Aurobindo Ghose Biography

Freedom fighter, poet, scholar and philosopher, Aurobindo Ghose was born on August 15, 1872 in Kolkata, West Bengal. He belonged to an illustrious lineage. His maternal grandfather was a name to reckon with in Bengali literature and was an important figure in the nationalist movement.
He went abroad early on in life when at the age of seven in 1879, he was sent to England along with his brothers. After completing his schooling from London, in 1890, he entered the hallowed portals of Cambridge. He passed the Indian Civil Service Examination in 1890, but he could not pass a test in horsemanship and hence could not enter service.

After returning to India in 1893, he became the Vice-principal of the State college in Baroda. During this period he studied Sanskrit, Bengali literature, Philosophy and Political Science. He plunged into the national movement in 1906 in the wake of partition of Bengal. He edited the English daily Bande Mataram and wrote articles criticizing the British government.

Aurobindo was a undertrail prisoner in the Alipore Bomb Case and was lodged in solitary confinement in the Alipore Central Jail. During this period, he studied the Bhagavad Gita and other religious texts and developed an interest in yoga and meditation. After his release he moved to Pondicherry in 1910 and set up an Ashram. In 1914, he started Arya, a 64 page monthly review, wherein he wrote about different aspects of religion and life. This great personality passed away on December 5, 1950 in Pondicherry.