In memoriam - J. Jayaraman

In memoriam:

Jairam by Yatra Srinivassan

J. Jayaraman, Jairam for those who knew him, joined Auroville at a very young age in 1970. He was born in Alankuppam (1959) and his childhood in the village had been a difficult one. He had ended up staying with his grandmother in Kottakarai, who was also hardly able to look after him. As soon as he heard that Auroville was coming, he applied to join. With Varadharajan as an intermediary, he was accepted by The Mother and began living with Daniel (an American pioneer Aurovilian) on his farm in Kottakarai.

All he aspired to do in Auroville was to be of service. Very early on, he worked with Paul Vincent as a tractor driver, ploughing some newly acquired fields which later became Djaima, and started volunteering at Matrimandir with Ruud (another pioneer Aurovilian), also as a tractor driver, and in Matrimandir construction work. Later one could find him at the entrance to the Chamber where he served under the guidance of Arjun Puri and John Harper.

While he worked at Matrimandir he stayed at the Matrimandir Camp for many years, then later moved to Shanthi Community.

He got married to Boomadevi and had a daughter, Vijaya and a son, Viji (Vijaykumar).

Unfortunately, he lost both his legs due to gangrene, and his only sadness was that his body would not allow him any longer to be of full service to Auroville. But he did not give up, even though he had to go through multiple operations due to health issues.

Many people driving or cycling past the Matrimandir during the last few years would have seen Jayaraman sitting on his wheelchair on the side of the road close to the Matrimandir gate near the big Peepul tree. He would lovingly greet passers-by and chat with them, and also guide guests who wanted to go to the Matrimandir or were looking for other locations in Auroville. He did this service for a long time, till very recently when, due to a head injury caused by a fall, he passed away on Friday 11th October, 2024, aged 65, at his residence.

The cremation took place at the Auroville Burial and Cremation Ground on Saturday 12th October.