Sunship

Auroville Today: Why is it called Sunship?

Ananda: We tend to associate it with the supramental ship Mother referred to in the Agenda. But I believe Pierre named it after a jazz composition.

Sunship is in close proximity to a number of other buildings in this area. How will it relate to them?

Ananda: When we first presented the concept to the architect B.V. Doshi, I mentioned to him that later the building could be linked to surrounding buildings, like Mitra Hostel and Citadines, to create a larger cluster and he responded positively to the idea.

But unlike the Media Centre and the Town Hall, the buildings in this area are not unified architecturally.

Louis: True, the buildings are completely different but we had to change certain things in the original design of Sunship to conform more to the shape of the Galaxy. Originally, the design was much more linear.

Ananda: Just before the work was to begin, we were told that the shape of our earlier concept was wrong in terms of the Galaxy, so in three days we came up with a different design. It wasn’t so difficult, it was waiting to be manifested.

It is also true that in the original concept there were more common spaces. This would have made the project more costly and made it difficult to give away apartments free.

Louis: But even with the changes, Sunship is very much what Roger wanted. He wanted the ground floor to have ‘transparency’, so that you could walk freely through the building as well common terraces – which could be linked to the one of Citadines.

How much has Sunship cost?

Louis: It comes to 14 crore rupees for 6500 square metres of constructed space. This is around Rs 20,000 rupees per built up square metre. The contribution we asked for is about Rs 50,000 per square metre, but this includes a lot of common spaces: a dining hall, office, laundry etc.

Is the Sunship experiment similar to that of Citadines?

Louis: It is exactly the same spirit. Firstly, we have been able to give around 50% of the apartments free to those who are working for Auroville. Secondly, the intention is that residents do not have to waste their time on daily maintenance issues. The apartments come furnished, and there is a collective kitchen, laundry etc., so they can really concentrate on their inner work as well as their outer work for Auroville. We also have the same guidelines as for Citadines: no pets, no personal servants, no air conditioning etc.

Ananda: However, I see a difference. With Sunship we wanted to create different kinds of spaces. We saw the rooms as intimate, sacred spaces to which individuals could retire to unite with what is most precious in themselves. We wanted to keep the spaces outside the rooms quiet yet allow the possibility for exchanges with other seekers, while the spaces on the ground floor are for more general social interactions. Sunship is not suited to everyone. It is really meant for those who want to live a more introverted life.

How will the residents be chosen?

Louis: For the people who are giving a financial contribution, there is no selection. We only select the residents of the pro bono apartments. A small core group did this, as is the case in Citadines.

How do you avoid the danger of simply choosing people who think the same way?

Louis: We select because we want a certain quality of person. But it is also important to have diversity, to have a mix of young and older people, for example. In Citadines, the people chosen did not have to conform to a specific outlook or be part of ‘Roger’s group’. They were people who appreciated, among other things, being close to Matrimandir and who were interested in participating in an experiment in fraternal spirituality.

In Sunship it will be the same. The only difference is that a higher proportion of the Sunship residents are making financial contributions and have not been selected, but all of them have signed an agreement to abide by the guidelines.

Are you worried that this could dilute the social experiment in some way?

Ananda: Of course, but this is part of the compromises we have had to make. The original idea was not to ask anybody to contribute because the apartments belong to Auroville and we did not want to encourage a sense of ownership. Unfortunately, we could not manage that fully as we could not raise enough money for the entire project, but we still retain the vision and hope that in the future this will be possible.

Louis: There is a group that will look after the management of the place and who will try to preserve a certain atmosphere. This is very important.

In this context, Sunship is very close to a Mitra, a students hostel, and Inspiration, a housing complex funded by the Government of India. The residents of these buildings have not signed up to similar guidelines. Does this represent a challenge to preserving a certain atmosphere in Sunship?

Louis: In Citadines sometimes we have experienced some noise from the students hostel, but, personally, I haven’t been bothered by this. In any case, the students are due to move out and then the building will be for Newcomers and Aurovilians.

Ananda: In the city it should be possible to have a variety of habitats, places where people can make more noise and quieter zones. I don’t think the variety of social situations in the Habitat area will be a problem.

The architecture of Citadines is fairly conventional, while Sunship is a much more striking building and there is a touch of beauty everywhere you look. Is the outer form intended to encourage inner transformation?

Ananda: There is no doubt that the surroundings have a tremendous influence on the atmosphere of a place. Certain buildings clearly have an influence upon the inner being. In fact, all buildings have some kind of influence because a building is like an instrument, a living entity, and the force that creates it lives in it and can be felt by those who use it.

Golconde in Pondicherry was definitely an influence upon Sunship because there a certain atmosphere has been created, a serene space of beauty where every screw is perfection. We cannot compare the perfection of Golconde, which was built by devoted sadhakas, with Sunship because here we had to make some compromises, but it was certainly an inspiration.

Louis: Nevertheless, we have tried in many ways to create beauty in this building because I believe that beauty brings transformation: a place like this will help you to transform yourself.

For me, building the city goes along with the building of the inner being: when Mother asked us to build the city, she gave us a tool for transformation.

Do you believe that architecture in Auroville has become too functional, that it has rather lost the emphasis upon beauty?

Ananda: I think beauty has come to be perceived as an unwelcome luxury. But to be satisfied with the cheap and mediocre is a betrayal because beauty is matter’s birthright. Mother told us, “Let nothing come out of your hands which is not an expression of beauty and the Divine help will always be with you.”

As to the design of the city as a whole, I think we need to respect the original concept. The Galaxy is the only reality of Auroville. Mother has chosen one person to design the city and Mother has said ‘yes’ to his design, so I would say it is normal to respect Her vision. All our concerns about functionality, practicality etc are 20 levels below this. Of course, certain aspects can evolve, but the main lines of the Galaxy have to be there.

What is your next project?

Louis: For me the next stage in building the city is to start the Line of Force, which will house 2000 people in the first phase. If you see what we have done in Citadines and Sunship, you can begin to visualise what the Line of Force could look like. The common thread is encouraging collective living while keeping in mind the needs of the individual.

But the Line of Force is a big project for which we will need big money.

Ananda: But why should the cost matter? Look at Golconde. Mother did not consider the cost; she wanted something of perfection, of beauty. In our constructions in Auroville we should be striving only for beauty and harmony, for excellence. Of course, we should eliminate unnecessary things that increase the cost, but we should not cut corners because we should worship beauty: it is the body of the Divine.

At present money is a factor, we cannot ignore this, but I think the more we seek it, the less it will come. There is no lack of money, there is plenty of it, it is just for the moment in the wrong place. Lack of money is never the cause; it is a consequence of our not being ready to use it properly. We should have confidence that if we are working for the Dream, the money will come.

What have you learned over the 2 ½ years you have been engaged in this project?

Ananda: I’ve met so many beautiful people who I never talked to before and who have widened my scope and understanding. And, of course, it is an immense joy to work on a project like this.

Louis: It has been a very rich experience. Fifty Aurovilians are working here and all these relationships, the intense daily interactions, have helped me transform myself. Work wise, it was a little bit stressful for me at times as I had to look after so many different aspects, but I always felt I was an instrument.

Ananda: He has been the locomotive of this project.

Louis: I may have been the locomotive but the engine was Mother. It was all done by Her.