A talk with Michel Danino
On Thursday 23rd, the Auroville Library hosted Michel Danino for the reading and presentation of his anthology “Sri Aurobindo and India’s rebirth” followed by a discussion with Aurovilians.
Sri Aurobindo—poet, revolutionary, littérateur, philosopher, seer, yogi—kept India at the core of his preoccupation from his teenage years in England to his passing in Pondicherry in 1950. Through political articles and speeches, essays, talks with and letters to disciples, and public messages, he conveyed his vision of India—her freedom, her unique problems, and the lines of development she ought to follow if she were to overcome the deep-rooted obstacles standing in the way of her rebirth.
Whether he was commenting on India’s cultural foundations, a design for national education, Hindu–Muslim coexistence, non-violence as a national policy, the severe limitations of the democratic system, or the world situation, Sri Aurobindo’s unvarnished observations and penetrating insights were always challenging as well as invigorating, making it appear as though he were addressing those who today ponder India’s destiny.
Micheal Danino, Indian of French origin, has written multiple books such as “The invasion that never was”, “The lost river: on the trail of the Saraswati”, “India’s culture and India’s future”. He is a member of the International Advisory Council of Auroville and a guest professor at IIT – Gandhinagar. He has been a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research and in 2017 he was conferred the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honor, for his contribution towards literature and education.