Role in Indian nationalism
- Returning to India, he learned the Bengali language and began reading Anandamath, Dharmatatva, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. These writings sowed a sense of spiritual hunger and patriotism in him.
- In 1900, at Baroda college, Aurobindo was appointed as a professor. During this time, a Maratha newspaper, Induprakash, wrote a sensitive series of articles entitled “New Lamps for Old.”
- Through these articles, Aurobindo suggested people not to depend upon the charity of the British. He also said that our nation’s actual enemy was our weakness and cowardness, not the external forces.
- He also criticizes the Congress party. He said that the party was not trained the people to act or to work together but trained them to speak in one voice. He describes the party as a Party of the Middle-class that depends on the blessings of the British.
- In 1904 and 1905, he attained the Congress Sessions and opined that the party members were too timid and unmotivated. According to him, the Moderates could never rise out of their servitude, and their thinking creeps up.
- In 1905, Aurobindo considered the partition of Bengal as a blessing as it would raise the people’s national sentiment.
- In 1906, through a Bengali newspaper, Yugantar, he called for open revolt and complete independence. This article became widely popular and sparked a national sentiment. As a result, mass protests spread across the country.
- In 1906, at the request of Bipin Chandra Pal, he wrote some articles in the Vandemataram newspaper. This article angered the British government because, through this article, he highlighted British dominance in Indian politics and talked about the whole process of westernization.
- Aurobindo described the Surat split of 1907 as God’s will.
- In 1908 Aurobindo was arrested for his involvement in the Alipore conspiracy case.
Role of Sri Aurobindo in Freedom Struggle
Romain Rolland regarded Sri Aurobindo as the Prince among the Indian thinkers. On behalf of modern Indian political practice and theory, Aurobindo presented a holy, high, and pure nationalism. He was brave and had a clear vision about achieving absolute Swaraj. He never describes nationalism as a narrow religious faith. He believes in the five values, namely Tapasya, Dharma, Brahmacharya, Jganam, and Shakti, through which the entire movement, the leaders, and their followers, might be revitalized.
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