Auroville Children – Generation 2.0

Upbringing

Growing up in Auroville in the 1970s certainly wasn’t an easy feat. Life was tough, be it with regard to the weather, the environment, the food or the job at hand. As Jaya put it: “For the first generation, Mother said that it was hard for these new beings, but that their coming was very necessary. Some of them feel that many of the parents back then were too busy ‘adulting’ (i.e. planting trees, building houses and/or the Matrimandir, creating communities, setting up units and systems to manage various aspects of this city being born) and forgot to balance that aspect out with ‘parenting’, leaving the first generation to grow up with what is now descried as “without discipline, clear limits and structure”. As Lisbeth fondly remembered: “The children were very tribal and could move quite unimpeded through Auroville: they knew where all the fruits and wild berries could be found, the open wells for swimming, learning Tamil quite naturally; life was very simple. Moving around barefoot, they were happy little troopers and quite independent already.”

Though as a kid it’s great to be free and have no limits, they discovered that this excess of freedom could actually be damaging in the long run, as they were not given the same opportunities as youth elsewhere to develop a grounded sense of self-worth. One of those former ‘kids’, Grace, pointed out: “Whilst growing up there was no stable system of education. We were experimented on, books were burnt, schools were shut, and an anarchist movement swept through Auroville, destabilising whatever small foothold had been established.” Thus, maybe the first thing that was enhanced in the upbringing of the children of this first generation of children, something they felt was lacking in their own childhood, was structure and stability, favouring long-term over short-term thinking. Grace, like many others, felt it was important to “create healthier boundaries that could support our youth to unfold more safely, with more confidence and joy.”

Along these lines, emphasis was put on this youth gaining “a concrete sense of themselves as individuals, with the responsibilities and consequences that come with that”, as Krishna and Island narrated about their daughter. For this first generation of children of Auroville, it was vital to not force things upon their children (unless for safety) and, as Kripa said, to be aware of not putting their own fears into their children’s subconscious. Qualities that are emphasised are respect, honesty and awareness, coupled with non-violence and communication skills. As Jitta put it: “It’s your life, what you do is for you. When you ‘mess up’, be compassionate with yourself: it’s ok, it’s part of life. Just take ownership for your (re)actions and use it to grow. Be the leader of your own life and try to see things from other points of view.” Grace also felt that it is important to “give them a sense of belonging to Earth as Earthlings, not to a specific nationality or culture in Auroville.”

Another important aspect revolved around education: access to information, knowledge and learning opportunities is at the forefront of this second generation’s upbringing. 

Parents of this new generation are intent on providing support so that they can appreciate whatever form of education is made available to them, like Luk who decided to help create the Centre for Further Learning in Auroville so that others would not have to struggle with his studies as he did.

In the mid-1970s, Auroville schools closed. Many students had a break in their formal education but some studied or took exams in Bangalore or Ooty. In contrast, present-day parents, such as Jitta, take a different approach to education for their children: “Learning is for you, not for anyone else, so be thirsty and curious for knowledge, and never be ashamed to express yourself or ask something you don’t know. People might laugh or shame you, but don’t let that shut you down, try to not let fear stop you.”

Education

In the beginning, people – including parents – started working in Auroville schools out of necessity, as there simply weren’t any teachers! Nevertheless, many of them then continued as they enjoyed working with children and kept growing, like the adage “To teach is to learn a thousand times.” These teachers recount that they were also lucky to have visiting experts generously pass on their experience and knowledge. Lisbeth remembers that “teaching was very much hands-on, learning on the spot, sharing content with simple instructions in mixed languages. Spontaneous field trips would happen to the Matrimandir, various workshops or communities as well as theoretical classes like reading, writing, mathematics and geography.”

Over the years, more students started attending school. The teachers grew with the school and students, they became more organised and developed a programme for the older children. “Although now we have timetables, specific hours and subject teachers, our schools still leave space for plenty of creativity and I still enjoy teaching”, said Lisbeth. By the time the students leave Transition School, most of them have a pretty solid base.

When senior teachers such as Jocelyne, Lisbeth or Mary started working in the schools, they didn’t have much teaching material. Over the years, they built it up and “the Internet has now made general knowledge easily accessible everywhere, it offers these young learners a richer choice of materials”, said Jocelyne. “However, in view of this wide range of available information, the youth needs to learn discrimination techniques.”

Experience suggests that this generation of students tends to thrive when they are offered holistic teaching, including a fully immersive educational experience, class or group discussions and interactive classroom environments, rather than traditional methods. “What is different today that was lacking when I grew up is that that there is choice at nearly every level”, said Luk. From crèche to high school programmes, most pre-university needs are now covered in Auroville, be it with exam-oriented studies or free progress education.

Jitta also mentioned that she has “started to notice the influence of the teachers and facilitators who themselves have grown up in Auroville and their importance in the education of these children; there is a natural respect and understanding.”

From children of Auroville to the next generation

There is clearly a shift between these two generations. The new generation seems to be able to live what they are to a larger extent, freer from the conditioning that comes from family and society, freer from the patterns, background and luggage passed down from their grandparents to their parents. Jaya further observed how the new generation can totally immerse itself in a phase or experience, and then completely let it go without hanging on.

The effect of technology and the way that this connects them to different places and experiences is also very obvious: some are less interested in face-to-face contact with others, preferring instead to connect via smartphones; they read less books, magazines or newspapers; they spend more time playing computer games or using social media. This often results in practicing less sports.

At the same time, they still have a spirit of freedom and are much more open to others, different races and cultures, sexual orientations, etc.

Despite having very different lives from their parents, Lisbeth noted that, like their parents, “they still like to play in the mud and enjoy dancing in the rain, they love the Auroville forests and the ocean, horse riding in the Greenbelt, music, circus, sports and are enthusiastic about discovering our wonderful paradise.”

An X factor to Gen 2.0?

On this point, there were as many opinions as interviewees! Krishna and Island, for example, think that there is no intrinsic X Factor but “a lot of it has to do with how you are raised, the environment in your home, and the educational environment you are in.” Luk and Shanthi agreed, adding that for them the key factor is the social environment: “The experience that Auroville children get today from the multi-cultural and multi-lingual environment makes them wholesome persons with a healthy and global outlook on the world. They don’t live in a bubble anymore: they are conscious of the global playing field and that gives them maturity and the confidence to face most situations in life, anywhere on the globe.”

In fact, compared to the West, children here are less cocooned, they are left to discover things at their own pace. However, compared to the first generation of Auroville children, this new generation is more supervised and protected while growing up; these youngsters tend to live more slowly, they are more cautious, abstemious and risk-averse. Many see this as a plus, because they get to remain children longer and not start to behave like adults too early on.

Like several other interviewees, Kripa believes that a notable characteristic of this generation is psychological maturity. Jitta concurred, adding that this new generation has a high level of awareness, responsibility and consciousness, both with regard to themselves and to the outside world. Isa and Roshan remarked that their generation is far more concerned with environmental degradation than other generations, for obvious reasons. As Aiyana boldly stated: “we fight for a better future, for better rights, more education etc.”

Kalsang feels that “they are creative, open-minded and do not hesitate to talk to people”, while for Mary “they are more relaxed with adults and not afraid to debate or disagree.” However, they do so while remaining honest and respectful. “We are constantly hungry for more knowledge; we want to understand the reasons behind things,” Aiyana explained.

Nevertheless, Grace pointed out that some of them “display a sense of false vanity or arrogance due to the fact that they are not entirely sure of where they belong, so they mask their insecurity by cloaking themselves with this arrogance of already knowing everything. This sadly prevents them often from being grateful for the abundance that has been made available to them through a lot of effort.”

Having ‘been there done that’, I must admit that it was only after having spent some time away that I myself realised the richness of what we have here. Of course, generalisations are easy to make, and Aiyana simply showed that this is not true for all Auroville youth: “My generation can be distinguished by our incredible privilege: many of us have had the freedom to express ourselves, dream big and have little to no limitations.”

Nonetheless, in this generation and other generations that have really grown up in Auroville, Ribhu noticed “a commitment to Auroville, a love and close bond to the place and to this dream.” Jaya added that all children of Auroville – both Gen 1.0 and 2.0 – “embody the ideals and fundamental values of Auroville wherever they are.” In fact, the grandparents left a society to join Auroville, the parents grew up in a society-less Auroville and were there for its development, while the children are “Aurovilian by default, by socialisation, by birth and not as an alternative or a choice that one has to make as a ‘protest’ to the society that they grew up in”, as Roshan explained so clearly. Their reality is the Aurovilian dream.

For Isa, it is her generation’s knowledge and experience of Auroville, stretching all the way back into its history, that differentiates Gen 2.0 from others who have come later: “After all, your childhood home is always etched deeply into your memory and consciousness. Sharing that feeling of ‘home’ with a parent is special in such a young community. Indeed, it is the stories that I heard throughout my childhood that formed my complete picture of Auroville; not only my lived experience, but imagined ones too. Having access to that knowledge from such a personal source can definitely shift your imagination about this experiment.”

Oddly enough, it seems that Auroville itself is the X Factor! “The spiritual context of Auroville gives them yet another dimension of experience and growth”, said Luk and Shanthi, who have tried to impart this to their children. As Jitta put it, “I see an evolution in humankind; when I look at these children it gives me hope for Auroville.” 

Future of Auroville

Younger ones think that Auroville is a super cool place and wouldn’t necessarily want to change anything about it.

However, older teens feel as though there is no longer a space for the youth to express themselves. Isa added that she would like “Auroville children and youth to feel welcomed and supported by the community.” This rift is creating escalating tensions within Auroville, without being addressed in an all-inclusive and holistic manner. Some people perceive that the feeling of family that was ubiquitous in the beginning of Auroville has been watered down and lost over the years.

As for its place in the bioregion, the separation between Auroville kids and their peers in the surrounding villages has become indubitably deeper compared to the first generation of children born here. One of the reasons for this is directly linked to language (and therefore communication): the youth don’t really feel the need to learn Tamil anymore, as their local peers speak English better and better.

On another level, many of the older ones (now young adults) feel that Auroville as a whole is too busy with the material priorities of development, housing, etc., that it is chasing quantity instead of quality. This is due to several factors, the primary one being all the attention – positive and negative – that Auroville has attracted from the global audience, fueled by social media ‘adventurers’ and catered to by the mainstream, as Matteo pointed out. This has led to a prevalent rise in consumerism, which is not only not conducive to individualism but also leading us astray from the goals and mission of this ‘City of the Future’.

Indeed, they feel that the community needs to focus again on the objectives revolving around self-development and spiritual progress on an individual level, to work towards a collaborative and selfless humanity on a communal level. Roshan pointed out: “It is only by being true to oneself that one is exercising sincerity and manifesting truth. Working more and working together is indispensable to the success of Auroville.” However, what Isa loves most about Auroville, despite the daily hurdles, is that “it forces my body, my mind, my soul into the centre of the change I want to see.”

As many of these children are still rather young, it may be a little premature to come to any concrete conclusion on the ‘X Factor’. However, it is undeniable that there is a lot of faith in this new generation, “a great assurance of what is to come,” according to Jaya.