Sri Mahalingam Sangukrishna

A Life Well-Lived

In the late morning of Friday, 3rd February, our dear friend and brother, Mahalingam, the oldest Aurovilian and stalwart devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, left his body in his small Fraternity abode at the age of 103, at peace to go to his home. During the week it had become clear that he was ready to go.  Affectionately looked after by his always-caring friends and neighbours, Kumar and Sumathi, and by visiting relatives and AVHS caretakers throughout the years, he peacefully slipped away.

Having lived and worked in the Ashram during the 50s, and for a time wavering back and forth between Ashram and Auroville while teaching part-time in Udavi and Arulvazhi schools in the seventies, Mahalingam joined us in 1994 for good. Born in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, and qualified in the Tamil language, he was a welcome presence in Transition school where he functioned as a Tamil teacher for 6 years, after which he concentrated on the translation into Tamil of all Collected Works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo’s Letters on Yoga, and other works. The material was published in ‘Vaigarai’ (Dawn), a well-read Tamil magazine published by the Ashram.

At the time he lived in Pitchandikulam Forest from where, always clad in dhoti, he used to take long walks over Auroville’s many roads and paths, receiving happy greetings and smiles from residents passing by. 

In his later years, Mahalingam lived in Fraternity from where he was a steady visitor and observer at New Creation’s Sports Centre during the trainings and matches there. It was in that location that Aurovilians came to honour and congratulate him on his 100th birthday on July 1st, 2019.

Mahalingam enjoyed a life well lived, as an Independence fighter during the Quit India Movement towards India’s independence, spiritual seeker, teacher, translator, writer, Ashramite, and Aurovilian. His uniquely humble presence and old-school devotion added a delicate, special quality to our communal life.

Auroville most respectfully salutes him, and will miss him dearly.

His remains were buried at the Auroville burial grounds in the afternoon of 4 February, with family members and Aurovilians attending.

OM~

== For an interview by Lourdes Epinal, see https://vaasalmagazine.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/mahalingam/

== For a short clip of Aurovilians honouring him at his 99th birthday, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APcxqOK_4XA