Nirodbaran

Talks with Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1

10 December 1938 – 14 January 1941

3 July 1940

Satyendra: People here have become panicky about the currency. I hear that many people are coming to the Ashram to have their British notes changed into French money.

Sri Aurobindo (laughing): Yes, but there is not yet any official order. The post office is still giving out British money.

Satyendra: Shopkeepers refuse to give any change.

Chamberlain has said that England would rather go down than make peace with Hitler.

Sri Aurobindo: No more appeasement?

Satyendra: No. He says England is fighting for the liberty of the world’s peoples.

Nirodbaran: The trouble is that the British people’s own liberty is so endangered that no one will believe him.

Sri Aurobindo: But what he says is true. Why did the British fight for Poland?

Nirodbaran: Hore-Belisha is supporting India’s case.

Sri Aurobindo: Yes, and also working for an understanding with Ireland. They say that Germany may try to occupy Ireland, from where it will be easier to attack England. Ireland has a long coast which is quite undefended. An army can land anywhere. And the British will have to prepare the defence of the whole west coast of England.

Satyendra: They have an army only thirty thousand strong.

Nirodbaran: But how will the Germans land there?

Sri Aurobindo: Why can’t they? The British Navy is not always keeping watch over all that area.

Nirodbaran: If Ireland doesn’t want to join the British, they have no chance.

Sri Aurobindo: The Irish people are strongly against joining the British because of the Ulster question.

Nirodbaran: Craigayon has said to De Valera that he won’t make common cause with him unless he takes sides with the British.

Sri Aurobindo: De Valera can’t do that because the Irish people are strongly against it unless the Ulster question is solved.

Nirodbaran: But it is the Ulster people who want to keep separate like our Muslim brothers.

Sri Aurobindo: Yes.

Satyendra: They want their Pakistan.

Nirodbaran: Ireland has as difficult a problem as India. But don’t they realise the danger of invasion?

Sri Aurobindo: They are like the Americans.

Nirodbaran: But Ireland’s danger is more imminent and the Americans may not believe in the possibility of an invasion of their land, at least at a near date.

Sri Aurobindo: No, everybody now is realising the danger.

Purani: The next step of Hitler after England will be America.

Sri Aurobindo: Not quite the next, because he may have to square with Russia first.

Nirodbaran: Burma has given unconditional help to Britain while the English response to it is that they “will be very willing to discuss”.

Sri Aurobindo: Burma’s policy is comprehensible while I don’t understand the Congress position at all. They are neither helping nor going to offer resistance so long as Britain is at war. If they started some movement for their objective, it could be understood. But now they lose both the advantages of helping and those of resistance.

Evening

Sri Aurobindo (suddenly to Nirodbaran): Do you know Savitri Devi? She is a Greek married to a Bengali.

Nirodbaran: I seem to have read about her in the papers.

Satyendra: Yes, there was some mention of her.

Sri Aurobindo: She is a militant Hindu-Sabhaite.

Satyendra: Converts are sometimes more enthusiastic. But she may have become Hindu out of genuine regard.

Purani: The Viceroy’s proposals seem to fall far short of a National Government.

Sri Aurobindo: Yes, it is a short extension of his Executive Council. How many Congress members did the Viceroy propose last time?

Purani: Two, perhaps.

Sri Aurobindo: Now he may make it four and, if they refuse, he may take in the League, the Liberals and probably Savarkar and Ambedkar.

Purani: The Working Committee is giving counter-proposals, it appears.

Sri Aurobindo: Yes, many are in favour of the National Government. So Rajagopalachari prevails.

Purani: If the Executive Council with its defence powers were handed over to the Indians?

Sri Aurobindo: The Viceroy is not likely to agree. The British won’t like to abdicate, leaving all defence measures in inexperienced hands.

Purani: Chamberlain is being attacked by Lloyd George and asked to go.

Sri Aurobindo: That can’t be done. It will create a dissension by offending the Conservative Party.