My experience of Satprem

Introduction.

Judging by outward marks and imprints of a relationship, I am certainly not qualified to testify to what and who Satprem has been this time around, nor of the action he has carried out, the role he has played or the service he has accomplished. Someone has, more than fifteen years ago already, written and published an excellent homage to Satprem, Nicole Elfi, who was near him a faithful and efficient assistant for many years (“Satprem – par un fil de lumière”, Ed. Laffont 1998). She had arrived in Auroville with the “second caravan”, right in the midst of the conflict between the Aurovilians and the Sri Aurobindo Society on the one hand and between Satprem and the Ashram authorities on the other – but those two “hands” did appear to join as one cause and most of these newcomers dived into it with no hesitation. Nicole E. was amongst those who came to serenade us in front of the Tindivanam jailhouse, songs composed for the occasion, with a sort of healthy joy and thrust towards a true liberty – which could but make one smile, the guardians included! It was also the sound of her voice, in other circumstances, which for me like a hologram conveyed her entire path: we were several of us, late afternoon, watching over the entrance to the garden of Nandanam where Sujata and Satprem had temporarily moved. Satprem’s voice reached us: “Nicole?!”… and Nicole’s immediate and vibrant response “Oui!” while she was already standing to run towards him. The sound, the quality, the thrust in this “oui” said all about her. Later I met her several times to hand over to her my letters to Satprem or to receive from her his replies; she remained always equal, whatever may have been the dominant formations at the time. She followed Satprem and Sujata with the team which would coordinate the publication of the Agenda as well as its translations.

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