Surendra Nath Jauhar: A Pictorial Homage

1957__New_Delhi

Dear Friends,

13 August 2015 marks the 112nd Birth Anniversary of Surendra Nath Jauhar. Born as Sikandar Lal on 13 August 1903 in the village of Vahalee (now in Pakistan), he received his education at Dayanand Anglo-Vedic High School and College. After his matriculation he changed his name to Surendra Nath Jauhar. At the age of sixteen, he joined the freedom struggle of India. He participated in the defiance against the British Martial Law Regulations. As a member of the District Congress Committee at Delhi he organized the boycott of foreign cloth throughout Chandni Chowk and also read out the Congress Independence Day Pledge and Resolution at the Clock tower. The British Government arrested and tried him in six courts. He was confined in the Central Jail at Multan (now in Pakistan) for fifteen months. He established his business venture ‘S. N. Sunderson & Co.’ which flourished under his able leadership. In 1939 while on an all-India tour with Prof. Indra Sen, he visited Pondicherry for the first time and had the Darshan of the Mother. This was ‘the supreme discovery’ of his life; to quote his own words: ‘… I lost my heart and won the soul and the real life.’ The Mother too had absolute faith in him and authorized him to make collections for the Sri Aurobindo Memorial Fund in 1951. He started building the Delhi branch of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in the land he had purchased between 1938 and 1940 and it was formally established on 12 February 1956. The Mother too had told him: “This place will house the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch, and there certainly will be a Shrine for which I have been keeping Sri Aurobindo’s precious relics.” On 23 April 1956 he founded ‘The Mother’s International School’ in the premises of the Delhi branch of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Within a year of its establishment, the school had 200 students on its rolls. In 1956 he established the Mirambika Free Progress School. A dedicated servitor of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, he passed away on 2 September 1986. In 2011 a five-rupee commemorative postage stamp was issued by the Government of India in his honour.

Dr. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar aptly remarks about Surendra Nath Jauhar: ‘The Sikander who became Surendra Nath Jauhar, the Arya Samajist and Gandhian Satyagrahi who became an ardent Aurobindonian and self-absorbed practitioner of the Mother’s Yoga for life’s change and world-transformation, and successful businessman and dealer in building materials who became the architect of the Delhi Ashram and the missionary teacher-registrar of the Mother’s International School, the boy from the Jhelum District in whom native intelligence was doubled with the deeper intuitions of the soul, who made his whole life an adventure of consciousness spanning the whole rainbow arc from the physical to the spiritual, — it was as though all these leaps forward, all these quantum jumps into the unknown, added up to the single integral movement from Here to Eternity.’ (The Spirit’s Manifest Home, pp. 82-83)

As our humble homage to Surendra Nath Jauhar, some of his photographs have been published in the online forum of Overman Foundation. We are extremely thankful and grateful to his daughter Ms. Tara Jauhar for sharing these invaluable photographs with us.

With warm regards,
Anurag Banerjee
Founder,
Overman Foundation.

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1918, Surendranath Captain of the Hockey team, Dayanand Anglo - Vdedic High School, Lahore.In 1918 as the Captain of the Hockey team of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic High School, Lahore.

1928Group photo taken in 1928.

1931_beside_his_carIn 1931 beside his car.

1940_Surendranath_the_freedom_fighter1940: Surendra Nath Jauhar, the Freedom-fighter.

1948 augustWith his family in 1948.

Participating in Ashram activities in 19511951: Playing Cricket.

1951_Participating_in_the_activites_of_the_ashram_at_Pondicherry_(1)1951: Participating in the activities of Physical Education Department of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.

1951--participating in ashram activities1951: Playing Tennis in the Tennis Court of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.

Surendranath Jauhar in April 1951At the Sri Aurobindo Memorial Convention with the Mother, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Hemendra Prasad Ghose, Surendra Mohan Ghose, Dr. Kalidas Nag and others in April 1951.

At the SamadhiAt the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo.

With his family at Pondicherry in 1952With his family in 1952.

Arrival of Relics on 4 December 1956Arrival of Relics on 4 December 1956 at the Delhi Branch of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

At_the_mis_assembly_hall_with_A.K._Jha__Governor.With Governor A. K. Jha.

1960__with_his_family_at_pondicherryWith his family in 1960.

1963___Surendranath_with_daughter_Purnima_and_wife_Dayawati__offering_medicines__books_and_money_for_the_Indian_Army__to_the_Prime_Minister_Jawaharlal_NehWith his wife Dayawati and daughter Purnima offering medicines, books and money for the Indian Army to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963.

 Distributing_Prasad_to_the_school_childrenDistributing prasad to school children.

June 1965 with wife and son AnilWith his wife Dayawati and son Anil in 1965.

28.2.1968 At the foundation of Auroville. Surendranath with Lala Hansraj Gupta, Mayor of delhi, to his left.At the foundation of Auroville on 28 February 1968 with Lala Hansraj Gupta, Mayor of Delhi, to his left.

With Lala HansrajWith Lala Hansraj Gupta.

With_Karan_Singh_on_16_November_1968With Dr. Karan Singh on 16 November 1968.

With Dr. Karan Singh, Prof. KRS Iyengar and SundaramWith Dr. Karan Singh, Dr. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar and Sundaram.

With Guru Nitya Chaitanya YatiWith Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati.

With the King and Queen of NepalWith the King and Queen of Nepal.

With_Acharya_J.B_KriplaniWith Acharya J. B. Kriplani.

With_Ustad_Allaudin_KhanWith Ustad Allaudin Khan.

With Kurbaan-ji at MadhubanWith Kurbaan-ji at Madhuban.

With Tara in Nainital in 1971With his daughter Tara in Nainital in 1971.

mother and surendranath jauharWith the Mother in Her room.

mother and surendranath jauhar.jpg 1

mother and surendranath jauhar.jpg 2

mother and surendranath jauhar.jpg 4

Surendranath_with_M._Andre_Morisset_(_The_Mother_s_son)_and_his_wife__at_the_Ashram_in_New_Delhi.With André Morisset (the Mother’s son) and his wife Wanda at the Delhi Branch of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

With Andre MorissetA group-photo with André Morisset, Wanda, Lata and Tara Jauhar.

At KhurjaAt Khurja.

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9 Replies to “Surendra Nath Jauhar: A Pictorial Homage

  1. It was very interesting to browse through all the articles published in the overman foundation website.It brought back nostalgic memories of those wonderful days of our Ashram.
    Looking forward to all your coming issues.
    Well done and continue the great work.

  2. An elegant collection which gives glimpses into the life of a multifaceted, unusually selfless and hardworking man. An inspiration for the youth.

  3. He worked for his evolution and that was his mission. Sadhana through Work was the means to become true child of the Mother and he continues to be a beacon showing the way to the mortals.

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