“My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.”
– Wilma Rudolph
Work and Life: Balance or Choice
April 11 is celebrated as National Safe Motherhood Day. On this day, emphasis should not only be given to the physical safety of mothers, but attention should also be paid to their mental safety.
Most young mothers find it difficult to have a work-life balance. When this is the case, we should ponder over what needs to be done for them to enjoy their motherhood, while at the same time be competent enough at their workplace. It is our responsibility not to push these young mothers to a place where they have to choose between their careers or motherhood. This article talks about Work and Life: Balance or Choice through some case studies.
Lights on Life
Pulses of truth that clears up life’s pathway and makes it a joyful and confident journey
Questions and Answers
Our ordinary life is fraught with doubts, confusions and questions on its various aspects. Our Questions and Answers section is a compilation of questions on multiple subjects, asked by aspirants to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and the answers given by Them. Please visit - an answer may be awaiting you, even if you do not have a question.
Inspiration
“True maternity begins with the conscious creation of a being, with the willed shaping of a soul coming to develop and utilise a new body.”
– The Mother to the women of Japan
Guidance
On life’s journey, we are sometimes struck by a distressing obstacle in our path, numbing our strength and capacities to move ahead. Or it could also be a strong aspiration that blindly seeks an expression. At these times, if we concentrate and sincerely search for an inner guidance, it does somehow reach us through some means and a path opens up, almost like miracle! If you are in a situation like this, try our Guidance section and see if it helps. Do share your experience with us.
Events and Announcements
Glimpses of recent activities at SAS
Svadhyaya IV: Study, Reflect and Grow Within
AuroBharati and AuroYajna are jointly organizing a special offering for the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. Writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are selected and are read and discussed in this weekly Zoom meetings. You can join the study sessions from April 19 to June 18, 2022.
The Quest for Truth
Join Dr. Alok Pandey and James Anderson for this four-day online workshop in search for the “Truth” from April 20 to 23, 2022. Truth resides over the world and your own being. It is in every atom of existence. There can be nothing more important than to attain it. Collectively, we are at a critical stage of our evolution where we must each find and live our Truth. Find out why this is so and how it can be brought about.
Planetarium Visit for Students
SARVAM students were taken for a one-day visit to Dr. Abdul Kalam Science Centre & Planetarium in Puducherry on March 13, 2022. Students found the answers to many of their inquisitive queries on some science concepts. This indeed is an effective method involving a lot of fun which would help them retain knowledge for a long time to come what they had experimented there!
Healthcare Professionals Learning Together
There is a rising need for palliative care and treatment. As a step ahead to address this need, a nationwide conference was arranged on March 27, 2022 at the Society House, Puducherry. The conference participants represented a wide array of professions including doctors, NGO representatives, student volunteers, student doctors and many more. Their primary objective was to take palliative care to the next stage. Dr. Suresh, the Director of Sanjeevan and Institute of Palliative Care, Calicut facilitated the programme.
Online Lecture – Virtues as Empowerment
Join the special lecture by Dr. Geetha Nirban on April 17, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. In this online event, Dr. Nirban, who is involved in research on the Mahabharata with a focus on Ethics, Values, Nature, Women and Eco-Feminism, will help us understand Shakuntala in Mahabaratha from a fresh perspective that will be completely new and unprecedented.
Animation Film – Sri Aurobindo A New Dawn
Sri Aurobindo: A New Dawn – The Path Forward
An animation film ‘Sri Aurobindo: A New Dawn’ is being made by Sri Aurobindo Society, to inspire the
youth of India and the world through the story of Sri Aurobindo and his immense contribution to the renaissance of India, as its offering for the 150th year of Sri Aurobindo’s birth.
Offering in Humility and Gratitude
We stepped into a significant year – the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo and the 75th year of India’s independence. This section is our humble offering to this momentous occasion. We will bring a few golden glimpses from the Master’s avataric life as well as a few glorious achievements of independent India.
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Readers' Column
Shruti Ramteke, this week’s contributor for the Readers’ Column is an avid photographer, dancer, trekker and cinematographer. Graduated in Masters from the Pondicherry University in Visual Communications, she finds satisfaction working for The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. She has been working with Sri Aurobindo Society for the past 5 years. Travel and dance are some of her hobbies.
Bangalore!!!! Well, what could be so exciting about travelling to a populated city like Bangalore? But, I feel like going there again and again. I happened to share this journey with two of my fun-loving colleagues. I was travelling with a wonderful artist-cum-designer and an extremely talented photographer, poet, nature lover, etc., etc., etc. After getting cosy with the cushions in the car, from the window, we kept observing the people around. The photographer kept on taking halts to capture some beautiful moments. After a couple of hours, we made up our minds to spend the night somewhere if we continued to go at this speed. At one such stop, we got down and captured some rituals being performed at a village on the purchase of a new car. A little way ahead, we noticed some farmers working in the field. We sneak peaked believing that they would not welcome our intrusion, but to our great surprise, they invited us and we hopped out of the car to experience and capture some magical moments. Later, we again stopped by the road and randomly entered someone’s farm and sat under a tree having our lunch with some great company of cows. Till now we were overwhelmed by the farmers who welcomed us graciously, the people who enjoyed being photographed, the greenery around, and the pleasant weather.
But the most touching moment was yet to come.
While we were about to finish our lunch, an old grandpa, the owner (maybe) of the land came along with his young grandson, and instead of admonishing us, he invited us twice to have lunch at his small house by the farm. My god! This gesture melted our hearts. The goodness and culture of our country and its people have been amazing. Following that, our journey throughout turned out to be a musical one. The entire outing was amazing and we were very happy that we took this road trip. Well, this travelogue is not only about the detailed information, but actually about the beautiful time we spent in each other’s company and the beautiful lush green areas soothing our hearts, mind, and soul, and last but not least, the beautiful kind people who touched us throughout our road trip. Here’s a heads up – if you plan to travel with friends like this, a six-hour journey will take a minimum of 10 hours to finish. Be cautious!!!
Dose of Sunshine
(…is all we need to embrace life with a smile!)
Potion of Laughter
This time it is all jokes on marriages. These light-hearted jokes about marriages might make fun of marriage and marital status, but they are only meant to be playful. Marriages not only bring in additional responsibility, but also is meant for keeping up the promises. Enjoy these silly jokes that poke fun at one of life’s greatest adventures: marriage.
Husband: “Why do you keep reading our marriage license?”
Wife: “I’m looking for an expiration date.”
Guest 1: Didn’t the bride look absolutely gorgeous as she swept down the aisle.
Guest 2: Well, you can be sure that’s the very last time you will see her sweep!
Read MoreA Capsule of Good News
While Russia and Ukraine are in a one-on-one war, Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov has donated his noble prize medal to be auctioned and the sale proceeds to raise funds for the Ukrainian refugees. This act shows that peace is not a distant star for the Ukrainians.
