Complete Set of the Mother’s Photographs taken at the Sports Ground

Dear Friends,

The Sports Ground of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, was opened by the Mother in 1951. On the opening day of the Sports Ground, there was a grand March Past with music played by the Ashram Brass Band. The Mother would visit the Sports Ground every day during the Athletics Competitions and also attended the 2nd December Demonstrations, the dress rehearsal and the final day of the programme.

21 February 2018 marked the Mother’s 141st Birth Anniversary. As our humble tribute to the Mother, the complete set of Her photographs taken at the Sports Ground of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, has been published in the website of Overman Foundation.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

 

          The following photographs were taken in 1951 but the exact dates are not available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                             The following photographs were taken on 1 July 1951.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following photographs were taken on 9 January 1952. The new Football field in the Sports Ground was inaugurated by the Mother. A Football match between a team of veteran players of the Ashram and the J. S. A. S. A. eleven had been arranged. The Mother opened the game by giving the first “kick-off”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                              The following photographs were taken on 1 July 1952.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                The following two photographs were taken on 9 July 1952.

      The following photographs were also taken in 1952 but the exact dates are not available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                    The following photographs were taken on 1 July 1953.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                             The following photographs were taken on 1 July 1954.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        The following photographs were taken on 29 August 1954.

 

                                               The following photographs were taken on 1 July 1955.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            The following photographs were taken in December 1955.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           The following photographs were taken on 3 April 1956.

 

                                        The following photograph was taken on 1 September 1956.

                                          The following photographs were taken in December 1956.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following photograph was taken on 21 February 1957 when the Swimming Pool was inaugurated.

                                             The following photographs were taken on 1 July 1957.

 

 

 

 

 

 

          The following three photographs were taken in 1957 but the precise dates are not known.

 

 

                                          The following photograph was taken on 1 July 1958.

                                       The following photographs were taken in November 1960.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                            The dates of the following photographs of the Mother are not known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                             Photographs courtesy : Ms. Tara Jauhar.

 

15 Replies to “Complete Set of the Mother’s Photographs taken at the Sports Ground

  1. “The Sports Ground was Jalad’s fodder field for the cows at his Dairy. The Ashram did not have a football ground. Some young people had gone there for an outing and they thought this could be a nice ground for football. They told Mother about it and She gave Her consent. Thus the Sports Ground came into existence.” (‘Udar, One of Mother’s Children’; edited by Gauri Pinto.)

  2. “Jalad and Kameshwar had spent several years looking for suitable land to grow fodder for the Ashram dairy. This piece of land measuring 4 acres was bought for Rs. 4,000.

    One evening Mother asked Jalad during groundnut distribution, “Jalad, children are asking me for more place to play. Can you spare the fodder land?”

    He replied spontaneously, “Mother it is all yours. Why are you asking me?” Mother was pleased and gave him an extra helping of groundnuts.”

    (‘Udar, One of Mother’s Children’; edited by Gauri Pinto.)

  3. “When the Mother began to give much attention to physical education in the Ashram, it was Udar who manufactured the table tennis tables; the dumb-bells, barbells and other apparatus for body-building, weight lifting and gymnastics; the discus, javelin, shots, hammer and even the spiked running shoes required for athletics – all in the all-purpose Harpagon Workshop! Even the running tracks and the Swimming pool in the Sports Ground were constructed under his direct supervision. During the athletics season in the early fifties, the entire organisational work was carried out in his office in Harpagon. It was a most familiar sight in the athletics season to see Udar in the Sports Ground, always hovering near the Mother, maintaining a meticulous record of the performance of each participant (and there used to be some six hundred of them!) – and this after his eight-hour stint of supervising the work in each and every department under his care.” (‘Udar, One of Mother’s Children’; edited by Gauri Pinto.)

  4. “Udar worked out the whole layout and made the cinder running tracks, long jump and high jump runs, shot put and Hammer rings etc. according to the Olympic specifications after obtaining the same from the International Olympic Committee. The swimming pool was built by Louis Alien with Udar’s help.” (‘Udar, One of Mother’s Children’; edited by Gauri Pinto.)

  5. Dear Anurag – You have done an credible and splendid work by collecting meticulously and
    the very large number of these wonderful photographs of the sporting activities at the Sports Ground in the presence the Divine Mother ..Sports Ground was like a divine play field for Her where she showered Her Grace and Beatitude — It is like a visual history of the birth and growth of the sports during the period you have recorded – And all grew beautiful because She was there constantly with Her children years after years ..There could not have been a more fitting offering than this

  6. A very good collection of the Sports Ground right from its inception.

    It would bring nostalgia to the participants of the ’50s who are still alive, if they were to see these photographs.

    Thank you, Anurag

  7. Again I thank Anurag. I had an ever living memory with the Car( P-1005) The first Car The Mother getting down to Sports ground. I had a great opportunity to Travel in the Car accompanying my father with Sri Aurobindo’s Relics from Ashram to Madras Central Rail Station on the 12th February,1959. Abhoy Singh was the driver of the Car. The Relics was put on the back seat, I was seating at the foot rest all the way from Pondicherry to Madras keeping my hand – holding the Great Relics. it was a great dream in reality. My father- Gobindolal was seating besides Abhoyda driving the Car. Is it possible to get the Car as souvenir for Bangavani against offering? Dibyendu

  8. Dear Anuragda, do you have any photographs in your treasure box of Sri Aurobindo or The Mother during 1920 to 1950 ? May we also be blessed with that ?

  9. Thanks Anurag, for bringing out so many wonderful photographs of The Mother in Sport Ground. These marvelous collections had been so preciously collected and cared by Tara Jauhar without which we would have been deprived of viewing these wonderful moments in the spiritual history. The precious documents of that era would have been lost .We must send her for this our gratitude and profuse thanks. It is the Grace of The Mother that I was present there on the 1st July 1951.

  10. Strange and delightful sensation: On every photography, even in the far background, we are heading toward Her as a symbol of what we have to do within ourselves. These precious pictures preserve for us the Ananda of Her Divine Presence.

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