Schools of Sri Aurobindo institutions in West Bengal

Sri Aurobindo Teachers' Conference 2015 - 17th January 2015

    

The teachers' conference aiming at bringing the schools of Sri Aurobindo institutions in West Bengal together to meet and deliberate for a day was organized by Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre, New Alipore, on Saturday, 17th January 2015, where the Centre schools participated with their respective delegations. Among those present were :

- Arun Nursery (the pre-primary section of Future Foundation School), Kolkata
- The New Horizon High School, Kolkata
- Sri Aurobindo Centre of Education, Hooghly
- Sri Aurobindo Vidyapith, Dogachia
- Rishi Dham, Tamluk
- Sri Aurobindo Society, Durgapur
- Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Krishnanagar
- Sri Aurobindo Education Centre, Habra
- Sri Aurobindo Patha Bhavan, Kalyani
- Sri Aurobindo Education Centre, Purulia
- Ushagram Vidyaniketan, Ushagram
- Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir, Kolkata

    

Apart from the above-mentioned institutions, delegations from the Education Cell of Sri Aurobindo's Action - West Bengal and students of the Montessori Teachers Training Centre of Netaji Subhash Open University were present. The participating institutions gave presentations on the topic "Children's Education - daily problems faced and their solutions in your own experience". The conference began at 10.00 am and ended at 4.25 pm with an hour's lunch recess in between. Delegates participated with enthusiasm in the question-answer sessions exchanging views amongst themselves. A memento commemorating the event was released and given to all participating institutions. Certificates were handed over to all participants.

    

About 150 delegates attended the Conference.

In the summing up session, Sri Subrata Sen, Secretary, Sri Aurobindo's Action West Bengal Chapter, urged the participating institutions to think of forming a Forum of the Sri Aurobindo institution schools and other such schools following the ideas and ideals of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in West Bengal which was seconded by Smt. Bonhishikha Sarkar, Principal, The New Horizon High School.

Seminar : Sri Aurobindo & The Mother on Education

    

On 20th December 2014 (Saturday), a seminar was organized at Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre, New Alipore, with the pre-primary teachers' training wing of Netaji Subhash Open University conducted by the organization Agami Nirmaan where the trainee pre-primary teachers undergoing the course of the University participated. Sri Subrata Sen and Sri Partha Sarathi Bose spoke on the thoughts of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother on education. Dr. Anirban Ghosh, Head of the Vocational Training Wing of Netaji Subhas Open University and Dr. Sanghamitra Mukherjee, Director of the pre-primary teachers' training centre of the University at New Alipore spoke on the occasion. A presentation was made by the teachers of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir on their experiences of implementing the thoughts of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in their day to day teaching.

Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar awarded to Smt. Chitra Bose

    

To recognize the invaluable contribution of individuals, especially women — the Shakti behind one and all — for their outstanding contribution in the fields of literature, art, education and music, Overman Foundation has started a new award — the Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar — named after the late Bulbul Mukherjee (4.10.1934—15.8.1990). The inaugural Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar was awarded to Mrs. Chitra Bose, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust and Honorary Secretary cum Principal of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir (New Alipore, Kolkata) for her contribution in the field of education.

    

The award ceremony was be held on Monday, 10th November 2014, at 6.30 p.m. at Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre, New Alipore, Kolkata. In the programme conducted by Mr. Anurag Banerjee - the Founder Chairman of Overman Foundation, Mr. Subroto Sen, the Secretary of Sri Aurobindo’s Action West Bengal Trust, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and handed over the award. Prabrajika Divyaprana Mataji, Secretary of Sree Sarada Ashram (New Alipore) also graced the ceremony as a Special Guest. Apart from addresses by the Guests, Sri Partha Sarathi Bose, Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre, spoke on the journey of Sakti Centre from the past to the present. Mrs. Chitra Bose reminiscended her childhood days and the legacy of her father Late Harendra Nath Majumdar, a devotee of the Mother and the erstwhile Chairman of Sri Aurobindo Society, West Bengal, who was a minister in the cabinet of Dr. Prafulla Ghosh; her meeting the Mother at Pondicherry; starting of a kindergarten school in 1977 christened Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir with only 5 students and mattresses to sit upon owing to lack of basic furniture in the then dilapidated building and bringing it up to be one of the eminent pre-primary schools of south Kolkata based on the ideas and ideals of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, providing quality education with a present strength of more than 350 students in Nursery and Kindergarten sections.

Certificate Programme - Introduction to Sri Aurobindo Studies

    

Perhaps for the first time in West Bengal, a Certificate Programme has been initiated titled Introduction to Sri Aurobindo Studies where participants interested in getting an introductory knowledge on Sri Aurobindo - his life and works - are being given an idea on topics like Principles of Integral Education, Sri Aurobindo and History, The Problem of Life and Sri Aurobindo, Socio-political development of man, Foundations of Indian Culture, Sri Aurobindo and Art, Sri Aurobindo and The Gita, Sri Aurobindo and The Vedas, The Supermind in Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy, Sri Aurobindo's Vision of the Future, Sri Aurobindo and Future Poetry w.s.r.t. Savitri, Sri Aurobindo's Vision of the Life Divine along with his life. Faculty members conducting the sessions include Sri Anurag Banerjee of Overman Foundation, Sri Subrata Sen - Secretary, Sri Aurobindo's Action, West Bengal Chapter, Prof. (Dr.) Indrani Sanyal of Jadavpur University and Sri Gautam Banerjee. The Programme has begun on 4th September and is supposed to end around mid-December. Sessions are being held on Thursdays and Sundays. The Programme has been drawn up and organized in collaboration with Overman Foundation, Kolkata - a forerunner research organization on Sri Aurobindo.

Talk Session : The Mother on Education - 26th April

    

On 26th April (Saturday) evening, Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre organized a talk session on the topic - The Mother on Education (Siksha prasangey Sri Ma in Bengali) by Sri Anurag Banerjee of Overman Foundation, Kolkata. After a brief on the thoughts of The Mother on education, an interactive session followed in which teachers narrated their experiences in handling students and organizing their classes where The Mother's thoughts could be brought in. An interview of Sri Manoj Dasgupta, Managing Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, narrating the ideas and ideals of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram School (later International Centre of Education) and what The Mother expected of teachers there was shown to the assembled audience who could catch the essence of education in the light of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. A group of teachers of Sri Aurobindo Centre school, Purulia, travelled to Kolkata to attend the session. Apart from the teachers of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir, teachers and administrators of five other schools of non-Aurobindonian background (including a government school in the rural belt of South 24 Parganas District) attended along with other members and devotees. A book recently published by Sri Aurobindo's Action, West Bengal Chapter, on the problems faced by the child and their solutions was distributed to members of the teaching community present.

Details - SRI AUROBINDO SAKTI CENTRE TRUST