These imagined conversations between famous historical figures, such as Akbar and Aurangzab, Chandragupta and Asoka, and Buddha, Lao-Tze and Kung-fu-tze, are in the nature of debates on the ideals espoused by each during their lifetimes. Sri Aurobindo wrote the first five in English, Sister Nivedita the second three in English, and these have been translated into Bengali by Nolini Kanta Gupta. The remaining thirteen conversations were written by Nolini Kanta Gupta.
