Animation film launch, dawnfire communion mark Sri Aurobindo birth anniversary

Sri Aurobindo's life and quest for higher consciousness is encapsulated in a new animation film, "A New Dawn", made by Mumbai-based Eeksaurus. It showcases his role in India's renaissance and his work for its freedom, as well as his Integral Yoga, synthesising all yogic traditions. Oscar-winning sound engineer Resul Pookutty, Padma Bhushan awardee Victor Banerjee, actress Deepti Naval and multi-instrumentalist Shri Sriram are among the top collaborators. The film, targeting youth, features quotes from Sri Aurobindo, calling for the "conquest of life by the power of the spirit" and inviting all to join the adventure of consciousness.

“Sri Aurobindo: A New Dawn”, a just-premiered short film that encapsulates the life of a visionary who inspired millions as nationalist, poet, philosopher and yogi, also breaks new ground in its choice of animation as story-telling format.

The animation film, which premiered for a select audience at the Alliance Francaise on Monday, and was globally launched on YouTube on Independence Day, marked one of the high points of Sri Aurobindo’s birth anniversary celebrations that took place in Auroville with prayers and the traditional dawnfire at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram which observed Darshan Day.

The film, primarily targeted at youth and in a medium they resonate with, is a project of the Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) and made by Mumbai-based animation studio Eeksaurus.

Touching upon the inflection points of Sri Aurobindo’s life and distils the essence of his quest for higher consciousness and vision for mankind in an under half-hour visual experience, the film shines a light an under-emphasised, if not completely buried, chapter of India’s reawakening when Sri Aurobindo foresaw that humankind was heading towards an evolutionary crisis and India had the key to the spiritual evolution of humankind.

It portrays Sri Aurobindo’s role in India’s renaissance and his work for its freedom as a first step towards a still greater freedom that awaits humanity. With his spiritual collaborator Mirra Alfassa, or The Mother, he forged a new path called Integral Yoga, synthesising all the yogic traditions of India and going beyond.

Among the top collaborators for the project were Resul Pookutty, Oscar awardee sound engineer, Victor Banerjee, Padma Bhushan awardee, Deepti Naval, actress and writer-director and Shri Sriram, British multi-instrumentalist while Suresh Eriyat led the team of animators at Studio Eeksaurus.

A large collective of well-wishers and institutions also lent a helping hand to the project.