Nirodbaran

Talks with Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1

10 December 1938 – 14 January 1941

12 July 1940

Nirodbaran: Dilip says he met a Turkish lady at Madras. She said England has not the ghost of a chance against Germany. “They won’t fight at all, you will see,” she said. “Don’t live in a fool’s paradise, Dilip.” When Dilip asked whether Turkey would back Britain as she is her ally, she said, “That was before the fall of France. Now we have to save ourselves first.”

Sri Aurobindo: How?

Nirodbaran: By alliance with Russia, perhaps.

Sri Aurobindo: Then she is a fool herself. (Laughter)

Nirodbaran: Russia is following a very secret method. Behind all these rumours and denials of an ultimatum to Turkey nobody knows the truth. It may be true as in Romania’s case.

Sri Aurobindo: If Russia has demanded free passage through the Dardanelles it would be quite natural, for free passage is quite different from control, and the denial of it would be unnatural.

Nirodbaran: H has paid back seven out of nine rupees.

Sri Aurobindo: Oh, then his character must have changed.

Purani: Is Satyendra still with him?

Nirodbaran: No.

Sri Aurobindo: She refuses to be a party to his polygamous tendency and says that so long as this dancing girl is with him, she will have nothing to do with him.

Purani: He is trying to start a school there for training young people and wants to give it the name of this dancing girl.

Sri Aurobindo: Training in mutual borrowing? (Laughter)

Purani: In Bombay also he got some money from the public for such a national school. When they came to know him they feared all the money …

Sri Aurobindo: Would be nationalised? (Laughter)

Evening

Purani was discussing art with Sri Aurobindo, à propos of Laurence Binyon’s book.

Purani: Binyon has not adequately dealt with Indian art here.

Sri Aurobindo: Hasn’t he done that in a separate book?

Purani: Yes, with Mogul art. Coomaraswamy says that images were found in India even in the pre-Buddhistic period, before the Greek influence.

Sri Aurobindo: What proof is there? It may be that they have shaken off the Greek influence and taken up a new line. Greek art had Egyptian influence, so why not Indian art?

Purani: Gandhara art may be Greek.

Sri Aurobindo: No, it is mixed. No scholar claims it to be pure Greek art.

Purani: There is a rumour that Pétain may retire and Flaudin take his place. Pétain is having a disagreement with Germany.

Sri Aurobindo: Yes, first it was Laval and then Flaudin. Flaudin is pro-German and worse than Laval. But will the name of Flaudin be enough to enthuse the people?

Satyendra: The 15th of August is nearing.

Purani: Yes, Hitler said he would dictate peace terms on that date.

Satyendra: Not only that. He will go to England, he said.

Sri Aurobindo: And not come back? (Laughter) Did he say that?

Satyendra: Yes, it was on the German radio.

Sri Aurobindo: There does not seem to be any preparation for the invasion of England. But, of course, he does not do what is expected. Evidently he has no intention of going to the Balkans. Could it be Spain he has in mind? Gibraltar won’t be difficult for him to take and then he may cross over to Morocco. In that case it will be difficult for the English ships to cross the strait of Gibraltar. If thus he can break the British Empire in Africa with the help of the possessions of the French whom he will oblige to hand them over, it will be a great stroke. Unless he achieves this, I don’t see how he can invade England. No doubt, Ireland is a weak point. But the British are raising a ten-thousand-strong army.

Satyendra: That would be nothing.

Sri Aurobindo: But combined with the air force, it can prevent Hitler’s landing.