Nolini-Da's birthday

The 13th of January was the birthday of Nolini Kanta Gupta. He was my main boss. He passed away a few years ago. Among the disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, he was the seniormost and, according to Sri Aurobindo’s brother, Barindra, he was Sri Aurobindo’s mind-begotten son. According to Tagore, Nolini-da’s contribution to Bengali literature is unique.

Early in the morning, at eight o’clock, Nolini-da’s youngest son, Robi-da, came to our house with Indian sweets. He and I had been very good friends. He thought that by this time I would have forgotten his father’s birthday, but I said to him, “Let us meditate together for a few minutes and offer prayers to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo to bless your father’s soul. Today is his birthday.”

He gave me a broad smile. By this time, he knew that I had remembered his father’s birthday. We meditated together and then we had a very deep heart-to-heart talk.