Extracts from Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi’s speech to the conclave

Sri Aurobindo at the time when India became independent said now is the time for India to take up the responsibility. Because this wisdom, this truth, this knowledge (is) that the entire creation is one – humans, animals, plants – are all part of a family. None is master. This wisdom was revealed to our people several thousand years ago. Now it has to be expressed to the rest of the world.

And with that he conceived of this idea of a community of gnostic beings, (for) which Mother with her tireless enterprise and imagination and commitment to the teachings of Shri Aurobindo created the infrastructure. And what we have is Auroville today.

Here people from all over the world, irrespective of which part of the world they are from, whichever religion they follow, whichever place they belong, rising above, transcending all the barriers, they come together, live as brothers and sisters, dropping their egos, living for others.

This is how many, many more such Aurovilles (should) be around the world. That would save the world, that would catalyse the evolution of humans to the fourth and final level of evolution where we see oneness in all. Now that is Auroville, the beginning of it.

In the next 24 years we have to fulfill unfinished tasks. One is making India a self-reliant country, a fully self-reliant country. But another unfinished task is the city of Auroville which was created to spread this light to the rest of the world, so that all the differing areas and ideologies drop, egos melt and we all live as one, common integral family, not only with humans alone but with the whole environment.