In 1967, with the blessings of the divine Mother, an organization named Sri Aurobindo Sanskriti Sansad came into being in Bhubaneswar with a view to spreading the educational and philosophical ideals of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in society.
As the individual achievement of divine realism is not enough and is not the object sought after, the collective realization is greatly emphasized in Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga. The Mother puts it so precisely, succinctly: Sri Aurobindo’s work is a unique earth transformation, hence the need of reaching out to the mass and making them aware of the luminous future awaiting humankind. Sri Aurobindo Sanskriti Sansad therefore, organized study circles, seminars, and state-level conferences enlightening people from time to time to make them prepare for a higher and better life.
In 1970, as soon as the new organization comprising of several devotee members was registered it resolved to set up a new experimental school based on the educational philosophy of the Master and The Mother. Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education at Puducherry was no doubt its sole source of inspiration. Such was the impact of the integral education on them that some of them even got their children admitted into the ashram school. But this was not possible for all of them. So, they aspired for starting an integral school in the land of Odisha. Thus, a collective prayer in this regard was sent to the divine Mother seeking her ‘gracious guidance and benevolent blessings’. The mother granted the prayer and wrote blessings on a card and put her signature under it. She also gave a motivating message as the grand goal of the new school going to be founded soon.
“Make matter ready to manifest the Spirit”
Now arrangements and preparations were made zealously for the historical event to take place. The first two teachers Smt. Preeti Manjari Pattnaik and Sushree Bijaylakshmi Pattnaik were selected to visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Center of Education at Puducherry to have some basic or preliminary ideas about and partial acquaintance with the integral education system. The photographs of the newly admitted students were sent to the Mother who blessed them all with her infinite compassion.
The great day dawned at last. On 15th July 1970, beneath the cloud-clad sky, in the premises of Sardar Patel Hall in Unit – II, Bhubaneswar, the blessed Institute of Integral Education. Later renamed as Sri Aurobindo Institute of Integral Education, was inaugurated by Sri Udar Pinto, a senior sadhak of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, in the presence of Sri Prapati, another Ashramite and an eminent Odia Sadhak, the then Chief Minister Mrs. Nandini Satapathy, Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab, Dr. Raghunath Pani and other distinguished persons. Thus, as it were the first seed of Integral Education was sown in the sacred soil of Odisha by Providence, which was soon to be followed by several others.
For a long span of 23 years, the institute ran on Sardar Patel Hall campus and was eventually shifted to its present premises at Matruvihar, Khandagiri in 1993.