Sri Aurobindo's relics
consecrated at Aurobindo Yoga Shakti Peeth ... Free press journal - Ujjain : December 13, 2012 12:09:33 AM By FP NEWS SERVICE
IG
Upendra Jain was chief guest while president of Aurobindo Society, Ujjain branch Vijay Kumar
Podarkar, Makhanlal, Ujjain Development Authority chairman Kishore Khandelwal
and Dr Alok Pandey were special guests on this occasion. As the relics reached
at oga Shakti Peeth, police jawans accorded welcome with a guard of honour.
Suman Didi recited a poem composed by Mother who was close spiritual
collaborator of Aurobindo. Member of Aurobindo Society Renu also expressed her
views on philosophy of Aurobindo.
Huge
crowd prevailed there to have darshan of relics of Sri Aurobindo. Special guest
Dr Alok Pandey addressing on this occasion gave introduction of Ujjain branch of
Aurobindo Society and said that it was established in 1992 by secretary Sukhdev
Prasad Thakur. A land of 21500 square feet area was purchased for developing
the branch office in 2006. Dr Pandey further said it was high time when one
could gather his energy through spiritual philosophy.
Someshwar
Kher conducted the programme. President Vibhash Upadhyay, secretary Sukhdev
Prasad Thakur and treasurer Madhusudan Shrivastava were also present on this
occasion. BJP organising Secretary Arvind Menon and BJP city president Anil
Jain Kaluheda were also present on this occasion.
Aurobindo's ideas
are ever relevant: Shivraj Central Chronicle - Staff Reporter, December 12, 2012 11:13 pm Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended
the farewell programme of the sacred Diwyanash of Sri Aurobindo here today at
Auro temple situated at Tulsinagar.
Chief
Minister Shri Chouhan said that we recall Sri Aurobindo with respect and
honour. His ideas for world peace are ever relevant. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Shri
Ishwardas Rohani, Urban Administration Minister Shri Babulal Gaur, Commerce
& Industries Minister Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, MP Shri Anil Madhav Dave
and a large number of followers were present on the occasion.
Integral education for transformation Harvinder Kaur, Dec,
13, 2012: ESSENCE OF EDUCATION Deccan herald Supplements › DH Education
My
earlier experiments and search for a deeper, wider and more relevant education
led me to explore Integral Education, inspired by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Integral Education is an education that seeks to transform the entire being —
the body, heart, and head while seeping into the deeper layers of the inner
being. An education that is not a mere rat race or a vanity appeaser, an
education where the child is not a mere ‘product’, an education that lets a
child be a child.
One
of the key features of Integral Education is to help the child to move to a
space of self knowing, while working on the physical, mental and emotional
dimensions. It is not just about acquiring information, it is about
developing powers of the mind (concentration, memory, reasoning…), emotional
development (sensitivity, compassion, joy…), having values, and a strong
healthy body while discovering your deeper inner self.
Integral Education, is more than all-around education, it has an integral approach. Knowledge is whole, we divide it into ‘subjects’ to ease the acquisition of knowledge. The human too, is an integral being, the physical, emotional, and mental dimensions are interconnected. This means that the dimensions of the individual not only have to be addressed but also their integral nature, has to be understood. Understanding the inherent connectedness of knowledge and the child’s own inherent interests is easily facilitated through hands on, interdisciplinary, theme based project work.
Integral Education, is more than all-around education, it has an integral approach. Knowledge is whole, we divide it into ‘subjects’ to ease the acquisition of knowledge. The human too, is an integral being, the physical, emotional, and mental dimensions are interconnected. This means that the dimensions of the individual not only have to be addressed but also their integral nature, has to be understood. Understanding the inherent connectedness of knowledge and the child’s own inherent interests is easily facilitated through hands on, interdisciplinary, theme based project work.
Needless
to say, this is not easy when the vast framework of organised education is
still in old moulds. Firstly, it needs committed educators who are
constantly working on themselves, striving to become better people and better
teachers.
It’s
both a privilege and challenge, as the teacher is expected to facilitate
self-discovery and self-discipline, rather than merely disseminate information.
The child is not seen as someone to be shaped into a pre-set mould but a ‘soul
in evolution’, someone in whose journey you get to hold their hand for a while.
They do their own walking, but perhaps you can point to the light. Giving the
child attention is important and that is why schools inspired by the principles
of Integral Education strive to keep numbers small.
Creating
a friendly environment of ease, naturalness and approachability for the child,
in contrast to ‘factory mode’ schooling certainly helps! This is important to
ensure physical, mental and emotional space for the child, where a child’s
inherent nature can be observed and nurtured.
One
of the key aspects of Integral Education is to help the child go deeper within
herself to find inner treasures while developing powers of the mind and
qualities of the heart. This is practically possible in schools by
organising regular classes geared to develop faculties of concentration,
imagination, memory, creativity, while developing deeper values of compassion,
care, calmness, honesty.
Periods
of silent reflection can be interwoven with regular activities, thereby
changing the feel and fabric of regular classes.Integral Education seeks to
transform the individual from within, it strives to create a link to the bridge
that takes the child to a whole new level of being. A paradigm shift in
education for the new age! (The writer is Director, India Council for Integral Education, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry .)
