Almost 100 projects funded from the 50th anniversary grant

The 50th anniversary celebrations of Auroville began many months back with high-profile events such as the Auroville Expo in New Delhi in November 2017 (AV Today, issue 341) and the Prime Minister’s visit to Auroville shortly before the 50th anniversary on 28 February 2018 (AV Today, issue 344). It might seem that the 50th anniversary is behind us, but celebrations and works connected to our anniversary are still ongoing thanks to special grants from the Government of India (GOI) for our 50th year.

In October 2017, the GOI sanctioned a special grant of Rs. 10 crores (or Rs. 100 million) for ‘capital’ projects to accelerate public works in Auroville and create more physical assets for the community. In February 2018, an additional grant of Rs. 4 crores (or Rs. 40 million) was sanctioned by the GOI for ‘general’ projects such as cultural performances, festivals, and films. These two grants are specifically for 50th anniversary projects and are separate from the regular annual grant from the GOI for Auroville.

As of August 2018, 40 projects have been funded under the capital grant and more than 50 projects under the general grant. Many projects have been concluded and many more are still in progress. Here we present a small selection of the 50th anniversary projects funded by the capital and general grants. Auroville residents can read status update reports of all the projects on Auronet.

Events and exchanges

• Journey of Auroville Festival: Began with the Auroville Expo and other events in New Delhi in November 2017.(AVToday # 341) Further editions of the festival are planned to take place in Baroda, Kolkata, and Tamil Nadu.

• The Bridge: A Collaborative Research Encounter: Held over six days in February 2018. Researchers from Auroville, India and beyond came together to explore four themes: conscious collectivity, harmony from diversity, unending education, and creative progress.

• Soul Encounters for the Auroville Soul: In this 90-minute event on 17 February 2018, more than 100 performers representing 11 performing arts disciplines dazzled a huge audience in the Matrimandir amphitheatre.

• Sangamam Festival: This festival brought together Aurovilians and people from the local villages. Around 8000 people attended the Sangamam this year, which had a special focus on the first 50 years of the Auroville Journey (AV Today, # 345).

Public works

• Sustainable Resource Centre: This building will provide a collaborative space for three organisations in Auroville – EcoService, Upcycling Studio, and WasteLess – that address waste-related challenges through recycling, art and design, and education.

• Integrated Transport Service (ITS): The ITS office-cum-workshop has been set up opposite the Solar Kitchen as a central point to encourage and integrate sustainable transport in Auroville. It is beginning with a fleet of electric scooters which are available for the Auroville community.

• Multimedia Centre: The popular Multimedia Centre has been upgraded with a new porch, sound system, air-conditioning system and new chairs.

• Bharat Nivas renovation: Many buildings in the Bharat Nivas campus were renovated before the 50th anniversary and three buildings are being re-purposed.

• Street lights: Street lights now illuminate the roads along the western and northern sides of the Matrimandir, and a separate project is underway to install street lights in clusters elsewhere.

Education

• Greening of schools in the bioregion: This project was initiated to encourage students at 55 schools in the Auroville bioregion to plant and safeguard trees for a healthier environment.

• The Great Adventure (a film): A general purpose introduction to Auroville. The film can be viewed online at: https://vimeo.com/278984507

• Auroville Seed Festival: The second Auroville Seed Festival was held in July 2018 and attracted more than 1000 visitors. The seed stalls and lectures by invited speakers were the main highlights of the festival.

• Educational nature path in Shakti Forest: This path winds in a loop of about 1.4 km along the perimeter of the forest, passing by some special trees. The path is open for visitors and guided tours can be arranged.

• Cultural performances at Bharat Nivas: A variety of exhibitions and cultural performances have been organised at Bharat Nivas, for example, the dance-drama Savitri and the exhibition Auroville, India and The Earth.

Sports

Covered stadium at New Creation: A roof is being installed over the open basketball court at New Creation so it can be used in all weathers for a variety of sports events –not just basketball but also badminton, volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics, kabaddi, etc.

Aspiration sports ground: The Aspiration sports ground is undergoing major improvements: resurfacing of the basketball court, fencing around the ground, a play area for children with special needs, etc.

Football and volleyball tournaments: Football and volleyball tournaments were organised, and they attracted several teams and hundreds of players from the Auroville bioregion.

The work of the 50th Anniversary Organisation Team

From October 2016, when the 50th Anniversary Organisation Team was formed, much of the work involved reviewing proposals from prospective project holders. Now that nearly all of the funds have been allocated, we are focusing on the progress and completion of projects: we discuss the status of ongoing projects, address queries and requests from project holders, review amounts disbursed and utilised, make site visits, and so on. Once a week, we meet as a larger group called the Monitoring Committee, which includes the Secretary and Under-Secretary of the Auroville Foundation.

Documentation is another area of our work. We request formal updates from project holders once every two months and we prepare status update reports for the Auroville Foundation and the community. We published the first status update reports of all the 50th projects on Auronet in July 2018, and we have just prepared the second version for the Governing Board meeting in September 2018.

We are full of gratitude for the creativity and dedication of the project holders to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Auroville and take us forward. In the coming months, we look forward to offering them the support they need to complete their projects.

Ravi M for the 50th Anniversary Organisation Team