The ‘Aspiration’ programme: welcoming Newcomers to Auroville

Joining Auroville has always implied going through an entry process. At the beginning, when the Mother was physically present, a three-member committee (namely Shyamsundar, Roger and Navajata) acted as “filters”. Then the photo of the applicant was presented to the Mother, who would give the final decision.

Over the years, while the criteria for admission have remained fundamentally the same, the entry process has changed. The Aurovilians had to take up the responsibility of admission, which now includes a probationary period during which the Newcomers and the community got to know each other.

When Mother launched the project, the force of her presence influenced the lives of Newcomers, even if she never came physically, and the spiritual aspiration for the ideal was more influential in day-to-day life. Today, it is less easy for Newcomers to get in touch with what Auroville truly is.

Auroville has become more complex. Consequently, new people entering today sometimes get stuck on one single aspect of Auroville without understanding the bigger picture because they don’t mix with people beyond their immediate circle.

It was this awareness that led some residents to draw up a ‘welcome programme’ for Newcomers. It was felt that such a programme could substantially hasten and deepen the integration process.

Shivaya, Sonja and some other friends created the first welcome programme in the mid-nineties. After a successful series of one-week programmes designed initially for guests to inspire them to join Auroville, the idea came to organize a similar programme for Newcomers from different backgrounds to foster social networking, and to share the inspiration and enthusiasm of co-creating Auroville.

This programme stopped after four years as the people who organized it moved on to other jobs. It also ceased because several Entry Groups felt that these kinds of programmes were not in line with the “Spirit of Auroville”. They believed that just as the first Aurovilians (the pioneers) had had to find their own way, so Newcomers should not be “spoon-fed”.

In 2009, a small group reviewing the Entry Process recommended in a General Meeting that the Newcomer programme be revived. While some people felt that such a programme was unnecessary as all the relevant information was on the Internet, others argued that Newcomers needed more than ‘impersonal’ information. The Auroville collective experience thrives on thousands of human contacts every day and it was felt that the programme, among other things, should foster this important aspect in life. The meeting approved this approach and a new orientation programme for Newcomers was created which continues, with modifications, till today.

While the programme is voluntary rather than mandatory, it is “highly recommended” by the Entry Service. In fact, even those participants who were initially reluctant to attend because they had already been connected with Auroville for some time, were afterwards very grateful to have attended, for they discovered many new things and made many new connections with people. Most of all, the programme made them feel welcome and “at home”.

The programme

The aims of the programme are to help participants develop meaningful relations with each other and all the Aurovilians participating in the programme; to help participants better understand how they can integrate into Auroville’s life; and to understand its multifaceted reality, its evolution, and its explicit and implicit organisation. It is also designed to help the participants deepen their understanding of the goal of Auroville, its founding principles and how they translate or not into day-to-day life; and, finally, to create a space where participants can experience diversity and unity according to their own openness and commitment.

The programme runs for six and a half days, during which everybody travels by bike from venue to venue. The first morning is dedicated to forming a living collective where each person feels secure and begins to appreciate the others. Then they go to hear about the history from early pioneers, including the special energy that allowed them to put up with extreme discomforts and simple living, and the basic work of land rejuvenation which was like a taming of the terrain.

There are field visits to Auroville farms and forests, where Newcomers learn about soil and water conservation and the challenges of organic farming. Commercial units are also visited, where Newcomers learn about how doing business in Auroville differs from what happens outside.

There is a presentation on the ‘invisible aspects’ of the Matrimandir, an Awareness Through the Body'' session, and there are, of course, presentations on the Auroville economy, health, housing, town planning and Tamil culture. One of the facilitators introduces the organization of Auroville and how decisions are made (or not made).

Crucially, there is also a session on Sri Aurobindo and one on “the Spirit of Auroville”, which the facilitators present interactively on the last day in the closing session when every Newcomer shares his experience.

Since its inception in 2009, this programme has proved very popular. What makes it so appreciated?

One reason is that the organizing team is at ease with each other. Each member feels free to offer his or her uniqueness, through sharing his/her vision, ideas, or simply their role. This diversity encourages the expression of a corresponding diversity in the participants. It creates a ‘safe container’ where a two-way process of discovery rather than a one-way process of imparting information can happen.

“Being part of this team as a relatively new Aurovilian”, says Jo, “has been an interesting and enriching experience because I have seen the programme grow and mature. I believe this happens because the members of the team are engaged in constant self-evaluation and consequent adaptation.”

In fact, the team enjoys being a creative channel of energy. They have learned to relax and play among themselves, and this playfulness is contagious.

Another reason why the programme is a success is the passion and faith of those Aurovilians who present an aspect of Auroville and share their deepest dreams; the participants acknowledge how precious this contact is. At the same time, one can see how these Aurovilians appreciate the contact with the Newcomers, and how sweetly they encourage them to dedicate themselves to this ideal.

One of the extraordinary things that regularly happens is that the values of Auroville get reinforced and deepened as one speaker succeeds another, almost as if each speaker knows the piece they need to bring to complete the whole.

A third reason for the success of these workshops is the participants themselves: so many unique human beings! People have come from all over the world (including the “far off villages” nearby!) on their individual journeys, stumbling, aspiring, and yet often so simple and genuine in their openness toward Auroville and its Spirit.

But there is one more reason and this is an invariable happening: a feeling of fulfillment and unspeakable gratitude coming out of a palpable sense of unity in diversity.