Aurobindo Ghose | 19 Aug 2025

Source: IE 

The birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo—a political thinker, leader, activist-journalist, and scholar of Indian civilization and culture—was celebrated on 15th August 2025. 

Aurobindo Ghose 

• About: Aurobindo Ghose, born on 15th August 1872 in Calcutta, was a yogi, philosopher, poet, seer, and nationalist. He died on 5th December 1950 in Pondicherry.  
  • He qualified for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) but skipped or failed the horse-riding tests, renouncing a career in the British Raj bureaucracy. 
• Contributions: 
  • Revolutionary Career: Advocated radical nationalism and called for mass mobilization before Gandhi’s leadership. 
    • New Lamps for Old was a series of articles by Aurobindo Ghose that criticized the Congress for its moderate policies. 
    • He was arrested in the Alipore Bomb Case (1908) and successfully defended by Chittaranjan Das. 
  • Spiritual and Philosophical: He established the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (1926) in Pondicherry and collaborated with Mirra Alfassa (The Mother), who later founded Auroville, a universal township. 
  • Literary: He authored seminal works including The Life Divine, Savitri, Essays on the Gita, The Synthesis of Yoga, and Defense of Indian Culture. 
    • He founded and contributed to revolutionary journals like Bande Mataram, Jugantar, and Karmayogi, and was associated with youth organizations like Anushilan Samiti. 
    • He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature (1943) and Nobel Peace Prize (1950). 
• Legacy and Influence: He was an early proponent of India as a Vishwa Guru, stressing spiritual leadership, decolonization, and pride in Indian civilization.