{"id":2808,"date":"2013-07-13T01:43:56","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=2808"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:43:56","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:56","slug":"171-speeches-our-experiences-in-bengal-13-1-08-vol-06-07-bande-mataram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/03-cwsa\/06-07-bande-mataram\/171-speeches-our-experiences-in-bengal-13-1-08-vol-06-07-bande-mataram","title":{"rendered":"-171_Speeches – Our Experiences in Bengal 13.1.08.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPart Five <\/font><\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tSpeeches <\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t22 December 1907
\n\t\u00ad 1 February 1908 <\/b>
\n\t<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tOn 21 December 1907<\/b>, Sri Aurobindo left Calcutta to attend the Surat session of the Indian
\nNational Congress. The next day he addressed a meeting in Nagpur. After the
\nviolent break-up of the Congress he passed a few days in Baroda, and then
\nvisited a number of cities in Maharashtra at the invitation of Nationalist
\ncolleagues. In all of these places he gave speeches, most of which have been
\npreserved in one form or another. See the next page for details.  
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n

\n\tAll
\ntold, Sri Aurobindo delivered fourteen speeches in Maharashtra between 22
\nDecember 1907
\nand 1 February 1908. Reports of eleven of them survive. Two were published in the Bande<\/i> Mataram
\n<\/i>shortly after their delivery. Another was published
\nin the Mahratta<\/i>, an English weekly newspaper. Five others are known only
\n\tby means of Marathi translations, while three exist only in the form of
\n\tsummaries or transcriptions made by the British police. There are no
\n\tsurviving reports of the remaining three speeches.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n

\n\t
\n\t
\n\t22 December 1907 <\/p>\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\t12 January 1908 <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\t13 January <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t15<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t19<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t24<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t25<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t26<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t27<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t28<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t29<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\t30January <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t31<\/font>
\n\t\t\t\tJanuary <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t
\n \t\t\t\t1 February
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/td>\n

\n

\n\t
\n\t
\n \t\t\t\tNagpur <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tPoona <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tPoona <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tBombay <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tBombay <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNasik <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNasik <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tDhulia <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tAkola <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tAmravati <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tAmravati <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNagpur <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNagpur <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNagpur
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/td>\n

\n

\n\t
\n\t
\n \t\t\t\tPolice report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNo known report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tEnglish report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tMarathi report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tEnglish report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tMarathi report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tPolice report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tPolice report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNo known report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tNo known report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tEnglish report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\tMarathi report <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tMarathi report
\n<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\nMarathi report
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tIn the following pages, nine reports are reproduced. Only the
\ntwo published in Bande Mataram <\/i>may be considered adequate representations
\nof Sri Aurobindo's words. The other reports are expressed in language that is
\nsometimes awkward or defective; they have been edited to a greater or lesser
\nextent to make them more clear and readable.  
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n

\n\t
\n\tOur Experiences in
\nBengal <\/font> <\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tBabu Aurobindo Ghose paid a flying visit to Poona last week. On Monday
\nevening he delivered an address in the Gaekwar's Wada, under the presidency of
\nMr. Annasaheb Patwardhan, and told his Poona audience how the new thought and
\nthe new movement spread all over Bengal and how the Bengalis were able to do
\nthings which were never before thought possible in that province. He referred to
\nthe eventful year 1907
\nand the repressive policy of the Government and observed that though the Government measures of repression were rather severe and fierce
\nwhen compared with our old experience, they were certainly not as fierce or as severe as those adopted by Governments in other
\ncountries. He spoke of the doubting, negative temperament of some of our leaders who always questioned, “Why are you going
\nto do all this? Why are you going so far and so fast? Show us the force on which you rely! Where is the strength? Have you
\nthe strength?”, as soon as a new thing was proposed to be done.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t\tThe lecturer said that he was a superstitious man and always
\nbelieved that the people would do anything successfully when they really undertook to do it. He told his audience how the
\nCongress movement, though originally very strong in Bengal, had failed to give satisfaction to the people as the methods
\nadopted by the Congress were proved to be fruitless, how the old method of petitioning was not only considered futile but
\nharmful, how the people had grown apathetic and despondent and how this despondent and apathetic mood of the people
\nwas converted into an active mood by the repressive measures of Lord Curzon. The Calcutta Municipal Bill was the first of
\nthese measures. The Universities Act, passed in spite of universal
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tDelivered in Poona 13 January 1908. Text (third-person report) published in the<\/font><\/i>
\nMahratta (Poona) on 19 January.<\/i>   
\n<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 807<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n<\/i>protest, was the next. Last came the Partition of Bengal and this
\nstroke went right through the heart of every Bengali. They at first tried petitions, prayers, meetings, resolutions and protests,
\nbut soon found their uselessness. Something had to be done and the Swadeshi movement, which had received no attention when
\nit was first introduced in Bengal, now gained fresh strength. The cry of boycott was first raised in Kishoregunj, in Mymensingh
\nand then in Magura in the district of Jessore, from where it was taken up in Calcutta. The Chinese boycott of American goods
\nhad succeeded and the Calcutta people accepted the idea of boycott as excellent. The Calcutta leaders, however, first proclaimed
\nit “impossible”. They asked, “Where is the strength of character or the economic strength to do all this?” They considered
\nSwadeshi impossible and boycott still more so. They had no faith in the capacity of their countrymen and said that the movement
\nwould fail and those who attempted to spread it would become the laughing-stock of all. But people did not listen to this advice;
\nthey said they would try and see if the movement would succeed. The current of public opinion grew so strong that the leaders
\nultimately had to give their consent to the new movement. They accepted Swadeshi but wanted to have recourse to boycott only
\nfor six months to see if the Partition would be withdrawn. The people wanted the boycott to continue and refused to believe
\nthat they were too weak for the purpose. They refused to be hypnotised and to consider themselves cowards. It was Swami
\nVivekananda who preached this doctrine to his countrymen. This was believed by the new party.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\nYoung men and old worked for the movement. The young men took up the work of picketing and sold Swadeshi goods
\nat cost price. When the Government began to check the students and prevent them from helping the new movement they
\nleft the Government schools and demanded National schools for their education. In this way the first National school came
\ninto existence in Rangpur. Then there arose a necessity for a National University. In this connection also the leaders would
\nnot join the new movement and some of the proprietors of private colleges stood against this idea. Yet the people showed
\n    <\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 808<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nsympathy; the liberality of some supplied funds, and the leaders
\nhad to give their consent. Bengalis were thought incapable of real and earnest work and it was thought that they would not
\nbe prepared for self-sacrifice of any kind. Bengali people were taken to be cowards. This idea had become part of the English
\nliterature and was taught to them in schools. The result was that the Bengalis themselves began to believe that they were
\ncowards, that their ancestors were cowards and that their sons and grandsons would all be cowards. But there were men who
\nwere not political atheists. They believed in the strength of the nation and were confident that a nation of cowards would be
\nconverted into a nation of heroes. That is the difference between a Nationalist and a Moderate; a Nationalist has firm faith in the
\nstrength of his people, while a Moderate has only moderate faith or no faith at all. The new thought made Bengali youths
\nstrong; they exposed themselves to the attacks of the police and the wrath of the Government, and they were prepared for jail.
\nOne of the youths connected with the paper Yugantar <\/i>actually complained that the paper did not publish sufficiently violent articles. Such daring and enthusiasm could now be seen in Bengali youths. The new spirit or Nationalist spirit is an unshakable and
\nabsolute confidence in the strength of the nation. People have to take leaps into the dark, for reason is unable to show the
\nway. You must take courage in hand and work. When the work regarding National education was commenced, it was a leap in
\nthe dark, but it succeeded.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\nThe lecturer remarked that provinces other than Bengal
\nwere in some respects superior to Bengal and therefore ought to be able to do what Bengal succeeded in doing. He said, “We
\nare seeing the light before us, we are walking on God’s way, we are going to our ultimate goal surely and swiftly; nothing will
\ndaunt us, we welcome ordeals because they make us strong. `Do as we have done’ is the message of Bengal to the whole of India.”
\nIn concluding his speech the great Bengali editor said that if the whole of India works unitedly, confidently and enthusiastically
\nfor the nation, it is sure to reach its goal and attain greatness, prosperity and freedom.
\n  
\n<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 809<\/font><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part Five   Speeches   22 December 1907 \u00ad 1 February 1908   On 21 December 1907, Sri Aurobindo left Calcutta to attend the Surat…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-06-07-bande-mataram","wpcat-54-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}