Published in Bande Mataram on September 08, 1907.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Once in 1907 or 1908, a non-Bengali gentleman came to Sri Aurobindo's House in Calcutta. He wanted to see "Aurobindo Babu". Sri Aurobindo was occupied with his writing. Deciding not to disturb him, Sudhir politely took the gentleman inside but made him wait in the outer room. After some time Sri Aurobindo came downstairs for something; seeing the visitor he greeted him warmly.
The visitor in this case was none other than Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Surat Congress, Dec. 1907

"History very seldom records the things that were decisive but took place behind the veil; it records the shown front of the curtain. Very few people know that it was I (without consulting Tilak) who gave the orders that led to the breaking up of the Congress and was responsible for the refusal to join the new-fangled Moderate Convention which were the two decisive happenings at Surat."—Sri Aurobindo

Surat Congress (left to right)

Rear Row:
Dr. Munje, Ramaswami, K. Kuverji Desai

Middle Row:
Ajit Singh, Sri Aurobindo, Tilak Haider Reja

Front Row:
Sri Khaparde, Aswini Kumar Dutta

Aswini Kumar Dutta

Dhulia 1908

Dhulia Speech:
West Khandesh, January 29th. — The District Magistrate writes on the 26th instant:– “Mr. Aravind Ghosh of Bande Mataram fame arrived in Dhulia yesterday by the 5 p.m. train. Two pleaders Messrs. Dev and Chhandorkar, had gone to Chalisgaon to meet him and bring him here. A great demonstration was made on his arrival to welcome him. He was garlanded by many. Songs were sung in his honour and the carriage was dragged by the school-boys. Pan supari and garlands were given every few paces. The procession lasted for two hours, the distance being only 1½ miles. Shouts of Bande Mataram and Shri Shivajiki jai were frequent. A few houses in the city were illuminated. The procession finished by torchlight.
"This morning he gave a lecture at the Vijayanand Theatre. The theatre and compound was crowded — about two to three thousand men and boys being present. All the school-boys of Dhulia and all the pleaders were present, ‘Nationalists’ volunteers with their flags were present. Mr. Gadre, an ex-vakil, took the chair. The subject-matter of the lecture was swadeshi, boycott, swarajya and national education. I hear he was very moderate and reasonable in his speech, but I have not got the full reports yet
."He leaves, I hear, for Calcutta by the 6-10 p.m. train this evening."

Extract from Bombay Presidency Police, Abstract of Intelligence, Volume XXI of 1908, pages 57-58.

Lala Lajpat Rai

Pheroze Shah Mehta

Manoranjan Guha

Bhupendra Nath Bose

Subramanya Bharati

Sri Aurobindo in Amaravati, Jan 1908

Surendra Nath Banerjee

Srinivas Acharya

Dadabhai Naoroji

23, Scott Lane where Sri Aurobindo lived in 1908

On April 30, 1908 at Muzaffarpur, a bomb was thrown, by Khudiram and Prafulla Chaki, at a carriage supposedly carrying Kingsford, District Magistrate. It so happened that Kingsford was not in that carriage. Two English ladies, who were travelling in it, were unfortunately killed instead.
This incident led to Sri Aurobindo's arrest and that of his associates and the famous Alipore Bomb Trial.

Muraripukur Garden

This was a piece of ancestral property of Sri Aurobindo about two and half acres in extent, which was more of a jungle than a garden and had a small building almost in ruins. Here Barin gathered round him a dozen or so young ardent revolutionaries, recruited by him and made to take an irrevocable pledge to give their lives for the Motherland.

Navashakti Press, 48 Grey Street

On April 28, 1908, Sri Aurobindo moved house from 23 Scott's Lane to 48 Grey Street which also housed the office of the Bengali paper Navashakti.
Here, in the early hours of May 2, 1908, Sri Aurobindo was sleeping peacefully, when the police entered in force and arrested him.

Calcutta Police H. Q. Lal Bazar

ID Card

When I was arrested and hurried to the Lal Bazar Hajat I was shaken in faith for a while, for I could not look into the heart of His intention…. A day passed and a second day and a third, when a voice came to me from within, "Wait and see."
I was taken from Lal Bazar to Alipore and was placed in a solitary cell apart from men. There I waited day and night for the voice of God within me&hellip
—Sri Aurobindo

Presidency Jail, Alipore

Presidency Jail, Alipore — 44°C inside the Jail

Undertrial Prisoners

Alipore Judges' Court

Hirendranath Datta, Sri Aurobindo's Solicitor.

The Assassination of Narendranath Goswami

"The charge against the accused is that they murdered Narendro Nath Gossain in the Alipore Central Jail, on 31st August, 1908, by shooting him with revolvers.
"Narendro Nath Gossain was the approver in what is known as the Alipore Bomb or Anarchists' Case, and was in custody in the jail. The present accused were accused in that case and were under trial.
"The evidence recorded is to the effect that Satyendra Nath Bose on Saturday, the 29th, managed to send for Narendro Nath Gossain to the jail hospital, where he was a patient, and informed him that he, too, wanted to turn King's Evidence. On the morning of the 31st Satyendra again sent for Narendro. Narendro along with a European prisoner named Higgins went to the hospital at about 7 or 7-15 a.m. in the hope of obtaining some statement or confession from Satyendra.

Webley .45 - Calibre Revolver used by Satyendra Nath Bose to kill Naren Gossain in Alipore Jail

Osborne .38 - Calibre Revolver used by Kanailal Dutta to kill Naren Gossain at Alipore Jail on 31st August, 1908

Bombshells found at 134 Harrison Road

Bombshells found at 134 Harrison Road

Eardley Norton, Prosecuting Counsel

C. R. Das, Defending Counsel

"My appeal to you therefore is that a man like this who is being charged with the offences imputed to him stands not only before the bar in this Court but stands before the bar of the High Court of History and my appeal to you is this: That long after this controversy is hushed in silence, long after this turmoil, this agitation ceases, long after he is dead and gone, he will be looked upon as the poet of patriotism, as the prophet of nationalism and the lover of humanity. Long after he is dead and gone his words will he echoed and re-echoed not only in India but across distant seas and lands. Therefore I say that the man in his position is not only standing before the bar of this Court but before the bar of the High Court of History…"
— Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das

Charles Porten Beachcroft, Judge

The Alipore Bomb Case came up for hearing in the court of Judge Beachcroft, a member of the ICS who had passed his preliminary examination in the same year as Sri Aurobindo, 1890. Thereafter both were scholars at Cambridge — Sri Aurobindo at King's College and Beachcroft at Clare's College.
To fight their case, the Government engaged Eardley Norton, an eminent barrister from Madras, who was known as a formidable criminal lawyer with the reputation of a bully who could browbeat witnesses into submission and win his case.
After the trial reached the sessions stage C.R. Das took charge of Defence, particularly that of Sri Aurobindo, He was then a rising barrister with a growing reputation, had known Sri Aurobindo In England and was closely connected with him in the political field.

Copy of the judgement of Hon'ble Justice Beachcroft

Copy of the judgement of Hon'ble Justice Beachcroft

Commemorative Plaque installed at Alipore Judges Court.

Krishna Kumar Mitra

Krishna Kumar Mitra's House

After his release from jail, Sri Aurobindo stayed at 6, College Square at the house of his uncle Krishna Kumar Mitra, till February 1910.

Sri Aurobindo was released from jail on 6th May, 1909. On 30th May, 1909, he delivered a public speech at Uttarpara Library.

When I went to jail the whole country was alive with the cry of Bande Mataram, alive with the hope of a nation, the hope of millions of men who had newly risen out of degradation. When I came out of jail I listened for that cry, but there was instead a silence…
No man seemed to know which way to move…
I too did not know which way to move, I too did not know what was next to be done. But one thing I knew, that as it was the Almighty Power of God which had raised that cry, that hope, so it was the same Power which had sent down that silence.
—Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo launched the publication of two weekly journals, the Karmayogin in English and the Dharma in Bengali. The first issue of the Karmayogin came out on June 19, 1909, and that of the Dharma on August 23, 1909.

Sri Aurobindo attended a political conference in Sylhet in September 1909

The house in Jalsukha where Sri Aurobindo stayed overnight and addressed a gathering of people from the rooftop.

So long as even that little of substantial self-government is not conceded to us, we have no choice but to cleave firmly to passive resistance as the only peaceful path to the realisation of our legitimate aspirations. We cannot sacrifice our country. We cannot give up the ideal that is dear to our heart. We cannot sacrifice our Mother. If you take away our primary rights all that is left for us is passive resistance and peacefully to suffer, peacefully to refuse the parody of co-operation which we are asked to give.
— College Square Speech, 18 July 1909

They must have the firm faith that India must rise and be great and that everything that happened, every difficulty, every reverse must help and further their end. The trend was upward and the time of decline was over. The morning was at hand and once the light had shown itself it could never be night again. The dawn would soon be complete and the sun rise over the horizon. The sun of India's destiny would rise and fill all India with its light and overflow India and overflow Asia and overflow the world. Every hour, every moment could only bring them nearer to the brightness of the day that God had decreed.
— Beadon Square Speech 13 June 1909

4 Shyampukur Lane, Office of Karmayogin

In the evenings Sri Aurobindo used to go to the Karmayogin office at 4 Shyampukur Lane… to attend to editorial work. One evening around the middle of Feb 1910, a staff member of the Karmayogin suddenly entered and informed Sri Aurobindo that he had come to know from a high police official that a warrant of arrest had been issued against him. Then Sri Aurobindo calmly said: "I will go to Chandemagore" and left for the Ghat immediately.

Sister Nivedita

"…I got a clear command, 'Go to Chandernagore'. At once I was ready, not from fright or despair but that there should be no hindrance to my yoga — that was why I came away. I gave up political connections because I know that the work I had started would go ahead and its success was assured. My presence was not needed for it. I requested Nivedita to take up charge of the Karmayogin."
—Sri Aurobindo

Motilal Roy's house at Chandernagore

Sri Aurobindo stayed at Chandernagore for about six weeks, first at Motilal Roy's house and then in a number of other locations.
Sri Aurobindo again heard the Voice "Go to Pondicherry"

River Bhagirathi at Chandernagore

Suresh Chakraborty

Suresh Chakraborty, who accompanied Sri Aurobindo to Chandernagore and whom Sri Aurobindo sent to Pondicherry in advance to arrange a house for him.

The S. S. Dupleix sailed in the early hours of April 1, 1910
from Chandpal Ghat, Calcutta

Passenger Manifest of S. S. Dupleix

Durga Stotra

Warrant of arrest 6th April, 1910

Sri Aurobindo left Calcutta on 1st April 1910

"A Voyager upon uncharted routes
Fronting the viewless danger of the Unknown,
Adventuring across enormous realms,
He broke into another Space and Time."
— Sri Aurobindo

On April 4, 1910 Sri Aurobindo reached Pondicherry

Since 1910, Sri Aurobindo devoted himself for the rest of his life to the development of his "Integral" Yoga, which was characterised by its holistic approach and its aim of a fulfilled and spiritually transformed life on earth. In Pondicherry, he founded a community of spiritual seekers, which took shape as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1926. In that year he entrusted the work of guiding the seekers to his spiritual collaborator, Mirra Alfassa, who was fondly called "The Mother" in the Ashram.
At this time he handed over the full responsibility for the inner and outer lives of the Sadhaks and the Ashram to The Mother. The Ashram eventually attracted seekers from many countries throughout the world.
Till date, followers of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, come to Pondicherry with the same intention – to practice this form of Yoga. The Ashram is administered by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, a public charitable trust formed by the Mother in 1955.