hands-on. This is also the time when the Art section remains open to external non-student participants. On 10th December, in a workshop like this, the Art section offered “hands-on training” on Character designing, Quilling, Craft making using paper, jute and waste materials, Clay modelling, Acrylic painting on cotton surfaces, pot painting and traditional art on pottery under the careful supervision of the art instructors. The program was inaugurated by expressing gratitude to the Almighty with Rabindranath Tagore’s verses ‘Anandaloke, Mangalaloke’ and lighting the lamp. The enthusiastic participants of various age groups greatly enjoyed the hands-on experience.
Siddhi Day observed on 24th November 2023
24th of November SIDDHI DIWAS, a significant day for all Sri Aurobindo devotees, the day of descent of the overmental consciousness into the physical, the day after which Sri Aurobindo withdrew to pursue his rigorous sadhana for the descent of the Supramental consciousness on earth and the Mother took charge of the running of the Ashram. The day was observed at Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre with a talk in the evening by Dr. Saurabh Mukherjee, devotee of Sri Aurobindo, Lecturer of Philosophy, Sanskrit College, Kolkata, on the significance of Siddhi Day and its implications in our life when it comes to implementation of the ideas and ideals propagated by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. The workers and devotees were present. On the day, every year, Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre premises is decorated with lamps.
Sri Aurobindo as a teacher in the present day perspective – a talk
On the 9th November 2023, Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre organised a programme at the first floor hall of its New Alipore premises, where eminent speaker on Sri Aurobindo and a senior teacher Shri Bhaskar Mukherjee delivered an enlightening talk on the topic – “Sri Aurobindo as a teacher in the present day perspective”. He mentioned about the very specific and successful role Sri Aurobindo played as a teacher though for a shorter period when compared with his roles as a freedom struggle leader and a spiritual thinker and sadhak. Shri Mukherjee in his detailed and attractive deliberation pointed out the uniqueness of Sri Aurobindo’s way of teaching from the accounts of the students and showed how the method he adopted during the end nineteenth century and early twentieth century years are still relevant even today. While discussing on the educational ideas of Sri Aurobindo, Shri Mukherjee revealed before the audience the parallels between those ideas and principles and the ones going to get adopted in the Policy of National Education by the Government of India. Shri Mukherjee concluded his talk with the mention of the uniqueness of Sri Aurobindo as Guru or the Spiritual teacher. The programme was attended by people most of whom belonged to the teaching community, attached to various schools and colleges.
