In memoriam - Kratu

In memoriam:

Kratu

Kratu, an Aurovilian artist, passed away on July 7th.

Kratu was born on the 2nd May 1942 in Lonigo, Verona, Italy. In his early twenties, his passion for art led him to live in various countries and to hitch hike around the Mediterranean. At a certain point, while living in Belgium, he came to know of Sri Aurobindo and wrote to the Mother expressing a wish to come to live in the Ashram.

In 1969 he started his journey towards India and Nepal overland, hitch-hiking all the way. When he arrived in Nepal, he explored Tibetan Buddhism for a year, after which he directed his steps towards the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, where he arrived in December 1970. There he met the Mother.

While living in Pondicherry’s Auroville Guest House, he worked with Roger Anger at the Aurofuture office in Pondicherry for about a year. Towards the end of 1971, he asked Mother to accept him in the Ashram, which She did. Until 1987 he worked with Nata in the publication of the Italian magazine Domani where translations of the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were published. During this time he met his life partner Aloka, for an adventure that lasted 52 years.

In 1991, they moved to live and work in Auroville with their younger son Virya. Kratu set up a ceramic unit where he expressed himself through sculpture, until its closure in 2016.

He crafted many beautiful pieces with his hands, which many of us will always enjoy.

After a long struggle with cancer, he peacefully liberated himself from his body with a smile. He now rests in the Love and Light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Kratu’s remains were buried at the Auroville Burial Ground on June 11th.