He developed a spiritual practice called Internal Yoga. One of his close spiritual collaborator, Mirra Alfassa, founded an ashram in his name in Pondicherry. His greatest literary achievement is an epic poem titled Savitri based upon the theology from the Mahabharata. Which of the following Indian revolutionary nationalist is being referred to here?

Solution

● Option A is incorrect: Jatindra Nath Das, also known as Jatin Das, was a revolutionary and Independence activist. He joined the Anushilan Samiti, a revolutionary group in Bengal, and also participated in Mahatma Gandhi's NonCooperation movement in 1921, at the tender age of just 17. Revolutionaries in other parts of India contacted him and he agreed to participate in bomb-making for Bhagat Singh and comrades. He was imprisoned in Lahore jail along with Bhagat Singh and others to be tried under the supplementary Lahore Conspiracy Case. In the Lahore jail, Das began a hunger strike along with other revolutionary fighters on June 15, 1929, demanding equality for Indian political prisoners with those from Europe. He passed away in prison following a 63-days hunger strike. ● Option B is incorrect: Rash Behari Bose was one of the key organizers of Ghadar revolution and also played a crucial role in organizing the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj). He attempted to assassinate Lord Hardinge by throwing a bomb at his parade in Delhi in 1912. He escaped from India in 1915 and lived in Japan as an escapee. In 1943, he handed over the charge of Azad Hind Fauj to Subhas Chandra Bose. The Japanese government had honored him with the 'Order of the Rising Sun'. ● Option C is incorrect: Vasudev Balwant Phadke organized the Ramosi Peasant Force in 1879 which was the first of the revolutionary activities in Maharashtra. It aimed to rid the country of the British by instigating an armed revolt by disrupting communication lines. It hoped to raise funds for its activities through dacoities but was suppressed prematurely. ● Option D is correct: At Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo developed a spiritual practice he called Integral Yoga. The central theme of his vision was the evolution of human life into a divine life in the divine body. He believed in a spiritual realization that not only liberated but transformed human nature, enabling a divine life on earth. Mirra Alfassa was a French national, born in Paris on 21 February 1878. Sri Aurobindo considered her his spiritual equal and collaborator. In 1926, Mirra Alfassa founded Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Savitri, an epic spiritual poem in blank verse of approximately 24,000 lines, became Sri Aurobindo’s greatest literary achievement.