Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s Compassion and Love by Lucy Juniwal

Dear Friends,

Lucy Juniwal (17 January 1940—29 May 2025) was the daughter of Dhir Singh and Rajsena Nahar and grand-daughter of Prithwi Singh Nahar who joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, as a permanent inmate in 1938. Lucy too joined the Ashram with her two elder brothers, Pratip Nahar and Prabir Nahar in 1941 and received her education from Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. She was among the very first batch of students when the Ashram School started in December 1943. Following the completion of her studies, she married Sunder Lal Juniwal and was blessed with three sons: Rajesh, Naresh and Kamalesh.

We have published on the website of Overman Foundation two vignettes of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother narrated by Lucy Juniwal revealing Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s compassion and love for Their children.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

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1

 To fully understand this story you must know a little about the background. 

 You know my mother was very young and inexperienced and she relied heavily on Kirankumari (who was our neighbour and whom we called ma-pishi)’s advice for everything. One day, I must have been very naughty, so I was to be punished. This was when I was very small and do you know what was the form of the punishment? 

It was in those days when the adults went to the Ashram for meditation in the evening and the kids were left at home. My brothers were at home and I was in ma-pishi’s house, made to sit on a high stool and locked in.

Whenever we were in trouble, we had been told to call for help to the Mother or to Sri Aurobindo. 

I was calling for help to Sri Aurobindo. I really don’t remember whether I was shouting or I was calling mentally. As far as I know I was calling him mentally because I was much too small to shout so loudly.

After some time, it must have been about 15 or 20 minutes, I don’t know how long it was, I saw Champaklal-ji draw aside the curtains of the room that overlooked the room in which I was sitting and the window overlooked the road. He asked me what I was doing. So I said that I had been made to sit on the stool. 

He didn’t say anything but after five minutes he came back with the house key, and let me out, locked the house again and took me to the Ashram and left me [near] inside the door, you know just in front of Reception Hall and I was playing there. When the meditation ended, my mother and ma-pishi were both very surprised to see me there. So they asked me how I had come. So I said Champaklal-ji brought me. 

The next day I heard that the Mother scolded both of them for having punished me in this way and I came to know that Sri Aurobindo had heard my prayer and had sent Champaklal-ji to see what was the matter. 

[All] this I came to know a little later because I was too young at that time.

This is my, what to say, my most precious memory that Sri Aurobindo heard my prayer and sent Champaklal-ji to help me.

2

There was a lady called Datta who used to paint. She wanted to make portraits of the children of the Ashram. And the Mother chose me as the first one to sit for her. So I was taken up, made to sit in the small room of the corridor. And Datta drew me. After an hour or so, she told me I could go. So I went away. The next day, Mother asked me, “Did Datta give you anything to eat?” I said: No. She said: “Come with me.” She took me upstairs and made me sit on a stool, and with her own hands, took out a saucer, a spoon and a big custard apple and gave it to me and said: “Eat it.” So I ate it. Then I put the plate back in the sink and went out. Just imagine! With all her work, she still had time to think of a child whether she had eaten or not. This is Mother! And I still remember how she chose the custard apple and gave it to me. It is one of my fondest memories.

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