In 1949, an opportunity arose for André to visit India and meet his mother after a gap of thirty-three years. “It was his first opportunity to arrange a business trip,” informs Janine, who also adds that before 1945, there were “no planes and vacations. It took at least three weeks to reach Colombo by ship. Such a long absence from work was out of question at that time.” And in that year only, André’s younger daughter Francoise alias Pournaprema got married. Champaklal noted in his diary on 12 August 1949: “Mother informed Sri Aurobindo while leaving his room: ‘My granddaughter is going to marry.’ ”
On 4 November the Mother informed Sri Aurobindo: “André is coming today from France. They want to arrange things in such a way that he can meet me as soon as he comes from Madras without waiting. I do not know where to see him; there is no place where I could see him alone. Generally, I arrange these things in Mona’s office at Golconde. I think I will see him there.
It is many years since we last met. Perhaps if we met on the road without being introduced to each other I would not know him, and he too would not recognise me. For many years have passed—he was eighteen when I left—and in all these years hardly twenty letters have been written. He reads your books and understands them too. He had sent his wife’s photo; she resembles me. André had also written to me that he resembles me very much. That is true.” ... more »