We regret to announce the death of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. the Sage of Pondicherry, at 1-30 a.m. yesterday at Pondicherry. He was 78 years old.
The Aurobindo Ashram and the entire town was in gloom on account of the passing away of the sage. He had been indifferent health keeping for the past fortnight, but the end was sudden and quite unexpected.
Sri Aurobindo gave his last darshan to his disciples and devotees on November 24-the day he went in complete spiritual retirement.
Thousands of Pondicherry citizens, young and old, besides the ashramites have been standing in long queues in front of the Ashram to have the last darshan of the sage.
His body is lying in state on a cot in the same room in the first floor of the Ashram where he expired and where he had been in retirement since 1927.
All activities of the Ashram have been suspended for 12 days, anci educational institutions in Pondicherry were closed for the day in his memory.
Sri Aurobindo s body lay in state, and by 6 p.m. more than 60.000 people had filed past it in queues in absolute silence. A few attendants of Sri Aurobindo were squatting with their heads bent in the room where the body was lying in state.
A painting of Buddha from Ajanta adorned the eastern walls of the room which was strewn with flowers. The body of the sage was lying in a cushion covered with a spotless white sheet spread over a wooden cot. His serene appearance suggested more of one in sleep than in death. A remarkable feature was the peace and calm prevailing in the Ashram.
{{/usCountry}}A painting of Buddha from Ajanta adorned the eastern walls of the room which was strewn with flowers. The body of the sage was lying in a cushion covered with a spotless white sheet spread over a wooden cot. His serene appearance suggested more of one in sleep than in death. A remarkable feature was the peace and calm prevailing in the Ashram.
{{/usCountry}}Among those who paid their homage to Sri Aurobindo today were India’s Consul-General in Pondicherry. French India Ministers, French Indian officials and Aurobindo s devotees from Madras and other parts of India.
An Ashram spokesman said that Aurobinda had an attack of uremia.
The funeral will take place on Wednesday His body will be paced in a coffin at 12 noon and will be interred in the main courtyard of the Ashram at 5 p.m.
The Congress Working Committee at its meeting in Delhi yesterday adopted a condolence resolution on Sri Aurobindo’s death. The resolution described him as a pioneer in the struggle for India’s freedom and one of the greatest thinkers of the country.