Events

On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, on the occasion of Children’s Day, Overman Foundation served free lunch to 167 underprivileged tribal children of various age groups residing at Jadavganj in the district of Burdwan. The meal consisted of rice, pulses, fried potatoes, mixed vegetables, egg curry and sweets. Through this humble endeavour, our organization has tried to serve the Divine in these children.

As a part of Sri Aurobindo’s 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations, the Department of English of Gokhale Memorial Girls’ College, Kolkata, in collaboration with Overman Foundation Trust, had organized a Quiz Competition on ‘Sri Aurobindo, Indian Nationalism and Freedom Movement’ at the premises of the College on Friday, 11 August 2023. Eleven colleges from various parts of West Bengal, including St. Xaviers’ College, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya Narendrapur, Rani Birla Girls College, Hooghly Mohsin College and Gokhale Memorial Girls’ College, had participated in this quiz competition which was conducted by Shri Goutam Banerji, Trustee, Overman Foundation.

 

Dr. Atashi Karpha, Principal, Gokhale Memorial Girls’ College and Shri Anurag Banerjee, Managing Trustee, Overman Foundation, with the winners of the quiz competition.

On Saturday, 5 August 2023, Overman Foundation donated rice, masoor dal, sugar, Emami Healthy & Tasty refined rice bran cooking oil, soya chunks, and Marie biscuits for poor patients undergoing treatment at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, Kolkata, on the occasion of the 151st Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. We are grateful to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji, Secretary, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to serve the Divine in the underprivileged patients.  

The Eighth ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’ was held on Friday, 14th July 2023, at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071.

The programme was chaired by Shri Goutam Banerji, noted speaker and exponent of Aurobindonian philosophy and Trustee, Overman Foundation.

Shri Biswajit Gangopadhyay, OSD and Ex-officio Secretary, Finance Department, Government of West Bengal and Managing Member of Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. He released the book, Chirantani, an anthology of Shrimat Anirvan’s unpublished writings in Bengali on the Gita, Bhagwat, Yoga and spirituality which also contains his enlightening answers to questions on the practise of spirituality in one’s daily life. He also made a presentation of rare photographs of Shrimat Anirvan.

Published by Overman Foundation on the occasion of Shrimat Anirvan’s 127th Birth Anniversary, Chirantani has been jointly edited by Shri Sanjay Biswas and Ms. Bratati Mukhopadhyay.

The Memorial Oration entitled ‘Anirvan-Aloke Gita o Bhagwat’ (The Gita and Bhagwat in the light of Anirvan) was delivered by Dr. Rajib Chakraborty, Linguist at Society for Natural Language Technology Research. A former Assistant Professor at Visva-Bharati University and Linguist at Ministry of Information and Technology, Dr. Chakraborty is a reputed scholar, avid collector of rare books and gramophone records and also serves ‘Srinvantu’, the oldest monthly Bengali journal devoted to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, as its Editor.

On Saturday, 20 May 2023, a special discourse in Bengali entitled ‘Bikash je tar chaye na bikash, shudhu tomar charan jache’ was organized by Overman Foundation on Sadhak-Poet Nishikanto of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, on the occasion of his 50th Death Anniversary at its office. Shri Goutam Banerji, noted speaker, exponent of Aurobindonian philosophy and Trustee of Overman Foundation, spoke on the occasion.

To listen to the discourse, kindly click on the following link:

On Monday, 24 April 2023, Overman Foundation launched ‘Mayer Kol’ (meaning Mother’s Lap in Bengali), a free, non-formal school at Jadavganj in West Bengal to render education to the tribal children of the area. These children hail from underprivileged families and are first-generation learners. They are also provided with free books, bags and meals.  

On Tuesday, 18 April 2023, Ms. Prashanta Vajpayee, senior inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, visited the office of Overman Foundation Trust, Kolkata.

On Monday, 3 April 2023, noted author and Aurobindonian scholar Prof. Sachidananda Mohanty, Ph.D., former Professor and Head, Department of English, University of Hyderabad, Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Odisha and Governing Board Member of Auroville Foundation, administered by the, MHRD, Government of India, former Member of India’s Commission of Education to the UNESCO, Consultant to the Ford Foundation, and Senior Academic Associate at the American Studies Research Centre, [ASRC], Hyderabad, visited Overman Foundation.

On Saturday, 18 February 2023, Overman Foundation donated rice, masoor dal, sugar, Emami Healthy & Tasty refined rice bran cooking oil, nutrella and Marie biscuits for poor patients undergoing treatment at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, Kolkata, on the occasion of the 145th Birth Anniversary of the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. We are grateful to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji and Pravrajika Alokprana Mataji, Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan respectively for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to render some service to the underprivileged patients.  

On Friday, 13 January 2023, Dr. Alok Pandey (former Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Institute of Space and Aviation Medicine, Bangalore, erstwhile Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Pondicherry), an inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, editor of NAMAH, a journal dedicated to the cause of an integral approach to psychology, health and medicine, noted author of books like Death, Dying and Beyond, Patients at the Crossroads and Veda of the Body and an eloquent speaker, visited Overman Foundation.

On Thursday, 24 November 2022, the sixth anniversary of the enshrinement of the Mother’s sacred footwear (gifted by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry, to Overman Foundation) was celebrated.

On Wednesday, 23 November 2022, Mrs. Ananya Dutta, daughter of Nolini Kanta Gupta’s sister-in-law, visited the office of Overman Foundation. She shared her reminiscences of the Mother whom she had met several times from 1969 to 1973 and also her long association with Nolini Kanta Gupta, the manasputra of Sri Aurobindo.

Shri Goutam Banerji, Trustee, Overman Foundation, presenting a flower bouqet to Mrs. Ananya Dutta.

On Monday, 21 November 2022, the twelfth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony was held at ‘Vraja’, the residence of Shrimati Shyam Kumari, noted author and senior inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, who was presented with the ‘Auro Ratna Award’ for the year 2022 for her invaluable contribution in the fields of research and education.

The occasion was graced by Dr. Larry Seidlitz (renowned Aurobindonian scholar, author of books like The Spiritual Evolution of the Soul, Integral Yoga at Work and Transforming Lives and former Editor of the US-based journal Collaboration), Dr. Satish of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Shrimati Swati Ghose (translator of the writings of Nolini Kanta Gupta), Shrimati Ramola Banerjee, Shrimati Gopa De (Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Sadhak Sangha, Shibpur, West Bengal) and family members of Shyam Kumari.

On Monday, November 14, 2022, on the occasion of Children’s Day, Overman Foundation served free lunch to 160 underprivileged tribal children of various age groups residing at Jadavganj in the district of Burdwan. The meal consisted of rice, pulses, fried potatoes, mixed vegetables, chicken curry and chutney. Through this humble endeavour, our organization has tried to serve the Divine in these children.

On the occasion of Sri Aurobindo’s 150th Birth Anniversary, Overman Foundation served free lunch to 150 underprivileged tribal children of Jadavganj (situated at Jadavganj in the district of Burdwan) on Monday, 15 August 2022. The meal consisted of rice, pulses, assorted vegetables, fried potatoes, egg curry, chutney and gulabjamun. Ration kits for an entire month were also provided to 47 poverty-stricken tribal families. Through this humble effort, Overman Foundation has tried to make this month of August and Sri Aurobindo’s 150th Birth Anniversary a happy occasion for them.

The eleventh ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony was held on Sunday, 14 August 2022 at ‘Agastya’, the residence of Dr. R. Y. Deshpande who was presented with the ‘Auro Ratna Award’ for the year 2022 for his invaluable contribution in the fields of research and education.

The occasion was graced by Dr. Prabhjot Kulkarni, noted educationist and former Principal of Maharshi Valimki College of Education, University of Delhi, Shri Surendra Singh Chouhan, an international educator and a frequent visiting trainer and faculty in the world of academia who had taught Philosophy to the Chinese students in Shanghai under the auspices of Shanghai Normal University, Shri Anmol Jain, researcher and Aurobindonian scholar and the family members of Dr. R. Y. Deshpande.

On Monday, 8 August 2022, Overman Foundation donated rice, masoor dal, sugar, Emami Healthy & Tasty refined rice bran cooking oil, nutrella and Marie biscuits for poor patients undergoing treatment at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, Kolkata. We are grateful to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji and Pravrajika Alokprana Mataji, Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan respectively for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to render some service to the underprivileged patients.  

The Birth Centenary of Nirmal Singh Nahar (Overman Foundation’s Founder-Member) was celebrated by on 28 July and 29 July 2022. On Thursday, 28 July, 125 underprivileged tribal children of Jadavganj (situated in the district of Burdwan) were provided free lunch and sweets in his memory. A pictorial homage chronicling his life from his childhood till his ninetieth year was also released in the Youtube channel of Overman Foundation. Here is the link to the pictorial homage:

On Friday, 29 July 2022 an exhibition of Nirmal Singh Nahar’s photographs with famous personalities like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (first Prime Minister of India), Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (fifth President of India), Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 to 1962), Atulya Ghosh (Member of Parliament), members of the Mohan Bagan team (who visited Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1948 and played an exhibition football match in which Nirmal Singh participated as a referee) and Satprem (a charismatic figure and author who had considerable influence on the seekers of the path of Integral Yoga and best known for his thirteen volume series Mother’s Agenda) was arranged at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata (of which he was the Founder-Member). This exhibition also included facsimiles of letters written to him by Nolini Kanta Gupta and Dilip Kumar Roy, a poem written on him by Nishikanto Roy Chowdhuri (whom Sri Aurobindo had called, ‘the Brahmaputra of Inspiration), a birthday card given to him by the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry and signed books received by him from Sri Aurobindo.

In the evening of 29 July, a memorial meet was organized by Overman Foundation at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan where the Birth Centenary of Nirmal Singh Nahar was celebrated with a bouquet of fond remembrances by his relatives and associates and a musical soiree conducted by the members of Nehru Children’s Museum. Smt. Prova Nahar, wife of Nirmal Singh Nahar and senior-most member of the Nahar family, was felicitated by the Nahar clan with a pearl necklace for being a pillar of inspiration and support. Shri Sekhar Nahar, son of Nirmal Singh Nahar, presented two cheques of twenty-five thousand each to National Cultural Association and Overman Foundation Trust on the said occasion.

Smt. Snigdha Nahar, grand-daughter of Nirmal Singh Nahar.
Shri Sudip Srimal, Director of Nehru Children’s Museum.
Shri Sekhar Nahar, son of Nirmal Singh Nahar.
Shrimati Uma Sriyasa.
Shri Naresh Jain, grand-nephew of Nirmal Singh Nahar.

Shri Biswajit Gangopadhyay, OSD and Ex-officio Secretary, Finance Department, Government of West Bengal and Managing Member of Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata.

To watch the video of the Birth Centenary Celebration of Nirmal Singh Nahar, kindly click on the following link:

Shrimat Anirvan (8 July 1896—31 May 1978) had mastered the Astādhyayi of Pānini at a very early age. After completing his formal education he renounced the world and joined the Kokilamukh Ashram at Jorhat (in Assam) founded by his Guru Swami Nigamananda Paramahamsa where he was given Sannyasa and he became Nirvanananda Saraswati. But after a few years he dropped the ochre robes and changed his name to Anirvan by which he became known to the world at large. He spent a number of years in Lohaghat (Almora) where Madame Lizelle Reymond, a Swiss spiritual seeker, joined him and literally took him to the West through her books My Life with a Brahmin Family and To Live Within. He later shifted to Shillong in Assam and finally to Kolkata where he spent his last years. His first book was a Bengali translation of Sri Aurobindo’s The Life Divine which was described as a “living translation” by Sri Aurobindo himself and was published in two volumes between 1948 and 1951. Another sister-publication, Yoga-Samanvaya-Prasanga, based on Sri Aurobindo’s The Synthesis of Yoga, was published in 1961. According to Ram Swarup: “In translating Sri Aurobindo’s works, he was paying his debt to an elder brother and old friend from another life, as Shri Anirvan once said.” But the centre of his studies was the Vedas on which he acquired a rare mastery over the years. His other published works include his magnum opus, Veda Mimāmsā, (published in three volumes), Upanisad-Prasanga (eight volumes), Gitānuvacana (three volumes), Vedānta Jijñāsā and Pravacana (four volumes) to name a few.

The Seventh ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’ was held on Friday, 8th July 2022, at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071.

The programme was chaired by Dr. Rajib Chakraborty, Linguist at Society for Natural Language Technology Research. A former Assistant Professor at Visva-Bharati University and Linguist at Ministry of Information and Technology, Dr. Chakraborty is a reputed scholar, avid collector of rare books and gramophone records and also serves ‘Srinvantu’, the oldest monthly Bengali journal devoted to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, as its Editor.

Shri Anurag Banerjee, Founder of Overman Foundation, briefly spoke about the life of Shrimat Anirvan and also on the themes of the past memorial orations which had taken place from 2015 to 2021.

Shri Biswajit Gangopadhyay, OSD and Ex-officio Secretary, Finance Department, Government of West Bengal and Managing Member of Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. He released the book, Anandalahari, Bengali translation of Acharya Shankar’s Saundaryalahari Devi Stotra, into verse and also spoke on the uniqueness of Shrimat Anirvan’s writings.

Published by Overman Foundation on the occasion of Shrimat Anirvan’s 126th Birth Anniversary, Anandalahari has been jointly edited by Shri Arupam Sanyal and Ms. Bratati Mukhopadhyay.

Ms. Bratati Mukhopadhyay, who has compiled and edited several volumes of Shrimat Anirvan’s writings, spoke on the significance of Anandalahari and beauty of its Bengali translation made by Shrimat Anirvan.

The Memorial Oration was delivered by Shri Abhas Narayan Biswas, one of the finest exponents of Aurobindonian philosophy of West Bengal, who rendered a very illuminating lecture on the theme: ‘Shrimat Anirvan’s Contribution to Bengali Literature’.

The theme of the oration was brilliantly summed up by Dr. Rajib Chakraborty who added that along with an in-depth study of Shrimat Anirvan’s writings, it was essential to put into practise his teachings as well.

 

On Tuesday, 31 May 2022, on the occasion of Shrimat Anirvan’s 44th Mahasamadhi Day, his sacred relics were enshrined at Overman Foundation. Mrs. Suchitra Mukherjee, a direct disciple of Shrimat Anirvan, gifted to Overman Foundation Trust the great savant’s relics and a sweater which was knitted by her late husband, Dr. Suprakash Mukherjee, a noted nuclear physicist who was also a disciple of Shrimat Anirvan.

In the evening, Mrs. Suchitra Mukherjee gave a talk in Bengali at Overman Foundation and recounted her memorable moments with Shrimat Anirvan and how her entire family was spiritually guided by him. Her two elder sisters, who are also disciples of Shrimat Anirvan, graced the programme as special guests.

On Wednesday, 18 May 2022, Overman Foundation donated rice, masoor dal, sugar, Emami Healthy & Tasty refined rice bran cooking oil, nutrella and Marie biscuits for poor patients undergoing treatment at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, Kolkata. We are grateful to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji and Pravrajika Alokprana Mataji, Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan respectively for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to render some service to the underprivileged patients.  

Anurag Banerjee’s new book, “Sri Aurobindo and His Ashram in Contemporary Newspapers”, Volume 1, (published by Overman Foundation) was released by Shri Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry, on Thursday, 21st April 2022. This particular volume consists of press reports on Sri Aurobindo and Sri Aurobindo Ashram published in various newspapers from May 1909 to December 1940.

On Tuesday, 28 December 2021, Overman Foundation donated rice, masoor dal, sugar, Emami Healthy & Tasty refined rice bran cooking oil, nutrella and Marie biscuits for poor patients undergoing treatment at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, Kolkata. We are grateful to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji and Pravrajika Alokprana Mataji, Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan respectively for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to render some service to the underprivileged patients.  

On Monday, 4th October 2021, Overman Foundation donated ration kits consisting of rice, masoor dal, potatoes, soya-chunks and eggs to Tagore Foundation School, an inclusive school situated at Nivedita Sarani where around 81 differently-able children as well as children from underprivileged backgrounds are taught and provided free meals. The salient feature of this organization is that autistic children or those suffering from Down Syndrome are treated with equality along with the normal children and are also taught in the same class. The school has a total number of 150 students.

Mr. Anurag Banerjee (Founder, Overman Foundation) and Mrs. Shukla Sanyal (Trustee, Overman Foundation) with Mrs. Srabani Banerjee, Founder-Principal of Tagore Foundation School.

On Sunday, 15 August 2021, Overman Foundation donated rice, masoor dal, sugar, Emami Healthy & Tasty refined rice bran cooking oil, nutrella and Marie biscuits for poor patients at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, Kolkata, on the occasion of the Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. We are grateful to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji and Pravrajika Alokprana Mataji, Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan respectively for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to render some service to the patients.  

From Thursday, 15 July to Thursday, 22 July 2021, Overman Foundation distributed ration-kits to 37 railway-platform hawkers who are without a livelihood ever since local train services have been suspended in West Bengal. Each kit consisted of 7.5 kilograms of rice, 2 kilograms of masoor dal, five packets of soyabean and one litre Fortune mustard cooking oil. Three students from needy families were also provided with the same ration-kits.

From Monday, 5 July to Wednesday 14 July 2021, Overman Foundation helped poor students by paying their mobile recharge charges to assist them in their online studies. A total number of 47 students (all slum-dwellers of Jhoro Bustee, Jhilmil Bustee, Madartala Bustee and Rajendra Prasad Colony situated in South Kolkata) were helped with the Rs. 399 plan which ensured validity of 56 days.

From Tuesday, 1 June to Wednesday, 30 June 2021, Overman Foundation provided free cooked food to Covid patients living in home quarantine. This service was started with 39 senior citizens, who had no one to look after them, and soon we were serving 82 senior citizens suffering from Covid and were under home isolation. Food packets consisting of rice, pulses, vegetable curry/egg curry and soya chunks curry (cooked by Soma’s Kitchen with all costs borne by Overman Foundation) were delivered at the doorsteps of the affected families.

On Tuesday, 15 June 2021, Overman Foundation distributed N-95 face masks (priced at Rs. 210) and hand sanitizers among 28 rickshaw-pullers of Golf Club and Golf Gardens area.

On Monday, 14 June 2021, Overman Foundation donated rice, masoor dal, sugar, cooking oil, nutrella and Marie biscuits for Covid patients at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan. We are grateful to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji and Pravrajika Alokprana Mataji, Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan respectively for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to render some service to Covid patients.

On Tuesday, 8 June 2021, Overman Foundation donated medicines for Covid patients to Sevangan, a charitable dispensary run by Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti. Boxes of adult diapers, underpads and certain medicines for specific purposes gifted to Overman Foundation by Dr. Madhumita Dutta were also donated to Sevangan. We are grateful to Pravrajika Nirbhikprana Mataji, Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti Branch, for giving us the opportunity to render some service to the patients.

On Sunday, 30 May 2021, Overman Foundation distributed 17 Covid-19 medicine kits (based on doctor’s prescription) to senior citizens in South Kolkata who are under home isolation with mild symptoms. The organization also bore the vaccination expenses (second dose of Covishield) of 15 individuals aged above fifty who are working as security and support personnel in various buildings located at Golf Green, Lake Gardens and Metro Park.

On Monday, 24 May 2021, Overman Foundation donated rice, moog and masoor dal, sugar, cooking oil, nutrella and Marie biscuits for Covid patients at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan.

On Monday, 10 May 2021, Overman Foundation distributed 29 Covid-19 medicine kits (based on doctor’s prescription) to senior citizens in South Kolkata who are under home isolation with mild symptoms and no one to look after. Along with the medicine-kits, fruits and milk were also distributed. On Wednesday, 5 May 2021, Overman Foundation donated 150 strips of Celin 500, 100 strips each of Scavista 12mg, Evion LC, Becosules Z, 75 strips each of Uprise D3 (60k) and Antacid Pan-D and 25 strips of Fabiflu 200mg as requested by the authorities of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan for Covid patients. Our gratitude to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji, Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan and Pravrajika Alokprana Mataji for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to render some service to Covid patients.

On Saturday, 1st May 2021, Overman Foundation donated a 15 litre oxygen concentrator to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan for the benefit of Covid patients considering the acute shortage of oxygen in West Bengal. The organization expresses its gratitude  to Pravrajika Anirvanprana Mataji, Secretary, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan, for providing it with the opportunity to serve people in distress. In this photograph, Anurag Banerjee, Founder of Overman Foundation, is seen handing over the documents of the oxygen concentrator to the representative of the Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan.

In a humble attempt to provide nutrition to underprivileged individuals, especially senior citizens, Overman Foundation has started to provide one litre of Amul Tazaa homogenized toned milk from Tuesday, 23 March 2021. Henceforth, on every Tuesday and Saturday, underprivileged individuals, whose names have been registered at the organization, would be provided with one litre of milk.

On Tuesday, 2nd March 2021, Shri Janardhan Purani, senior member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, and nephew of Champaklal (the most devoted servitor of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother) visited Overman Foundation. He later communicated to Shri Anurag Banerjee through a whatsapp message: “Very happy to have visited your so beautiful Mother Centre. One can feel the Mother’s presence.”

On Sunday, 28 February 2021, the new shrine of Overman Foundation was inaugurated.

On Thursday, 21 January 2021, Overman Foundation donated ration kits for a whole month containing rice, pulses, cooking oil and sugar for thirty-five orphans who are sheltered at The Calcutta Orphanage.

On Tuesday, 29 December 2020, Overman Foundation donated ration kits containing rice, flour, pulses and soyabeans to underprivileged families selected by the authorities of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Dakshineswar. Revered Pravrajika Tanmayprana Mataji received the ration kits on behalf of the Mission.

On Wednesday, 2 December 2020, Overman Foundation contributed towards the chemotherapy expenses of Ms. Aishwarya Adhikari. The contribution was made online.

On Wednesday, 18 November 2020, Overman Foundation made a substantial donation to Ramakrishna Society Anath Bhandar. Established in 1904 by Swami Suddhananda, the fifth President of the Ramakrishna Mission Order, this organization acts as an abode for poor, orphan boys. The donation made by Overman Foundation was for the well-being of 38 orphans who are looked after at the Anath Bhandar.

On Friday, 16 October 2020, Overman Foundation donated ration-kits to Sane and Enthusiast Volunteers’ Association of Calcutta (SEVAC) for the nearly one hundred patients who are being treated there for problems related to mental health. Located at Thakurpukur (Kolkata), SEVAC runs a 100 Bedded Mental Health Facility-cum-Halfway Home for the treatment of the acute patients and residential care of the recovered and stable patients. Dr. Tapas Kumar Ray, Founder-Secretary of SEVAC accepted Overman Foundation’s humble offering of ration kits on behalf of the organization.

On Sunday, 4 October 2020, Overman Foundation donated ration kits containing flour, cooking oil, sugar and biscuits to twenty families selected by the authorities of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti.

Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, innumerable people have lost their livelihood and many are forced to live on reduced income. Since no one in the Mother’s kingdom should go to bed in an empty stomach, Overman Foundation undertook a scheme named NAIVEDYAM through which ration kits are provided to needy families on a regular basis. This scheme was officially started on Wednesday, 30 September 2020.

On Monday, 13 July 2020, Overman Foundation contributed towards the chemotherapy expenses of Ms. Mithu Mullick, teacher of Modern High School for Girls. The contribution was made online.

Overman Foundation continued its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. From 6th to 20th July 2020, the organization distributed six layered reusable outdoor masks (priced at Rs. 149) among maid-servants and gate-keepers working in areas like Golf Green, Golf Gardens, Lake Gardens and Metro Park. This distribution was made possible due to a generous donation by Shri Jishnu Guha. We take the opportunity to convey our heartfelt gratitude to him.

Friday, 5 June 2020: Overman Foundation sent rice, flour, pulses, potatoes and puffed rice to the village of Bamanagar for distribution among its inhabitants who were afflicted by the Amphan cyclone.

Wednesday, 3 June 2020: Overman Foundation paid for the repair and reconstruction of five houses at Bamanagar village (situated about six kilometers away from Kakdwip) which were badly damaged due to the Amphan cyclone which hit West Bengal on 20 May 2020. Mr. Ajay Kumar Mondal, who has been delegated the charge of repair and reconstruction, is seen accepting the humble financial assistance offered by Overman Foundation.

       

      

In continuation to the COVID-19 Pandemic relief services, Overman Foundation donated ration kits containing rice, potatoes and pulses for distribution among the underprivileged individuals of the locality to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti, on Monday, 11 May 2020 and Monday, 4 May, 2020. We are extremely thankful to Pravrajika Nirbhikprana Mataji, Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti, for giving Overman Foundation the opportunity to serve the needy in such pandemic times.

18 April 2020, Saturday: Overman Foundation distributed flour and potatoes to the underprivileged students of “Vivekananda Pathatirtha”, a school situated at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road, under the supervision of Mrs. Shukla Sanyal, the Treasurer of the organization. This school is run by Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti.

11 April 2020, Saturday: Overman Foundation donated rice to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti, for distribution among the underprivileged families of the area. We are extremely grateful to Pravrajika Dhyanaprana Mataji and Pravrajika Nirbhikprana Mataji (Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti, respectively) for giving the organization the opportunity to serve the needy in such pandemic times.

All classes and special discourses of March 2020 were cancelled following the recommendations of the Central and State Health departments and authorities to tackle the outbreak of the Corona virus.  

Classes on Theory and Practice of Integral Yoga were conducted by Shri Goutam Banerji at Overman Foundation on the following dates:

2 February 2019, 23 February 2019, 2 March 2019, 23 March 2019, 6 April 2019, 27 April 2019, 4 May 2019, 25 May 2019, 1 June 2019, 29 June 2019, 6 July 2019, 27 July 2019, 3 August 2019, 13 September 2019, 9 October 2019, 2 November 2019, 30 November 2019, 9 January 2020 and 25 January 2020.

7 March 2020, Saturday: Shri Goutam Banerji spoke on ‘The Golden Day: The Background and Significance of 29 February’. Specially embroidered table cloth, stool covers, footstool covers and other artifacts from the Mother’s collection embroidered by Sahana Devi’s tailoring department and used on 29th February between 1960 and 1972 were exhibited.

25 February 2020, Tuesday: Overman Foundation contributed to the chemotherapy expenses of Sushmita Kar of Pondicherry. The cheque was handed over to Ms. Sujata, sister of Sushmita Kar, by Shrimati Jharna Ghosal, member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, on behalf of Overman Foundation.

22 February 2020, Saturday: A kurta worn by Sri Aurobindo during His pre-Ashram days was gifted to Overman Foundation by Shrimati Shyam Kumari, senior inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.

22 December 2019, Sunday: The tenth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony was held at ‘Care’, the senior citizens’ home run by Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. Shri Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and Registrar of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Dr. Dilip Dutta, Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and Shri Manoj Das, famous litterateur, recipient of Padmashri and Padmabhushan honors and senior board member of Overman Foundation also graced the occasion as Special Guests. The ‘Auro Ratna Award’ for the year 2019 was presented to Dr. A.S. Dalal for his invaluable contribution in the field of Integral Psychology.

To read the report of the ceremony and see some of the photographs of the event, kindly click on the following link:

Dr. A. S. Dalal awarded the ‘Auro Ratna Award’ for the year 2019

20 December 2019, Friday: The seventh ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ was held at Matru Sadan in Pondicherry. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Alok Pandey who spoke on ‘Why do Bad Things happen to Good People?’

To listen to the lecture of Dr. Alok Pandey, please click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXrnpldKYCc&feature=emb_title

18 December 2019, Wednesday: Overman Foundation’s latest release, ‘Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry: The Houses where He lived and the Objects that He used’, an album consisting of more than 200 photographs taken by Ms. Tara Jauhar, Chairperson of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch, with the Mother’s permission and blessings, was released at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, by Shri Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust.

7 December 2019, Saturday: Shri Goutam Banerji spoke on ‘The Mahasamadhi of Sri Aurobindo’ and also read out passages from Dr. Prabhat Sanyal’s article ‘A Call from Pondicherry’ presenting before the audience the details of Sri Aurobindo’s last days.

23 November 2019, Saturday: An enlightening talk on ‘The Siddhi Day: Its Contemporary Relevance’ was delivered by Shri Goutam Banerji who also read out from a little-known article penned by Jaya Devi, who was present on 24 November 1926 in the Ashram premises.

17 November 2019, Sunday: Shri Goutam Banerji gave a talk on ‘The Mother’s Mahasamadhi’.

16 November 2019, Saturday: A weeklong special exhibition of photographs of objects used by Sri Aurobindo was inaugurated by Prof. Supriyo Bhattacharya, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Kalyani who also served the department as its Head, and editor of Srinvantu, the Bengali and English magazine devoted to the cause of propagation of the ideas of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. A large number of people visited the organization to see this exhibition which was the first of its kind not only in West Bengal but also in India.

Shri Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, had sent the following message on 15 November 2019, conveying his best wishes for the said exhibition:

Dear Anurag,

We are happy to know of the exhibition you are organising based on photographs taken by Tara of objects used by Sri Aurobindo.

We convey our best wishes for the success of the week-long exhibition.

In Her Love,

Manojda

7 September 2019, Saturday: Shri Goutam Banerji delivered a special lecture on Sri Aurobindo’s The Hour of God in which he discussed in detail the first three chapters of the booklet.

31 August 2019, Saturday: A special talk under the title of ‘Sri Aurobindo and Shri Krishna’ was delivered by Shri Goutam Banerji.

29 August 2019, Thursday: A special programme dedicated to the memory of late Shobha Mitra, senior member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, and the Head of the Music Section of the Ashram who left her body on 31st July 2019 was held under the title of ‘Shobha Mitra: In Memoriam’.

Several persons who had the privilege of knowing her and receiving her affection recalled their memories of Shobha Mitra. Shri Goutam Banerji read out selected passages from her book Shri Mayer Divya Sannidhye which revealed her unique association with the Mother. Shri Ashish Rudra, who was present at the Ashram Nursing Home, when Shobha Mitra passed away, recalled her last moments.

24 August 2019, Saturday: A special talk titled ‘Sri Aurobindo As I Remember Him’ was delivered by Shri Badal Chakraborty who was an inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, from 1944 to 1958. In his talk, he shared with the audience his reminiscences of Sri Aurobindo as well as the Mother and recalled the memories of Darshan days and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram of the yesteryears.

                         Shri Badal Chakraborty with some of the members of the audience.

8 August 2019, Thursday: On the occasion of the 63rd birthday of our late patron Mrs. Sanghamitra Banerjee, a substantial donation was made by Overman Foundation to Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute for its child care unit which was received by Dr. Arnab Gupta.

8 July 2019, Monday: The fifth ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’ was held at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata. The Memorial Oration was delivered by Prof. Biswanath Roy who spoke on the theme: Shrimat Anirvan on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

The programme was chaired by Prof. Supriyo Bhattacharya. Shri Biswajit Gangopadhyay, O.S.D. and Ex Officio Secretary, Finance Department, Government of West Bengal, was the Chief Guest who released three new books published by Overman Foundation. These books were Shrimat Anirvan’s Sri Aurobindo O Shri Ma Prasanga and Rachana Sambhar and Shyam Kumari’s Madhu Madhobika (the last being translated into Bengali by Mrs. Gopa Basu).

To listen to the lecture of Prof. Biswanath Roy, kindly click on the following link:

7 June 2019, Friday: A trip organized by Shri Anurag Banerjee, Founder of Overman Foundation, for a group of devotees from Hyderabad was made to the various places in Kolkata where Sri Aurobindo had stayed between 1906 and 1910.

Shri Nirakar, the well-known speaker on Integral Yoga, also visited the office of Overman Foundation and paid his respects to Sri Aurobindo Smriti Mandir. Later he wrote the following message: ‘Anurag Bhai is very inspiring child of the Mother. I felt the place filled with the Mother’s Presence.’

26 May 2019, Sunday: A special discourse titled ‘Smarane Mahayogi Barada Charan Majumdar’ (Remembering Mahayogi Barada Charan Majumdar) whom Sri Aurobindo had called ‘the greatest Yogi of modern Bengal’ was delivered by his grand-daughter Ms. Basabi Majumdar, a member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. Ms. Majumdar not only narrated the Mahayogi’s biography but also shared with the audience interesting and miraculous incidents of his life and recalled his association with luminaries like Dilip Kumar Roy, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, etc.

18 May 2019, Saturday: A special talk on ‘The Mother’s Role in Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga’ was delivered by Shri Goutam Banerji.

23 April 2019, Tuesday: A special exhibition of rare photographs of the Mother’s Sandals was organized (on the eve of the centenary of the Mother’s final arrival in Pondicherry) at Overman Foundation. This exhibition, which continued till 28 April, was inaugurated by Prof. Biswanath Roy, the President of Sri Aurobindo Pathamandir and one of the best speakers on Aurobindonian philosophy. Quite a large number of people visited the organization to see this exhibition which was the first of its kind not only in West Bengal but also in India.

30 March 2019, Saturday: A talk on ‘Relics’ was delivered by Shri Goutam Banerji in which he spoke how the mortal remains of great beings were preserved in ancient Egypt and how the nails and hair of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were preserved by Their faithful servitor Champaklal and also discussed in detail the spiritual significance of Relics.

29 March 2019, Friday: The sacred Relics of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother arrived at Overman Foundation on the occasion of the ninth Foundation Day of the organization.

24 March 2019, Sunday: The 110th Birth Anniversary of Kobi Nishikanto Roychowdhury, the greatest poet of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, whom Sri Aurobindo had called the ‘Brahmaputra of Inspiration’ was celebrated. His paintings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, some of his unpublished poems, original letters written to him by Rabindranath Tagore, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay and Bibhuti Bhushan Mukhopadhyay and some books autographed by him were exhibited on the said occasion. A special discourse on Lilayan, his immortal poetic creation, was conducted by Shri Sanjay Biswas, a young Sanskrit scholar, under the title of ‘Diyecho Darshan Dinojane’.

Shri Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, had sent the following message on 23rd March 2019 on the occasion of the 110th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Kobi Nishikanto at Overman Foundation:

Dear Anurag,

We congratulate you for organising on 24th March, 2019, a special discourse on “Lilayan” the memorable work of Kobi Nishikanto, as part of the celebrations to commemorate the 110th Birth Anniversary of the great poet. An exhibition of his paintings along with letters of Rabindranath Tagore written to him will not only be interesting but rather enlightening for all.

Our best wishes for the success of your programme.

With warm regards,

Yours sincerely,

Manoj Das Gupta

Managing Trustee

Another message for the said occasion was sent by Padmashri Manoj Das on 22nd March which is as follows:

Dear Anurag Babu,

The news of the Foundation celebrating Poet Nishikanto’s 110th Birth Anniversary came like a whiff of pleasant air carrying the aroma of a rarely remembered genius—nevertheless a genius. He was indeed a remarkable artist in poetry charged with a vision, at once lyrical like a rainbow and impressive like a distant thunder. In my early days in the Ashram I often saw him moving around like a carefree bohemian, but once you look into his eyes you recognise in them a vibrant spirit as if moving along the corridors of God. I talked to him a few times. Strangely, though I do not remember his words, his tone is recorded by my memory—the vibrant tone of a—I repeat—wanderer along the corridors of God.

My best wishes for the celebration and joyous congratulations to those involved.

Manoj Das

26 January 2019, Saturday:  Sri Aurobindo Smriti Mandir, a wing of Overman Foundation, which houses about 500 memorabilia of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother was formally inaugurated. Most of these objects have been used by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother while some are gifts given by the Mother to various individuals who had preserved them with great care and later gifted them to Anurag Banerjee, the Founder of Overman Foundation. It is presently the third largest collection of memorabilia after ‘Sri Smriti’ of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry and ‘Sri Smriti’ of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch. Mrs. Jayantika Basu, State Secretary, Sri Aurobindo Society, West Bengal, Shri Partha Sarathi Bose, Managing Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre, New Alipore and Shri Goutam Banerji, noted speaker and exponent of Aurobindonian philosophy graced the inauguration as guests. The inauguration was followed by a special discourse on the Gita in the Light of Sri Aurobindo by Shri Goutam Banerji.

For more details about Sri Aurobindo Smriti Mandir, kindly click on the following link:

Sri Aurobindo Smriti Mandir

A brief report of some of the programmes organized by Overman Foundation between 2010 and 2018 is presented beneath:

The ninth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony on Sunday, 25 November 2018:

The ninth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony was held on Sunday, 25th November 2018, at the ‘Hall of Harmony’ in Pondicherry; hosted by Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, the ceremony was attended by a number of members of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville including Shri Manoj Das Gupta (Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and Registrar of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education), Padmashri Manoj Das (senior member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and internationally acclaimed writer), Shri Debranjan Chatterjee (Librarian of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Library), Shri Swadesh Chatterjee (senior teacher of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education), Paulette Hadnagy (eminent writer from Auroville), Aryadeep S. Acharya (who represented the Working Committee of the Auroville Foundation), Alan Herbert and Carel Thieme ( the publishers of Auroville Today) to name a few. The ‘Auro Ratna Award’ for the year 2018 was presented to Dr. Aster Patel for her long and manifold services to Auroville and to the vision and work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

To read the report of the ninth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

Dr. Aster Patel awarded the “Auro Ratna Award” for the year 2018

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

The sixth ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ and fifth ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ on Saturday, 8 September 2018:

The sixth ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ and fifth ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ were jointly organized on Saturday, 8 September 2018 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan (8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071). The ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ for the year 2018 was presented to Pravrajika Nirbhikprana Mataji, Assistant Secretary, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti, who also delivered the ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ on the theme ‘The Spiritual Duties of a Householder’. The ceremony was chaired by Shri Biswajit Gangopadhyay.

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9TrtVFsEkk

16 August 2018,  Thursday:

The medical expenses of Ms. Mukti Manna, an employee of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir School, under the management of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust, New Alipore, was reimbursed by Overman Foundation on 16 August 2018.

Ms. Mukti Manna is undergoing treatment at Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute at Thakurpukur. The reimbursement cheque was handed over to Ms. Manna’s mother and sister by Mr. Anurag Banerjee, the Founder of Overman Foundation.

8 August 2018, Wednesday:

On the occasion of the sixty-second birthday of our late patron Mrs. Sanghamitra Banerjee, cakes, biscuits and sweet curd were gifted on behalf of Overman Foundation to all the children who are being treated in the Child Care Centre of the Institute. A substantial donation was also made to Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute which was received by Dr. Arnab Gupta, the Director of the Institute.

The fourth ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’ on Saturday, 7 July 2018:

The fourth “Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration” organized by Overman Foundation was held on Saturday, 7 July 2018, at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan (8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071).

The programme was chaired by Professor Supriyo Bhattacharya, former Head of the Department of Economics, Kalyani University. Shri Anurag Banerjee, Founder of Overman Foundation, briefly spoke about the life of Shrimat Anirvan. The speaker was Dr. Soumitro Basu, renowned psychiatrist, Editor of NAMAH, one of the founders of Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Integral Health and Research (SAIIHR), Director of Institute of Integral Yoga Psychology (Auroshakti Foundation) and Secretary, Miravision Trust who spoke on the theme : “Shrimat Anirvan on Death.”

To read the report of the memorial oration, kindly click on the following link:

The Fourth “Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration” : A Report

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkHKBVYfk4Q

19th May to 25th May 2018:

Weeklong spiritual retreat at Madhuban, Talla Ramgarh.

For details of the workshop, please click on the following link:

Summer Retreats

28 February 2018, Wednesday:

Overman Foundation contributed to the chemotherapy expenses of Mr. Ajit Kumar Mishra of Pondicherry. The cheque was handed over to Mr. Mishra by Mr. Anurag Banerjee, Founder of Overman Foundation.

The eighth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony on Wednesday, 27 September 2017:

The eighth “Auro-Ratna Award” ceremony was organized on Wednesday, 27 September 2017 at Van Niwas, the Himalayan retreat centre of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch. In this ceremony, Ms. Tara Jauhar, Chairperson, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch, was presented with the “Auro-Ratna Award” for her invaluable contribution in the Aurobindonian movement.

To read the report of the eighth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/tara-jauhar-awarded-the-auro-ratna-award-for-the-year-2017/

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

8 August 2017, Tuesday:

On the occasion of the sixty-first birthday of our late patron Mrs. Sanghamitra Banerjee (1956-2016), health-drinks, chocolates, baby-soaps and antiseptic baby-powders were distributed to all the children suffering from cancer and being treated at the Child Care Centre, a wing of Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute (Thakurpukur, Kolkata). A substantial donation was also made to Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute in loving memory of late Sanghamitra Banerjee.

The fifth ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ and fourth ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ on Friday, 4 August 2017:

The fifth ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ and fourth ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ were organized jointly on Friday, 4 August 2017. While the ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ for the year 2017 was presented to Mrs. Subhra Banerjee, Secretary, Sarada Seva Sangha of Howrah, the memorial oration was delivered by Shri Biswajit Gangopadhyay on ‘Sri Aurobindo and Sister Nivedita’. This oration was specially arranged as Overman Foundation’s tribute to Sister Nivedita on the occasion of her 150th Birth Anniversary. The ceremony was chaired by Pravrajika Nirbhikprana Mataji, Assistant Secretary, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Siriti.

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH3JUFtc4kQ

The third ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’ on Saturday, 8 July 2017:

The third “Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration” organized by Overman Foundation was held on Saturday, 8 July 2017, at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan (8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071). The programme was chaired by Professor Supriyo Bhattacharya, former Head of the Department of Economics, Kalyani University. The speaker was Shri Goutam Banerji, noted speaker and exponent of Aurobindonian philosophy, who delivered a most thought-provoking lecture on the theme: “Shrimat Anirvan: The Man and His Personality”.

To read the report of the memorial oration, kindly click on the following link:

The Third “Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration” : A Report

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWZzUVtuC2w

27th May to 2nd June 2017:

Weeklong workshop on Practical Spirituality at Madhuban, Talla Ramgarh.

For details of the workshop, please click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/summer-retreats/

The fourth ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ on Saturday, 23 July 2016:

The fourth ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ was organized on Saturday, 23 July 2016 at the premises of 532, Block “M”, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053. The lecture was delivered by Shri Goutam Banerji who spoke on the theme ‘Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on the Problems of Youth’. The session was chaired by Shri Partha Sarathi Bose, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust.

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

The second ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’ on Friday, 8 July 2016:

The second “Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration” organized by Overman Foundation was held on Friday, 8 July 2016, at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan (8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071).

The programme was chaired by Professor Supriyo Bhattacharya, former Head of the Department of Economics, Kalyani University. The speaker was Shri Biswajit Gangopadhyay, OSD and Ex-officio Secretary, Finance Department, Government of West Bengal and Managing Member of Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, who delivered a most interesting and highly illuminating lecture on the theme: “Shrimat Anirvan and Dilip Kumar Roy”.

To read a report of the memorial oration, kindly click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/second-shrimat-anirvan-memorial-oration-a-report/

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQAkvAYfQcw

8th to 14th June 2016:

Weeklong workshops on Stress and Anger Management, Relationships: Its Complications and Solutions, Leadership and Motivation at Van Niwas, Nainital

For details of the workshop, please click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/summer-retreats/

“Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar 2015 and 2016 on Saturday, 7 May 2016:

The ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ for the years 2015 and 2016 was held on Saturday, 7 May 2016 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan (8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071). The award for 2015 was presented to Pravrajika Divyaprana Mataji, Secretary, Secretary, Sree Sarada Ashrama and Sree Sarada Ashrama Balika Vidyalaya, New Alipore (Kolkata) while the award for 2016 was presented to Smt. Shakuntala Barua, eminent film actress for her invaluable contribution in Bengali cinema. Late Sanghamitra Banerjee, eminent film actress and patron of Overman Foundation had graced the event as a guest.

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

The sixth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony on Sunday, 15 November 2015:

The sixth “Auro-Ratna Award” ceremony was organized on Sunday, 15 November 2015 at the ‘Hall of Harmony’ of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry. In this ceremony which was hosted by Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Padmashri Manoj Das, famous author, was presented with the “Auro-Ratna Award” for his invaluable contribution in the field of literature. Shri Manoj Dasgupta, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and Registrar of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Dr. Dilip Dutta, Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Dr. P. Raja, noted writer and critic and Shri Partha Sarathi Bose, Managing Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust and Principal of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir (New Alipore) also graced the occasion as special guests. The list of other distinguished guests included Shri Debranjan Chatterjee (Librarian, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Library), Shri Swadesh Chatterjee (Teacher, Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education), Dr. Sharad Joshi (Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Memorial Trust, Baroda), , Shri Arup Basu (Editor, “Sraddha”), Shrimati Gopa Basu (Librarian, Sri Aurobindo Bhavan Library, Kolkata), Shri Subrata Sen (Secretary, Sri Aurobindo’s Action West Bengal Trust), Shri Sushil Patel and others.

To read the report of the sixth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

Manoj Das Receives “Auro-Ratna Award” 2015: A Report

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

Daylong workshop on “Relationships: Its Complications and Solutions” on Saturday, 10 October 2015:

A day-long workshop on “Relationships: Its Complications and Solutions” was arranged on Saturday, 10th October 2015 from 11 a.m. onwards at the premises of 532, Block “M”, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053 by Overman Foundation in collaboration with Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust. The workshop—which witnessed the participation of 65 delegates—was conducted by Shri Subrata Sen (Secretary, Sri Aurobindo’s Action West Bengal Trust), Shri Goutam Banerjee (noted Aurobindonian scholar and speaker), Smt. Srabasti Majumdar (social worker) and Shri Partha Sarathi Bose (Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust).

To read a report of the workshop, kindly click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/workshop-on-relationships-its-complications-and-solutions-a-report/

The inaugural ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’ on Wednesday, 8 July 2015:

The inaugural ‘Shrimat Anirvan Memorial Oration’, organized by Overman Foundation, was held on Wednesday, 8 July 2015 at Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre, 532, Block “M”, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053. The lecture was delivered by Prof. Supriyo Bhattacharya on the theme: ‘Shrimat Anirvan on Education’.

To watch the video of the lecture, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC2ywrLureI

The third ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’ on Saturday, 25 April 2015:

The third ‘Subhash Kumar Mukherjee Memorial Oration’, organized in memory of Overman Foundation’s patron late Subhash Kumar Mukherjee, was held on Saturday, 25 April 2015 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata 700071. The lecture was delivered by Prof. Supriyo Bhattacharya who spoke on Globalization vis-à-vis India’s Present and Future in Sri Aurobindo’s Light and the session was chaired by Shri Subrata Sen, Secretary, Sri Aurobindo’s Action West Bengal Trust.

To watch the video of the lecture, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRr98Gn3qRQ

Exhibition of Books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Sunday, 8 February 2015:

An exhibition of books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother (not usually available at the branches of Sri Aurobindo Book Distribution Agency, i.e. SABDA) and Indian scriptures was organized by Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre and Overman Foundation in association with Sri Aurobindo’s Action West Bengal Trust on 8th February 2015 (Sunday) at the premises of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre located at 532, Block “M”, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053.

To read a report of the exhibition, please click on the following link:

Exhibition of Books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother: A Report

The fifth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony on Sunday, 28 December 2014:

The fifth “Auro-Ratna Award” ceremony was held on Sunday, 28 December 2014 at the ‘Hall of Harmony’ in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry. The recipient of the “Auro-Ratna Award” for 2014 was Smt. Shobha Mitra for her contribution in the field of music. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, had hosted the said award ceremony.

To read the report of the fifth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/auro-ratna-award-2014-a-report/

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

Exhibition of books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Saturday, 15 November 2014:

An exhibition of books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother (not available at the branches of Sri Aurobindo Book Distribution Agency, i.e. SABDA) and Indian scriptures was organized by Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre and Overman Foundation in association with Sri Aurobindo’s Action West Bengal Trust in the evening of 15th November 2014 (Saturday) at the premises of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre located at 532, Block “M”, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053.

To read the report of the exhibition, please click on the following link:

Exhibition of Books on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother: A Report

Inaugural ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’ ceremony on Monday, 10 November 2014:

To recognize the invaluable contribution of individuals, especially women — the Shakti behind one and all — for their outstanding contribution in the fields of literature, art, education and music, Overman Foundation started a new award — the “Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar” — named after the late Bulbul Mukherjee (4.10.1934—15.8.1990). The inaugural “Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar” was awarded to Mrs. Chitra Bose, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust and Honorary Secretary-cum-Principal of Sri Aurobindo Bal Mandir (New Alipore, Kolkata) for her contribution in the field of education.

The inaugural award ceremony—conducted by Mr. Anurag Banerjee, Founder and Chairman of Overman Foundation—was held on Monday, 10th November 2014, at 6.30 p.m. at Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre, New Alipore, Kolkata.

To read the report of the inaugural ‘Bulbul Mukherjee Smriti Puraskar’, kindly click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/bulbul-mukherjee-smriti-puraskar-2014-a-report/

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

The fourth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony on Friday, 22 November 2013:

The fourth “Auro-Ratna Award” ceremony was held on Friday, 22 November 2013, at Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research, Pondicherry. The recipient of the “Auro-Ratna Award” for the year 2013 was Dr. Ananda Reddy.

Dr. Murali Sivaramakrishnan, noted scholar, poet, artist and Professor and Head of the Department of English at Pondicherry University, Prof. Srinivasa K., Professor of Philosophy at Pondicherry University, Dr. Larry Seidlitz (Vice-President for Student Affairs at SACAR), Dr. Alok Pandey (eminent psychiatrist and member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram), Mr. Raman Reddy, Mr. Narayan Bhatt (both researchers and archivists of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives and Research Department), Mr. Lalit Modi (eminent auditor), Mr. Suresh Chandra Tyagi (Editor of Aditi, the popular Hindi magazine published from Saharanpur), Mr. Chamanlal Gupta, senior member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram were among the esteemed guests who attended the function.

To read the report of the fourth ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

“Auro-Ratna Award” 2013: A Report

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG8AMynEZ2Q

‘Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry’—An audio-visual presentation on Thursday, 1 August 2013:

Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust and Overman Foundation had jointly organized an audio-visual presentation on Sri Aurobindo titled “Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry” on Thursday, 1 August 2013 at 6.30 p.m. in the premises of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre located at P—532, BLOCK “M”, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053.

This audio-visual presentation which was perhaps the first of its kind held at Sri Aurobindo Centres in West Bengal chronicled the entire period of Sri Aurobindo’s life from 1910 to December 1950 with the help of 154 photographs (some of which were quite rare) and narratives through a slide show. Based on a script prepared by Mr. Anurag Banerjee, the said presentation was conducted by Mr. Partha Sarathi Bose (Managing Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust) and Mr. Anurag Banerjee (Founder, Overman Foundation). A special attraction of the programme was the rendition of two recorded songs on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother composed and sung by the great musical maestro Dilip Kumar Roy.

The programme—which witnessed the presence of senior Aurobindonians like Dr. Jaganmoy Banerjee, Dr. Amartya Kumar Dutta and Mr. Subroto Sen (Secretary, Sri Aurobindo’s Action, West Bengal)—had generated a great amount of interest among the audience.

To see some of the photographs of the said presentation, please click on the following link:

“Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry”—An Audio-Visual Presentation: A Report

‘Sri Aurobindo As I Saw Him’: An Interactive Session with Prabir Nahar on Thursday, 23 May 2013:

Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust and Overman Foundation had organized an interactive session with Mr. Prabir Nahar titled “Sri Aurobindo As I Saw Him” on Thursday, 23rd May 2013 at 6.30 p.m. in the premises of Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre located at P—532, BLOCK “M”, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053. To read the report of the interactive session, kindly click on the following link:

“Sri Aurobindo As I Saw Him”—An Interactive Session with Mr. Prabir Nahar.

To watch the video of the programme, kindly click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq8GEtxdpFg

The third ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony on Sunday, 18 November 2012:

The third ‘Auro-Ratna Award’ ceremony took place on Sunday, 18 November 2012, at Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research (SACAR), Pondicherry. As announced earlier, the recipients of this award for the year 2012 were Dr. Prema Nandakumar and Ms. Shraddhavan. The ceremony which began at 5 p.m. with the Mother’s organ music was attended by Dr. Ananda Reddy (the Chief Guest), Prof. Kittu Reddy (respected member of the Advisory Board of Overman Foundation and senior inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry), Narad alias Richard Eggenberger (senior inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry), Dr. Murali Sivaramakrishnan (artist, poet, essayist, professor and Head of the English Department at Pondicherry University) Dr. Alok Pandey (renowned psychiatrist and inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry), Mrs. Deepshikha Reddy (Trustee, SACAR), Mr. Tekeste Berhan G. Kidan (a former Ethiopian diplomat and an Aurovilian since 1996 who helped to establish the Auroville International Africa Education Centre in Addis Ababa and initiate the Africa House project in Auroville) and Mr. Helmut (Aurovilian and architect of Savitri Bhavan) from Auroville to name a few.

To read the report of the third ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

Auro-Ratna Award 2012: A Report

Memorial Service on Amal Kiran on Tuesday, 13 September 2011:

A Memorial Service dedicated to the loving memory of K.D. Sethna alias Amal Kiran (1904-2011), was held on Tuesday, 13 September 2011, at Overman Foundation.

The ceremony, which began with a recorded recitation of Amal Kiran from ‘Savitri’, was conducted by Shri Anurag Banerjee, Founder-Chairman of Overman Foundation, who after narrating a brief life-sketch of Amal Kiran, recalled his association with the versatile genius and also discussed his various aspects, that is, ‘Amal Kiran: the Poet’, ‘Amal Kiran: the Prose-Writer’, ‘Amal Kiran: the Conversationalist’ and ‘Amal Kiran: the Yogi and the Seer’. Some members of the assembled audience who had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with Amal Kiran also shared their fragrant memories.

A short video of the last journey of Amal Kiran was shown at the ceremony.

The Second ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony, Saturday, 20 August 2011:

On Saturday, 20 August 2011, the second ‘Auro-Ratna Award’ ceremony was held at ‘Care Nursing Home’ in Pondicherry. Dr. Ananda Reddy, Director, Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Prof. Kittu Reddy, Shrimati Suprabha Nahar, Shrimati Ratna Chakravarti, Shrimati Krishna Chakravarti, Shrimati Jhumur Bhattacharya (In-charge, ‘Knowledge’—the Department of Higher Course at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education), Shri Togo Mukherjee, Shri Raman Reddy and other inmates of Sri Aurobindo Ashram were present at the occasion where Shri Robi Gupta, Dr. Kireet Joshi and Dr. Prithwindranath Mukherjee were presented with the ‘Auro-Ratna Award’ for the year 2011. Since Dr. Mukherjee is settled in France his younger brother Shri Togo Mukherjee accepted with the award on his behalf.

To read the report of the second ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

http://overmanfoundation.org/auro-ratna-awards-2011-2/

Memorial Service on Sujata Nahar on Sunday, 12 December 2010:

A Memorial Service dedicated to the loving memory of Sujata Nahar (1925-2007), one of the most devoted and faithful disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother was held on Sunday, 12 December 2010, at Overman Foundation to commemorate the 85th Birth Anniversary of the great sadhika and former inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram who was also one of the co-founders of Mira Aditi Centre and author of the well-known series on the Mother’s life titled Mother’s Chronicles.

The one-hour-long ceremony, which commenced with the rendition of the Mother’s organ music, was conducted by Shri Anurag Banerjee, Founder-Chairman of Overman Foundation, who narrated a brief life-sketch of Sujata Nahar and spoke at length about her invaluable research on the lives of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

The chief attraction of the ceremony was the playing of an audio cassette which contained a recording of a talk by Sujata Nahar in which she had described one of her spiritual experiences.

Memorial Service on Nirodbaran on Thursday, 18 November 2010: A Memorial Service dedicated to the loving memory of Dr. Nirodbaran Talukdar (1903-2006), known in the Aurobindonian community across the globe as Sri Aurobindo’s scribe and renowned for his books like Talks with Sri Aurobindo, Correspondence with Sri Aurobindo, Twelve Years with Sri Aurobindo and Memorable Contacts with the Mother to name a few was held on Thursday, 18 November 2010, at  Overman Foundation to commemorate the 107th Birth Anniversary of the great sadhak and inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

The ceremony was conducted by Shri Anurag Banerjee, Founder-Chairman of Overman Foundation, who after narrating a brief life-sketch of Dr. Nirodbaran and his unique association with Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, shared with the audience his reminiscences of Dr. Nirodbaran whom he had met as a teenager in 1999 and how instrumental he was in bringing him closer to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He also explained that since the Mother had left Her physical body on 17 November which was the actual date of birth of Dr. Nirodbaran, he used to celebrate his birthday on 18 November.

A shirt of Dr. Nirodbaran which was gifted to Shri Banerjee by the late Bani Mutsuddi, Nirodbaran’s niece, was brought out for public darshan and the small group of devotees of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and admirers of Dr. Nirodbaran who had assembled to offer their loving tribute to their beloved “Nirod-da” made their obeisance to it. Some members of the audience who had the opportunity of corresponding with him read out excerpts of his correspondence.

The ceremony ended with the playing of the first canto of Book I of Savitri recited by Dr. Nirodbaran.

Inauguration of online research facility at Overman Foundation on Saturday, 4 September 2010:

On Saturday, 4 September 2010, Overman Foundation launched its online research facility for researchers and scholars who are keen to work on the lives and works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The inauguration ceremony, which took place at the Head Office of Overman Foundation at 7 p.m. began with the rendition of the Mother’s organ music. Mrs. Sanghamitra Banerjee, eminent film actress of the Bengali film industry inaugurated the facility and described the concept as “extremely innovative and unique.”

Mr. Anurag Banerjee, Founder-Chairman of Overman Foundation, in his brief speech said: “An inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, had once told me: ‘What is the need to conduct researches on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother? Just read whatever they have written and practice their teachings.’ The very first part of the inmate’s statement had amused me. How can one abstain himself from conducting research on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother — the harbingers of the New Race — who have contributed immensely for the evolution of mankind and development of humanity! Both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother belong not merely to the past or present but to the future. In fact they are the future. We may claim that we know a lot of them but that’s not enough because even this knowing is limited as their lives had not been on the ‘ordinary surface for man to see’ to quote Sri Aurobindo’s own words. They are just like an inexhaustible goldmine where even if one goes on digging for three centuries all the wealth will not be extracted. Every time we read their works and what they have done for humanity, a new truth is revealed, a new light is obtained. And it is this very light that which we intend to share not only with those who are our co-travellers in the path of Integral Yoga and but with everyone — every single individual who is aspiring for a conscious progress. This is the purpose of establishing the Research Centre at Overman Foundation.

“There is also another purpose for launching this online research facility. Invaluable documents in varied languages related to the lives and works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are scattered here and there, so, it was thought necessary to centralize them for the benefit of the researchers. We can claim that we have been able to achieve this to a certain extent. But, my friends, this is only the beginning. The journey has just begun and we have miles to go. But I can assure you, on behalf of the members of Overman Foundation, that we won’t rest until we have accomplished our mission. It’s a promise.”

The ceremony ended with the playing of the song “Kanokajyoti kalebar dhari” in the mellifluous voice of Dilip Kumar Roy and was followed by a dinner party.

The first ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony on Friday, 27 August 2010:

The Auro-Ratna Award’ was started by Overman Foundation in 2010 as an attempt to recognize the invaluable contribution of Aurobindonians in the field of literature, research, philosophy and education and felicitate the ‘true children’ of the Divine who, as defined by the Mother, are those few individuals who have consecrated all of themselves and all they have—soul, life, work and wealth.

The inaugural “Auro-Ratna Award” ceremony took place on Friday, 27th August 2010, at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. The first recipients of the Award were Shri K. D. Sethna alias Amal Kiran, Prof. Arabinda Basu, better known as ‘Arindam-da’ in the Aurobindonian circle and the late Jugal Kishore Mukherjee. The ceremony took place at three different locations considering the age of Shri K. D. Sethna and Prof. Arabinda Basu.

To read the report of the first ‘Auro Ratna Award’ ceremony and see photos of the event, kindly click on the following link:

The First “Auro-Ratna Award” Ceremony: A Report

3 Replies to “Events

  1. Good luck to you dear Anurag on your inspirational project ..By doing this you are bringing the aspirants to the transforming impact of the Word of our Master and the Divine Mother

  2. Dear Anurag this is very trimly and useful initiative, I think this will propagate the thought and philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. Beside this practical workshop on integral yoga would be appropriate tool. Sure this will be successful because The Mother’s blessing always with it,
    Jiban Roy,
    Founder
    Life divine Foundation
    Dhaka, Bangladesh

  3. Dear Anurag,

    Suprobhat
    I wish you all the very best in all your endeavours.

    Your speeches and presentations are of a very high order and they leave an indelible impression on the audience.

    I would like to join one of your courses someday, to learn more about the philosophy that Sri Aurobindo and The Mother came to spread.

    With love and best wishes to all of you at Overman Foundation.

    Sudipto

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *