One Community – One Family

The OM choir, a choir from The Learning Community, a team from Future School, a children’s choir from Deepam, the Auroville Children’s Choir, many adults groups and some individuals sang for their friends and family and for the community. “Auroville is one community, one family,” said Minsoen, who directed the festival. “Do you remember when your family sang for you at your birthday party, or when you sang your favourite song along on the radio, or when on a picnic with friends you sang together? You remember that inner joy? This festival is meant to bring that out again, not only for your small group of friends and family, but for your ‘family’ in the extended sense of all Aurovilians together.”

This was Auroville’s second Singing Festival. The main difference from the 2013 festival is that then Aurovilians were grouped by nationality and sang songs from their own culture. This year saw the spontaneous grouping of Aurovilians from different nationalities singing the songs they liked, without concern for the songs’ national origins. “I was very happy to see so many people from different nationalities coming together to sing in each other’s languages,” says Minsoen. “It brought out Auroville’s very colourful culture.” Another difference was the participation of so many children and young people. “Perhaps the most touching moment was the performance of the differently-abled children from Deepam school who worked for over six months to prepare for the event,” says Minsoen.

For Minsoen, the purpose of the festival is not the singing. “The purpose is the process. For a period of more than two months people have come together to select their songs and rehearse. This not only builds friendships and helps create community, but also, for many, is a journey to self-discovery.” Ananda, who organized the practical aspects of the event adds, “Minsoen’s concept brought an interchange of cultures and brought a wide diversity of people to work together. In fact, it brought us all together – not only the singers, but also the many people who helped organize the event and were responsible for sound, lighting and decoration.” Even the audience lost its usual aloofness and enthusiastically participated in singing Do it Now, the song which is part of the global movement ‘Sing for the Climate’.

It began in Belgium in 2012 with over 80,000 Belgians in 180 towns singing Do it Now. Later, 725 schools, with over 300,000 students participated. Do it Now carries a simple yet powerful message. It originally asked politicians in Belgium and at the Climate summit in Doha, all those who have the power to change policy, to take a stand against global warming, to make laws and rules in favour of our environment and to protect our planet from climate change. After a flash-mob on one of the squares in Doha, the Belgian makers were invited to show an audiovisual of 400,000 people singing together for the climate at the last session of the summit. Since then, the song has crossed borders, with people all over the world joining in this movement. Says Jo, who brought the song to Auroville, “I am every time amazed by the energy this song brings – it seems to have a soul of its own and keeps on mobilizing people.”

More info at: www.singfortheclimate.com