A desperate signature campaign is going on at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry at the behest of its Trustees. The inmates are being forced to sign a petition saying that “the Ashram is a haven of peace and protection (!)” and that the “trustees are law-abiding long-serving inmates who help to steer the community rather than rule over it”. What an irony of Fate! In 2008 when around five hundred inmates of the Ashram spontaneously signed denouncing the book of Peter Heehs, the Trustees themselves said that signature campaigns are demeaning to the hoary spiritual traditions of the Ashram and are below the dignity of the disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. In a meeting of senior inmates of the Ashram arranged in the Ashram School in September 2008, Ramraj Sehgal, the spineless chief sycophant of the Managing Trustee, stood up with his head high in the style of a Roman senator and expressed his deep anguish over what had happened at the Ashram. “A signature campaign”, he uttered with deep disgust. “Signature campaign”, seconded Manoj Das Gupta, the Managing Trustee, imploring the gods in heaven. “Signature campaign” joined the mournful choir behind composed of the helpless servitors of the Managing Trustee. But alas, the day has come when the same “divinely appointed” Trustees themselves have to carry out a signature campaign in order to save their own skins and escape the law!
28 Sept 2012
21 Sept 2012
Puducherry Government Launches Probe into Mismanagement and Corrupt Practices of SAAT Trustees!
In response to repeated and serious charges of grave financial mismanagement and corrupt practices of the present Trustees of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, the Government of Puducherry has launched a high-powered Enquiry/Probe into the workings of the SAAT Trust Board.
By their letter dated 17th September 2012, the Government of Puducherry had directed the present Trustees of the Ashram Trust to publicly place their Notice announcing the probe in the Ashram Main Building's notice board, the Dining Hall, the Ashram school and the Medical Services facilities immediately, and to report to the Government their compliance in writing.
Even though the Government's letter was received by the Trustees on the same day (17th September 2012), in blatant defiance of the instructions of the Government of Puducherry, the Trustees have so far evaded compliance and have not placed the Government's Notice on the designated Ashram notice boards.
The Notice issued by the Government, intended to be seen by all the Beneficiaries of the Trust including Devotees, Disciples and Inmates, is attached below.
Let the truth be exposed and may justice prevail.
20 Sept 2012
Talk by Sraddhalu Ranade at Baroda on Affirmative Spirituality
Language: English/Hindi
Venue: Jagdish Hall, Adjoining
Sardar Baug, Race Course, Vadodara.
Date: 26th September, Wednesday,
2012
Time: 6 pm to 8.30 pm
11 Sept 2012
A Basic Scheme for Sri Aurobindo Ashram – proposed by an Ashramite
The Advisory Board
The Ashram community’s primary objective is to practise the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. As the Trustees have failed to keep in mind this primary objective while disbursing their duties, an alternate administration is required to look after the problems of the community. This self-governance not only requires accountability, internal checks and balances, but also a process of election by which new administrators are appointed or old ones dismissed. Until now, the Trustees were all-powerful. Henceforth, it is proposed to give powers to a larger body of about thirty to forty members, which we shall name as the Advisory Board. This board will appoint a five-member Governing Board for a five year term. It will appoint the departmental heads as and when required. It will appoint the members of the Election Office and the Grievance Redressal Office.
8 Sept 2012
Letter to the Trustees from Ahmedabad Centre
Dear Trustees,
...full text...
We, the undersigned Trustees of Shree AuroMa Trust (Ahmedabad) run Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Kendra. We would like to put a few words about Peter Heeh's book 'The Lives of Sri Aurobindo', the stand you have taken regarding the book and its author and also the stand we expect you to take.
After perusal of certain texts from the book and correspondence by some learned, eminent devotee-scholars and institutions. We are thoroughly convinced of the following:
(1) Peter has stolen and misused privileged material from Sri Aurobindo Archives for his personal gains.
(2) Peter has violated copyrights of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, impersonated as Founder of the Archives and has numerous, serious criminal lapses too in the publication of the book.
(2) Peter has violated copyrights of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, impersonated as Founder of the Archives and has numerous, serious criminal lapses too in the publication of the book.
5 Sept 2012
Fighting the Five Sisters – A Pondicherian
This is with regard to the news item published in the Sunday Times of India, Chennai on September 2, 2012. The title of the story “HC asks five sisters to vacate Aurobindo Ashram” immediately catches your attention and you wonder as to whether it is the same Sri Aurobindo Ashram whose members always speak of spiritual families, spiritual relations and world unity! Then you find out from the news item that the disagreement between both parties began in the year 2002, which means that the five sisters have been legally hounded for ten long years by the Ashram administration. Giving the full benefit of doubt to the Trustees of the Ashram, assuming for the moment that the five sisters lodged false complaints of sexual harassment (which is anyway so difficult to establish in the Court), assuming that they were quarrelsome and mischievous sisters who gave sleepless nights to the Trustees and made them so wild that they spent a fortune to evict them from the Ashram, is it really worth all the trouble? Does it not actually speak volumes on the maladministration of the Trustees?
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