with Sri Ganesh

was still a very young girl; she had fought for the freedom of her country; she had marched with Gandhi and Vinobha Bhave; she had raised her two sons single-handedly; she had left it all for the Mother and joined Auroville, and served it as best she could, widening and deepening her understanding of things as time went. When the pressures intensified against us at Matrimandir, she volunteered to go up to Delhi and meet the then Minister of Human Resources and speak her mind, and she did, besides writing up a number of open letters of protest at the unethical doings she saw taking place. But nothing worked and, in October 2003, the members of our team and especially both Arjun and I were officially dismissed and replaced by a another appointed team more amenable to the dictates of the so- called Chief Architect and permanent member of the Governing Board, Roger Anger, helped and supported by the then Chairman, Kireet Joshi. To find us expelled from what had been our works and our lives for many years, 30 years exactly for me, saddened her further. Kusum was born on 10-05-1926; she could have been a mother to each of us. But she always positioned herself rather as a sister, an elder sister perhaps, and a team-mate; she had a great sense of solidarity, and was truly humble in her approach; yet she emanated a natural authority as well, and her strong voice and deep laughter would be invigorating. She developed a unique relationship with each of us, and was caring and attentive. It was as if she had been starved of sharing, of participating in a meaningful commitment as a team, of a deep and unconditional mutual and flowing affection. But there was no mistaking the fact that she had somehow elected me to be the closest. (Here is an example of her expression, just as she wrote it: one of her letters to me, written when I had to be away for some days. MAA 7 th April 002 Divakar, “Jabse shyam sithare tadap tadap gee jay” Do you find out the meaning of these words which I am listening on CD which you brought singer Pandit Jeetendra Abhisheki? He is singing my heart feeling, Good singer. Yesterday you came before you leave for France, for few days, but for me…!!! I have no courage to come up to motor-bike but I was in our

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