Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
Letters
[Translated from Bengali]
3 October 1905
Dearest,
For the last fifteen days the college examinations have been going on. Besides that a Swadeshi samiti is being established. I have been so busy with these two things that I haven’t had a chance to write you. But I haven’t had a letter from you for quite some time. I hope all of you are well. The college closes tomorrow. Certainly my work will continue, but I won’t have to put in more than an hour a day.
I am sending twenty rupees with this letter. You may give ten rupees to the clerks of Burn Company or else you may spend it on some other good purpose. I can’t understand what this Burn Company affair is all about. No clear account is given in the newspapers. Nowadays it is not an 
easy thing to keep up this sort of strike. Almost always the poor lose, the rich win. It will be a great day for India when the Indian middle class gives up its desire for petty posts and goes into business on its own. I can’t send you any more money because I have to send 60 to 70 rupees for Sarojini’s Darjeeling expenses and Madhavrao has been sent abroad for some special work. Much money has to be given for the Swadeshi movement and besides that I’m trying to start another movement and I will need no end of money for that. I can’t put anything away.
I have sent the Floriline. I hope you got it. Dhanji was not here, then he came but Lakshmanrao was busy with the examinations and so was I, both of us forgot. I shall send the prescription soon.
Why do you want to read the “Seeker”? It is an old poem. I knew nothing about religion then. The poem is very pessimistic. I don’t know the Bengali word for “pessimistic”. In Marathi they say nirashavadi. Now I have realized that pessimism is just a form of ignorance.
The other day I went over to Khaserao’s. Anandrao has grown quite tall. He is going to be a big swindler.
Shri