Sri Aurobindo spent his life — through his vast writings and
through his own development — working for the freedom of India,
the path to the further evolution of life on earth, and to bring
down what he called the Supermind to enable such progress. He
referred to his teachings as the "integral yoga". Sri Aurobindo
was born Aurobindo Akroyd Ghose (pronounced and often written as
Ghosh) in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, on 15th August, 1872. His
father was Dr K. D. Ghose and his mother Swarnalata Devi. Dr
Ghose, who had lived in Britain, and had studied at Aberdeen
University, was determined that his children should have a
completely European upbringing, sent Aurobindo and his siblings
to the Loreto Convent School at Darjeeling. At the age of seven
Aurobindo was taken along with his two elder brothers, Manmohan
and Benoybhusan, to England. There, they were placed with a
clergyman and his wife, a Mr and Mrs.Drewett, at Manchester. Mr
and Mrs Drewett tutored Aurobindo privately. Mr Drewett, himself
a capable scholar,