Prophet of Indian nationalism

While witnessing the seventy-fifth anniversary of our Independence, it is pertinent to make an appraisal of our movement for freedom. Our minds should be enlightened with the glorious spirit and philosophy that inspired our freedom fighters as they sacrificed even their lives to liberate our motherland from the fetters of foreign bondage. There were individuals who shaped the psychological dimension of this struggle and left a lasting impression on the socio-political disposition of our great country. Aurobindo Ghosh stands tall as one of those thinkers whose philosophy delineates the crystallization of the new and rising soul of India. Sri Aurobindo is a rare example of a multi-faceted genius. He was a combination of a poet, a profound thinker, a notable metaphysician and an ardent patriot. It is the burning zeal of patriotism that made him a great nationalist. In a public meeting in Bombay in 1908, he said: "Nationalism is not a mere political programme; Nationalism is a creed which you shall have to live.'' He strongly believed that without political freedom, no real development is possible in India.

Sri Aurobindo's rise into the political scene of India coincided with the outbreak of the swadeshi movement. Lord Curzon's arrogant decision of partition of Bengal surcharged the political atmosphere with revolt and resentment. After organizing the Lotus and Dagger Society in London, Aurobindo returned to India in 1898. He worked as the vice-principal in Baroda College. It is heard that here he came in contact with Thakur Saheb, who influenced him to be a practical revolutionary. Aurobindo started writing inflammable articles in 'Indu Prakash' and 'New Lamp for the Old', thus ushering in a new age in revolutionary journalism. When Aurobindo came to Calcutta in 1906, he associated himself with Journals and periodicals like the 'Jugantar', 'Bande Mataram' and the 'Karmayogi' through which he could make stern criticism of British imperialism by preaching the gospel of militant nationalism. Aurobindo Ghosh also advocated the strategy of making special attempts to contact sympathetic army personnel in the native states to form secret cells with them. This anticipated the role of INA and the Naval Mutiny becoming important determinants in convincing the British to leave India.

The contribution of Sri Aurobindo to modern Indian political thought has diversified implications. He propounded the idea of spiritual nationalism and divinity of the motherland. He was in favour of complete freedom. To Aurobindo, political freedom must precede socio-economic and administrative reforms. He was keen to use the word 'Independence' rather than 'Swaraj'. In his own words, "Political freedom is the life-breath of a nation; to attempt social reform, education reform, industrial expansion and moral improvement of the race without aiming first and foremost at political freedom is the very height of ignorance and futility''. How eternal the words ring! Vindication of this observation is everlasting. No nation can prosper in a true sense without obtaining and distributing the fruits of freedom.

Aurobindo Ghosh popularized the theory of resistance and boycott. He encouraged the aim of resistance as to make British administration impossible by an organized refusal to do anything which shall help the growth of British trade and commerce resulting in the exploitation of the country. However, he did not ignore the idea of resistance turning violent in case of suppression. Here, he differs from Gandhiji's technique. In fact, Aurobindo had previously rebuked Congress for taking a moderate stand. The split in Congress in the Surat session of 1907 saw Aurobindo inclining towards the extremists as he opposed the political mendicancy of the moderates and was more in appreciation of the radical nationalism of leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Along with political resistance and boycott, Aurobindo proclaimed the necessity for national education. He was one of the early representatives of our nationalist movement who understood the cause of intellectual and moral awareness as a means of struggle for independence.

On August 18, 1910, Sister Nivedita wrote a letter to her friend SK Ratcliff in England. In that letter, she said "Aurobindo is the only praiseworthy as he is the real protagonist of Indian nationalism. Aurobindo Ghosh may be said to be the one Indian mind that has really grasped nationality in a creative sense.'' She also went on to call him 'Bengal's Mazzini'. Aurobindo Ghosh justifiably deserves this compliment.

The Alipore Bomb Case of 1908 saw Aurobindo being tried by law under the charge of 'waging war against the Government'. He has been actively involved in so-called seditious activities against British rule. Following the Muzaffarpur bombings, large quantities of explosives, arms and literature were discovered in Muraripukur in Calcutta. This called for the arrest and trial of many revolutionaries. Aurobindo Ghosh was eventually acquitted of the charges, largely due to the legal acumen of a young barrister known as Chittaranjan Das, later to become 'Deshbandhu'. But it marked the evolution of a new Aurobindo, a man with a spiritual mission, a kind of emblem of Indian culture and civilization. Aurobindo always felt that India has a spiritual message to convey to the world. He had a vision of the instrumental role that India was destined to play in world affairs in the ideal of human unity. His understanding of India's independence envisaged the ultimate unity of mankind.

The transformation of Aurobindo Ghosh from a radical revolutionary to a spiritual conformist creates a sense of intellectual apprehension in assessing his political ideology. A lot of individuals fail to comprehend his ethical moorings. His philosophy of human benevolence is a manifestation of his urge for freedom. The central theme of his philosophy rests on a kind of evolution of human life into the divine life. This is based on a spiritual realization of the liberation of human nature. Hence, whether in political thought or in metaphysical indoctrination, Aurobindo enunciated the value of the deliverance of the human spirit.

Amidst the moral anaemia, and the intellectual dilemma of our present conditions; amidst the brittle and fragile socio-political independence prevalent today, Aurobindo Ghosh shines as a ray of hope. His sense of nationalism is exemplary; his spirituality calls for a better civilization devoid of any moral embargo. He has influenced leading revolutionaries like Subhash Chandra Bose who considered him as a formidable patriotic influence. In his ideas on education, Aurobindo relied on free thinking. His invocation of India as his mother to be revered and set free from colonial stupor corresponds with his theory of a vast and entire freedom that was not merely national but individual and hence concerns everyone. It is this notion of liberated elevation of the mind that attracted admiration from leading thinkers like Romain Rolland, Rabindranath Tagore and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Aurobindo wanted India to rediscover itself and linked his nationalism with renaissance. Today, it is time we rediscover our unique philosophy and culture to match it with Aurobindo's belief that India must be free to live for the world. Here is Aurobindo Ghosh striking the chord of nationalism, not confined to any space or time. Chittaranjan Das rightly regards that Aurobindo will be looked upon as "poet of patriotism, as the prophet of nationalism and lover of humanity''.

The writer is an educator from Kolkata. Views expressed are personal