Sri Aurobindo's vast potential as a world figure, intellectual and visionary has not been sufficiently appreciated: Prof Sachidananda Mohanty

Chandigarh, October 18, 2024: University Grants Commission (UGC) Member and Sri Aurobindo Chair at Panjab University Professor Sachidananda Mohanty, today said that Sri Aurobindo's vast potential as a world figure, intellectual and visionary has not been sufficiently appreciated. He is generally perceived in a stereotypical manner as a Yogi, patriot, poet, and a mystic. 

Talking to media person after concluding his twelve lecture series in PU, as the Chair Professor of Sri Aurbindo, Prof. Mohanty said that he was more focused on two aspects of Sri Aurobindo- one, his ability to integrate diverse aspects of life, and the second one is to create harmony among the aspects, which are generally divisive and polarised. During the series, Prof. Mohanty addressed lectures at Department of Philosophy, Political Science, English and Cultural Studies, Education, History, Sociology, School of Communication Studies, Department of UGC-Malviya Mission Teacher Training Centre and Centre for Human Rights & Duties. 

Prof. Mohanty informed that  Sri Aurobindo was interested in the present and the past, he was interested in major disciplines of the world, ranging from DH Lawrence to the Discovery of Red Sea Port and education. 

Prof. Mohanty said Sri Aurobindo is relevant for inter-disciplinarity and multi disciplinarity. Our New Education Policy is also talking about the same. Sri Aurobindo was a big champion and supporter of multi disciplinarity. He was not only a Yogi but a very outstanding intellectual, who was nominated for the noble prize of literature, he added. 

Explaining about his lectures, Prof. Mohanty said that I was not giving independent lectures at PU but I was giving lectures which I really relate to the basic approach of Sri Aurobindo. His basic approach was to unify and to create harmony. Today, the world lacks harmony and unity. Sri Aurobindo is providing answers to many problems. What I have tried to do, use those powerful insights to understand the problems of society, culture and polity, which are manifested in the different subjects I have chosen, he further added.