The pressure cooker

Meditations — Story by Maël

The pressure cooker

In the magical city of Auroville, there lived a boy named Surya. He loved his home, with its lush forests, colourful buildings, and friendly people from all over the world. But lately, things weren’t quite right in Auroville.

Surya’s parents seemed worried all the time. They whispered about “changes” and “new rules” that didn’t make sense. Even Surya’s teacher at school looked stressed.

One day, Surya’s mom was cooking dal in their old pressure cooker. The cooker hissed and whistled, steam escaping from its valve.

“That’s what Auroville feels like right now,” Surya’s mom sighed. “Like we’re all stuck in a big pressure cooker!”

Surya giggled at the silly image. “But Mom, pressure cookers make yummy food!”

His mom smiled. “You’re right, sweetheart. Sometimes pressure can create good things too.”

That night, Surya dreamed he was inside a giant pressure cooker with all his Aurovilian friends. They were getting squeezed tighter and tighter!

“What do we do?” cried his best friend Priya.

Surya remembered his mom’s words. “Maybe we can use this pressure to make something good!”

So the children joined hands and started to sing. As their voices grew louder, the pressure cooker began to glow. Suddenly, it burst open, and a rainbow of light spilled out across Auroville.

The next morning, Surya told his parents about his dream.

“You know,” said his dad thoughtfully, “maybe this difficult time is like that pressure cooker. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s pushing us to grow and change in new ways.”

Over the next weeks, Surya noticed something interesting. People were talking more, coming up with creative ideas to solve problems. His teacher started a new project about Auroville’s history. His parents’ friends, who sometimes bickered over details, started to agree on what really matters and voiced it loud and strong. Even Surya felt braver about sharing his thoughts.

One evening, as the family sat on their rooftop watching the sunset over Matrimandir, Surya’s mom hugged him close.

“Surya,” she said, “no matter what changes come, remember that Auroville’s spirit is in our hearts. Like your dream showed us, when we work together with love, we can turn pressure into light.”

Surya nodded, feeling hopeful. He knew that just like his mom’s delicious dal, sometimes the best things come from a little time in the pressure cooker.

The End.