Sri Aurobindo

Bande Mataram

Calcutta, July 5^th, 1907

Part Four. Bande Mataram under the Editorship of of Sri Aurobindo (28 May – 22 December 1907)

Try Again

The announcement “authoritatively” made by the Hindu Patriot that the Ranchi College modified scheme has been finally sanctioned by the Government of India, reminds us of how the example of a spider succeeding on the seventh attempt to fix its web in the proper place resuscitated the drooping ambition of Robert the Bruce. In the present case too the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal has, through sheer perseverance, succeeded in making the Government of India accept his proposal and thus relieve the revenues of Bengal of an unnecessary superfluity. The policy of the Government seems to have undergone a sea-change. Even Sir Alexander Mackenzie protested against the Government of India appropriating the surpluses. Referring to the Quinquennial Contract he said, “The provincial sheep is thrown on its back and shorn of its wool, and then left to shiver in the cold till its fleece grows again.” And here the triumph of tenacity indicates the adoption of a policy which advocates spending – profitably or unprofitably – of surpluses, so as to give the Government renewed opportunities to tax the people and thus cripple their resources further. We ourselves have no interest in these things; and if we cannot feel “glad” like the Hindu Patriot, we cannot also feel indignant like the Bengalee or sorry like the Patrika. The education that the Government imparts is bad in quality and worse in spirit; it is ruinous to the intellect, the physique and the morale of the race and the money spent on it is worse than wasted. But then over such misuse of their money the people have no control, and till they secure such control, it is useless to protest from the Press or the platform. The root of the evil lies deeper and to remove it we must go to the root. Mere lopping of branches will not do.

This work was not included in SABCL, vol.1 and it was not compared with other editions.