The experience of long term volunteers

How did you end up in Auroville?

Vivekan: My father was connected with Auroville in the 1970’s - 1980’s. I grew up in France surrounded by Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s books. My mother is Tamil, so I often used to come to India as a kid. The connection has always been there. I came to do research for Aikiyam School a few years back. I didn’t think of volunteering at that time, but the desire of doing environmental work in India grew in me. A few months after, my girlfriend came for a visit and started her internship in Auroville. Soon I found WasteLess, so it was the confirmation for both of us that we wanted to stay for at least one year. 

Svenja: I came three years ago with the Weltwaerts Programme, which brings German youth to experience Auroville and work here for one year. We were a group of approximately 13 people and everything was well organised so I didn’t feel so lost when I arrived. 

Jazz: I came two and half years ago for one month the first time. I felt really touched by Sadhana Forest so I made plans to come back to volunteer. I wanted to live in a community, so I quit my job and came.

How has it been for you volunteering in Auroville in comparison with working elsewhere? 

Vivekan: It is easy to take initiatives and to start projects, and I find people to be very supportive in this respect. There are also many interesting projects going on and people running them are always in need of extra help so I find that sometimes it is hard to stay focused on one thing and not get scattered. You need to channel your energy correctly to avoid getting overwhelmed. Auroville gives me the space to explore myself through my outer work and in that sense it is like no other place where I have worked.

Svenja: I had a very difficult time at the beginning: the first six months of the project were tough and I suffered. I was living in the same school where I was working and I felt I didn’t have any privacy at all. I felt very uncomfortable. I was also writing my master’s thesis in parallel with my volunteering and I had a professional crisis. I thought I didn’t want to become a teacher anymore. I received support from my boyfriend at that time, who I met here. Then I started painting and that really changed my experience as well. So, in general, my Auroville experience has been one of evolving from a crisis to an inner growth. This is not something I’ve been experiencing in Germany. I’ve been coming and going from Germany for the past years, but the environment has not really supported me there, so I’m glad I’m here.

Jazz: This is the place where I can evolve, learn and just be who I am. In Sadhana Forest we are not working in a conventional way, we are doing Seva, which is selfless service. Seva is calling you to do something “material” but in a conscious way, integrating all different aspects of life, so you can become sustainable in all levels.

Do you feel your work is valued and supported by the community? How is your volunteer status helping or limiting you in manifesting your aspirations? 

Vivekan: This is the place where I can do my work and so far no one is making things difficult. It has been open doors for me from the beginning. In my unit I found true mentors, so when I started with them I thought “I’m not making any money, and it is not that easy to adapt to many things here, but the amount of things that I’m learning are invaluable”. In this sense it was beneficial. I do feel, though, that as a volunteer you can sometimes feel “under”, because you don’t have much say in how things work. You are not here to give ideas, you are here to give your energy and time, and I think naturally humans expect something in return. 

Svenja: I don’t have an official status of volunteer now, but when I had I received support materially. I was provided with housing, food and extra money from the programme that I was part of so the financial aspect wasn’t a problem back then. However, now that I keep coming back and thinking about staying longer this has become a big subject to address. 

Jazz: I’m getting food and room and I don’t have to worry about clothes (as we have a free store). I feel the founders of my unit are like supportive parents, I can come to them to talk about anything.  In a general perspective I do feel appreciated being a volunteer. For example, I’ve never been to any doctor before without paying. This only happened to me in the Auroville Health Centre and I found it amazing.

I also feel much more value when I don’t work for money. When I’m doing something as a volunteer and I’m not paid for it, I’m doing it because I really want to. Every day I make conscious choices and find meaning in my activities, as I’m obliged to reflect on the deeper motivations of everything I do. 

Do you feel integrated or do you feel segregated from the larger community?

Vivekan: I’ve been welcomed here and haven’t had any major problems so far. I feel quite integrated, especially through my Tamil background and by taking part in various activities around the campus. But I do think even though events and places are designed to facilitate interactions between volunteers and the rest of the community, this is not necessarily happening. I noticed, for example, that I mostly meet other volunteers and Newcomers. Maybe some Aurovilians don’t invest much time in creating friendship with volunteers because they perceive them as coming and going, and they may have their own preconceptions as well, putting volunteers in the same category as visitors or eco-tourists. However, there are some great exceptions and I was lucky to meet some of them right from the beginning. 

Svenja: I think this is a very good place to learn if you are open to do so. In that sense everybody is willing to receive and welcome you when you want to help in some project.  

Jazz: I feel at home. I don’t see any separation or lack of integration.

 How do you manage financially since you are not paid for volunteering?

Vivekan: Fortunately I never had financial problems when I was volunteering the first year. I self-managed. After I prolonged my volunteering in Auroville my unit offered me a small stipend which played a part in my decision to stay. Not only did it help to cover some of my basic expenses, but I also felt more reciprocated and part of the team this way since the exchange seemed more balanced.   

Svenja: Since my volunteer programme ended, I’ve been going back to Germany to work and save money to be able to live here. I can’t live with my savings much longer and I don’t want to go back to Germany soon so I have to figure out a way. 

Jazz: I manage by simplifying my life. I have some savings still, but I know at some point they will run out. Then I will see, but I don’t worry. I have trust: If the divine wants me to continue to do something here, it will provide. 

Can Auroville welcome volunteers in a better way? If so, how?

Vivekan: Yes, in equality of prices. I don’t know why volunteers have to pay more than Newcomers and Aurovilians for things like food. Is it because the community really needs the  money or is it just to show some difference? Because you do feel very different when you are not being paid for what you do, and then on top of that you have to pay more than those who sometimes don’t do as much as you do. 

It would also be useful  to have something like a pool of mentors for volunteers who you could meet with once in a while. 

Svenja: Perhaps free housing could be provided for a certain number of volunteers working full time, and volunteers should not have to pay the Auroville contribution. 

Jazz: If people want to come and volunteer they will do, but I can mention that as a volunteer it took me a while before I met people who had been living here for many years, so it would be really good to reinforce this interaction, maybe in the same line as the Savi Volunteer Programme.

Do you have plans to become an Aurovilian?

Vivekan: I feel it is a big decision which is not in my hands for now. I don’t need the status, for now Auroville is where I can learn and do my work best.

Svenja: I really like it here, but I’m not completely ready to choose yet. 

Jazz: Yes, it is on my mind. 

Volunteering in Auroville

Every year, hundreds of people from different countries come to volunteer in different activities in Auroville. They come to hone their skills or learn something new, and to experience the diversity, freedom and innovativeness of this unusual place. Above all, they come to learn more about themselves and what they want to do with their lives.

Auroville provides a unique opportunity for both inner and outer growth. Many volunteers are so moved by the experience that they often return for visits or become involved with Auroville associations in their home countries. Some even stay on or return to become Aurovilians.

Yet Auroville remains a challenging environment, particularly for those encountering it for the first time. Some volunteers, it is true, sail smoothly through the difficulties but others find it difficult to adjust not only to the climate but also to Auroville’s unique (dis)organization and very different culture. In fact, there is a feeling that Auroville could do more to help and support them in this challenging transition, as well as validate and embrace them for what they bring to the community. For while they have come to learn, they also make free offers of their considerable energy and idealism.

In this issue, we hear from some of them about their experiences, we learn about Savi, the Auroville organization that processes volunteer enquiries and supports them once they are here, and we reflect upon why their status remains somewhat ambiguous and what the community could do to integrate them more fully and open-heartedly.