8000 people attend Auroville Sangamam

Sangamam in Tamil means ‘confluence’ or ‘a group of people coming together’ and this was very much the spirit of this year’s gathering on the 4th of March that brought together around 8000 people from Auroville, its beautiful bioregion, and many friends and guests from around the world.

In fact, this Sangamam was the largest event of Auroville’s 50th birthday celebrations. It was held in honour of all those who have come together over the last 50 years in Auroville to transform this landscape in a true spirit of human unity. These include many local as well as foreign pioneers.

The festival was inaugurated at 9:00 am with an invocation and lighting of the lamp, called the “kuthu vilakku”, by the chief guest, the Auroville Foundation Secretary, Thiru. Mohan Verghese Chunkath I.A.S (retd.) and by Thiru. P.R. Srinivasmurty. On the stage were many Aurovilian pioneers who came to share their experiences, taking us on a journey down memory lane. The special guests who had been invited to open the event included senior Aurovilians such as Meenakshi, Vardharajan, Shyamala, Andre, Thirumathi, Frederick, Aster, Thillai and Amudha. When these elders spoke, it helped inspire the crowd and many young aspirants to work in service of a greater purpose. Afterwards the elders planted a sapling together, a remarkable gesture in memory of the millions of trees that had been planted over the last 50 years.

The celebration included many different activities, including stage performances, exhibitions about Auroville and unending education (highlighting present educational activities in the neighbourhood), kolam art, music, the mass participation of women and games. Many youth groups had prepared impressive costumes and there were performances of theatre, dance, song, jazz and yoga. The performers came from the Auroville community, the bioregion as well as from elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, and the whole event was an intercultural programme which included offerings from both East and West.

This Sangamam was organized to share information about Auroville and the educational activities that unite this region as many felt that communicating the Auroville dream was crucial to its manifestation. Therefore, one of the highlights was an exhibition on Auroville’s ideals, development, and projects. This exhibition was one of the first Auroville exhibitions to be fully translated into Tamil, making the information accessible to many more people.

The festival also included many informative stalls, such as those of the Auroville Institute of Applied Technology, Eco-femme and Terrasoul. Many other Auroville activities shared their handicraft products and gave information about their work.

The theme of ‘unending education’ was highlighted through speakers like Lourdes from Pitchandikulam on watershed management, Suryagandhi on hygiene care, Bala, Poovizhi and Sanjeev from the STEMland team on education, Shankar on outreach education, Srinivasan on his association with Auroville, Arul and Kavitha from YouthLink on initiatives for young adults, Moris from AVAG on social work, Kalvi from Eco-Femme on sustainable menstruation, and Tom on water. Each presenter briefly described their activities in the language of their choice, at times assisted with translations into Tamil or English for the benefit of the mixed audience.

The programme also provided space for lively discussions between elders and youth about the early days, recent achievements, and future dreams for the Auroville bioregion.

Around midday, everyone gathered to share a meal together, which is a big part of Tamil culture. Aurovilians and units had helped cover the costs to provide a free meal for all workers, Aurovilians, friends, and guests gathered at the venue.

The event was held in a wonderful spirit of goodwill, leading many of the several thousand people who visited the event to express their wish that such Sangamams would happen more regularly. In highlighting the courage and perseverance that it took to build Auroville, it created both a sense of humility and an aspiration in all those who want to take this dream forward.