She was also trying to get the school affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi. From 1984, Joya di was running from pillar to post to secure a No-Objection Certificate from the West Bengal Government which was difficult to obtain. Every year a new cottage was added to accommodate the growing number of students. Thatched huts amidst bamboo groves with uneven slabs of stepping stones to reach the classrooms was the outcome of her ethnic look. She modelled the school in the style of the "Gurukul" of ancient times. A true lover of nature, Joya di would do nothing that would spoil the idyllic, sylvan surroundings. As the number of students increased, the need for a proper accommodation was felt. Years of sincere, single-minded and hard work bore positive results. In 1979, Joya di took over and the number of students then was twenty. Since my childhood I had heard of heaven - now I had seen with my own eyes the Divine's kingdom on earth. I felt as if I had only brought my material frame and the rest was left back there, at the Divine Mother's feet. It rent my heart to leave Pondicherry and come away.
A combined offering would bring integral fulfilment - thus She gave me fulfilment - She put me on the path to Integral Yoga. The five petals represent five qualities necessary for Psychological Perfection: aspiration, devotion, faith, sincerity and surrender. Ma gave me a white flower - later I learnt the spiritual significance given by Her to the flower was 'Psychological Perfection'. Life now seemed meaningful only if it revolved around Her. Thursday was a 'Blessings Day' - I could not return from here without taking the Divine Mother's blessings. The days thus passed in blissful enchantment. 'Au revoir' - a french phrase reached my ears (I did not understand it then). The Mother's burning gaze seemed to rend asunder my inner self and penetrate deep within. It was an indescribable experience to receive ground-nuts from Her own hands at the 'Playground Distribution'. My entire being was seized by a strange irresistible attraction. I followed The Mother around through the day from the Tennis Ground to the Playground, in an intoxicated state. I saw Her again for a few brief moments at the Balcony Darshan.
There was a constant restless, urge for the next Darshan.
But to see Her just once was not enough - the heart kept yearning for more. It mattered not if one knew nothing of Her - to have Her Darshan was All. At dawn, my eyes drank in a vision: a being of light, a solar deity, a human form so slender and delicate as if made of light - I gazed at her mesmerized. And we found ourselves comfortably ensconced in the second floor of the house where Dilip Kumar Roy had stayed. It appeared to me an amazing act of grace: The Mother accepted our request.
That is when we learnt about writing a letter to The Mother seeking Her permission for the stay. After reaching Pondicherry, we had kept our luggage in a hotel in the Bazaar and gone to the Ashram in search of accommodation. As our visit was not planned, we had not made the request in advance. In those days, The Mother's permission was necessary to stay at the Ashram Guest Houses. At that time I knew nothing of Mother-Sri Aurobindo or the Ashram. We had reached Pondicherry on the last leg of a trip to South India. That unforgettable day in 1953 - my first 'Darshan' of The Mother.