In memoriam - Ellen Tessloff

On February 19th Ellen left her body in her Arati apartment. She would have been 95 in April this year.

After a career as a hatha yoga teacher in Germany, Ellen arrived in Auroville in 1996 and was accepted as an Aurovilian the year later. Starting out as a welcome presence in Ilaignarkal school, she subsequently joined the Auroville Library, where she worked for years. On the side, she would translate works of Sri Aurobindo into German for a publishing house connected to her husband.

During the last ten years Ellen was confined to a wheelchair as she suffered from spondylolisthesis, a degenerative spinal disease leading to gradual paralysis of both legs. Helped by her no-nonsense and strong-willed character, she took it in her stride and managed to keep taking care of herself until the most recent years.

Ellen’s remains were cremated at Auroville’s mandapam on the afternoon of February 22nd.