Why in news? Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of noted Bengali scholar, poet, nationalist and spiritual guru Aurobindo Ghosh .

Highlights

• It is held at Kamban Kalai Sangam in Puducherry as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
• Event is also marked with release a commemorative coin as well as a postal stamp in honor of Aurobindo

About Aurobindo Ghosh

• He was an Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist.
• One of its influential extremist leaders, and then became a spiritual reformer, introducing his visions on human progress and spiritual evolution.
• Brothers: Manmohan Ghose and Barindra Kumar Ghose
• Worked : Under Maharaja of the Princely state of Baroda
• Held nascent revolutionary movement in Bengal with the Anushilan Samiti.
• Faced charges of treason for Alipore Conspiracy.
• Aurobindo developed a spiritual practice called Integral Yoga at Puducherry
• Literary works : The Life Divine, Synthesis of Yoga, and Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, an epic poem.
• Founder of Sri Aurobindo Ashram
• Philosophy: Integral yoga Evolutionism, Intermediate zone, Supermind

Sisir Kumar Maitra, who was a leading exponent of Sri Aurobindo’s Philosophy