In Paris on his
first visit to Europe, our beloved Prime
Minister Narendra Modiji addressed representatives of 195 countries in a packed
hall where he said, "We will ensure every citizen of every religion has an
equal place." This milestone
reminds us of a fundamental achievement of our age: for the first time in human
history, we have an organization for the entire world - the United Nations. And,
through the sweeping change of these decades, through many challenges of our
times, and the great progress of this era, the organization has endured and
grown. There have been doubts and skepticism. There is need for urgent reforms.
But, for the nations that came together at its birth; and,for three times as many
that joined it later, there is one unshakeable belief: Our world is and will
remain a better place because of the United Nations. It is this faith that has
given birth to so many of its institutions that deal with every aspect of human
challenge……………
No organization serves our cause more than
this one. The seeds of our collective destiny are sown in human minds. It is
nurtured by the light of education and the spirit of enquiry. It makes progress
through the marvels of science.And, it draws strength from the basic character
of Nature-the harmony and unity in diversity. …..
In Sept. 1946, the
Preparatory Commission moved from London to the Hotel Majestic on the Avenue
Kléber in Paris, which had been given a quick refit following its liberation
from the German occupation. The Hotel Majestic on the Avenue Kléber in Paris
was it’s temporary home until 1958, when it moved to its present headquarters
on the Place de Fontenoy. Located on the Place de Fontenoy, in Paris,
the main building which houses the Headquarters; the Y-shaped design was
invented by three architects of different nationalities under the direction of
an international committee.
It is
– “ The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization” (UNESCO)
a specialized agency of the United
Nations (UN). Its purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting
international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to
further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along
with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter. It is the heir of the League of Nations'
International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation. UNESCO has 195 member states and nine
associate members.
The Sri Aurobindo
Ashram is a spiritual community (ashram) located in Pondicherry. The
ashram grew out of a small community of disciples who had gathered around Sri
Aurobindo after he retired from politics and settled in Pondicherry in 1910. In Nov 1926, after a major spiritual realization, Sri
Aurobindo withdrew from public view in order to continue his spiritual work. At
this time he handed over the full responsibility for the inner and outer lives
of the sadhaks (spiritual aspirants) and the ashram to his spiritual
collaborator, "the Mother", earlier known as Mirra Alfassa. This date
is therefore generally known as the founding-day of the ashram.
Sri
Aurobindo, (15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950), born Aurobindo Ghose, was a
great Nationalist, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian
movement for independence from British rule, for a while became one of its
influential leaders and then became a spiritual reformer, introducing his
visions on human progress and spiritual evolution. Aurobindo studied
for the Indian Civil Service at King's College, Cambridge, England. After
returning to India he took up various civil service works under the maharaja of
the princely state of Baroda and began to involve himself in politics. He was
imprisoned by the British for writing articles against British rule in India.
He was released when no evidence was provided. During his stay in the jail he
had mystical and spiritual experiences, after which he moved to Pondicherry,
leaving politics for spiritual work.
During his stay in
Pondicherry, Aurobindo developed a method of spiritual practice he called
Integral Yoga. The central theme of his vision was the evolution of human life
into a life divine. His main literary
works are The Life Divine, which deals with theoretical aspects of Integral
Yoga; Synthesis of Yoga, which deals with practical guidance to Integral Yoga;
and Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, an epic poem which refers to a passage in
the Mahabharata, where its characters actualise Integral Yoga in their lives.
His works also include philosophy, poetry, translations and commentaries on the
Vedas,Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1943 and for the Nobel Prize in Peace in 1950.
In
1907, poet Rabindranath Tagore paid him
a visit after his acquittal, and wrote the now famous lines: “ O Aurobindo, bows to thee! O friend, my
country’s friend, O Voice incarnate, free, Of India’s soul! … The fiery
messenger that with the lamp of God. Hath come…
At Paris addressing
the gathering at UNESCO headquarters, PM
Narendra Modi said - “There is much that
we can learn from his humanism and spiritualism, from his belief in the unity
of individual consciousness with the world outside; the enlightened purpose of
education; the service of science; and, the unity of world, founded on national
freedom, diversity of civilisations and autonomy of culture.” Mr. Modi made the address after paying a floral tribute
to a bronze statue of Sri Aurobindo which was installed at the UNESCO
headquarters in 2009.
For Puducherians
who were tuned in to the news, it was a matter of great pride. The Prime
Minister had paid tribute to a philosopher who has had a deep influence on
Puducherry and has left a lasting legacy. There was another reason for
Puducherians to be proud. The bronze statue, over
seven feet high, was made in Puducherry by a team led by Lalit Verma, current
president of the Alliance Francaise here and owner of the Aurodhan gallery.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
14th
April 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment