Navigating change at the Visitors Centre

AVToday: Auroananda, you joined the Auroville Council when you were just 19. What was that experience like?

Auroananda: It was an eye-opener. I learned how Auroville functions on a day-to-day basis and had the chance to interact with highly conscious, intelligent people. I saw first-hand how unique this place is, and how crucial it is for us to collaborate effectively. It really opened my eyes to aspects of Auroville I had never considered before. It is not an easy task to administer to a group of people who are intelligent and conscious and have different opinions on how to move forward for various reasons.

You also went abroad. What was that experience like?

I went to Germany at the age of 22. Knowing only basic German, it was a tough start. From the beginning, I had the question of what I would be contributing to the society that I had joined. But I quickly realised that I needed to learn and train myself to understand its mindset and cultural aspects. For the first three years, I did challenging odd jobs in various eateries, construction sites and festivals. Eventually I worked at a one-star Michelin restaurant, which provided me with an in-depth training. As I had previously worked in star hotels in India, it was a great experience in understanding the different business mindsets.

I also was looking for ways to support Auroville business units by importing and re-selling their products, and so connecting Auroville brands with the well-structured German and other European markets. My idea was published in the magazine of Auroville International Germany, and it caught the interest of a German investment company. They allotted 100,000 euros, and sales took off. But when the Ukraine war hit, everything fell apart – the investment company folded, and so did my business. That’s when I decided to return to Auroville, also for personal reasons. Then I read in the Auronet that the Funds and Assets Management Committee (FAMC) was looking for four new project leaders for the Visitors Centre. I applied, was interviewed, and after some time learned that I had been selected as one of the four executives. I left Germany and came back to Auroville

What was the Visitors Centre like when you arrived?

My first task was to familiarise myself with my new colleagues and listen to the managers of the various units that are located on the Visitors Centre campus. They were concerned, because the appointment of new executives by the FAMC had not been warmly welcomed. Many were unsure of what to expect and feared interference from the Auroville Foundation.

How long did it take for you to get a sense of how things worked there?

It took time. The Visitors Centre campus hosts multiple units, such as the Auroville Information Centre, three boutiques, a cafeteria, various food shops, a bookstore, an exhibition hall and even an amphitheater. Our responsibilities covered the maintenance of the campus and its accounts, the Auroville Information Hall, and the shuttle services to the Matrimandir Viewing Point and the Svaram Sound Garden. The units themselves were managed by their respective teams.

What surprised us was the ongoing debate about whether the units were service-oriented or business-oriented. We quickly realised that all units were, in fact, commercially driven — except for the Information Hall, the exhibition space, and the Matrimandir shuttle service.

How did you start addressing these issues?

We took it slowly. We didn’t intervene in the running of the units, except for the dosai corner, the campus kiosk and the Information Centre. The accounts of the kiosk and the dosai corner were not properly managed, so we decided to close the kiosk and integrate the dosai corner’s activities into the cafeteria, which made more sense. We also stopped the commercial activities at the Information Centre, moving the sale of books and postcards to the bookstore; the Centre now only sells information material about the Matrimandir and Auroville.

We then reviewed the Visitors Centre’s income and expenditure, which was just covering the running costs. All units were paying a fixed fee per square meter and a 2% turnover contribution. After consultation with several unit executives, the FAMC and the Secretary, Auroville Foundation, we have increased the turnover contribution to 5% and we are in discussion with the cafeteria about increasing their square meter contribution, as they have been contributing about 2/5th of what the other units have been paying. The additional income will help us to purchase a generator and other equipment necessary for this public space through the Government e Marketplace (GeM), an online platform that allows government departments and organisations to buy goods and services.

What happened with the shuttle service to the Svaram Sound Garden?

When we arrived, that service was still in operation, but we decided to discontinue it. The financial arrangement was not sustainable, and it wasn’t covering our costs. Now visitors who want to go to the Sound Garden use their private vehicles or auto rickshaws. This service might be resumed in future.

What about the parking area? How has that evolved?

When we took over, all the income from the parking went to Auroville’s Budget Coordination Committee (BCC), which would then provide the Visitors Centre with a budget to cover the expenses of the parking area. This has now changed. The accounts of the parking area and those of the Visitors Centre have been separated. As the parking area is not considered a separate commercial unit which contributes 33% of its profits, its surplus income goes to the BCC. The parking area and the Visitors Centre no longer receive a budget from the BCC.

Some of the items sold at the Visitors Centre are quite expensive. What’s your take on that?

That was a concern for me since the beginning. I had seen that visitors were hesitant to visit the cafeteria and the boutiques because they are expensive for the middle and lower-middle-class, which is 60-70% of the footfall. But the shops are independently managed, and we can’t control their pricing. The exception was the dosai corner. When we merged it with the cafeteria, we were able to ensure more affordable food prices — like the idli, for which you paid Rs 30 at the dosai corner and which now costs Rs 10 at the cafeteria.

There were live music performances on Saturday evenings in the Visitors Centre amphitheatre. Why did that stop?

They have been temporarily paused, but not for any external reason. The cafeteria previously handled the agreements with the musicians in using the amphitheatre, but now the campus management has taken over. There’s been some confusion, with people thinking that the Auroville Foundation intervened, but that’s not the case. We’d like to resume the performances.

There's some controversy about the route visitors must take to reach the Matrimandir Viewing Point. Can you explain?

At the request of the Foundation Office, visitors were initially required to take the pathway that went from the Visitors Centre to Bharat Nivas, to the Unity Pavilion and to Savitri Bhavan before heading to the Matrimandir Viewing Point. However, the visitors’ response was mostly negative, especially in the summer heat.

We are trying to solve this by shuttling the visitors first to the Matrimandir Viewing Point, and stopping the bus at Bharat Nivas on the way back – which is at a walking distance from the Visitors Centre. Those who don’t use the shuttle bus can walk to the Viewing Point and back directly. The reroute project is being followed up by my co-executives together with a member of the Matrimandir Access Group.

The reason for wanting to show visitors Bharat Nivas is financial; the government grant for the Bharat Nivas maintenance has been slashed, and they try to get an income from visitors, asking them to visit their small model animal zoo at Rs 50 / ticket and showing the Kala Kendra art exhibition. Other than that, there is not much to see. I don’t know what the executives of the Unity Pavilion and Savitri Bhavan feel about the inflow of uninformed visitors.

Why, in your experience, do people visit Auroville?

I would say that 90% come for touristic reasons: they want to see the golden globe and have a good time at the Visitors Centre. Most of those visitors just look around in the information hall and don’t read the written explanations. They come for two to three hours max and want to have a quick understanding of what this place is about. For those people, Auroville is just another entertainment area. They ask tourist-oriented questions.

Only a small number want to know about the Auroville community and its deeper purpose. We’ve started offering guided tours to give those interested a closer look at Auroville’s life and work, which has received excellent feedback. The one hour tour cost Rs 500 per person if they take a bicycle and Rs 690 if they go by car. Auroville youths – students who are born and raised in the community – are their tour guides.

Do the students have sufficient knowledge of Auroville?

We have taught them the most important historical facts about Auroville. We have made a list of 25 frequently asked questions, and the guides know what the answers are. And, of course, they also share their own experience of growing up in Auroville. We decide the route, which covers parts of the Residential Zone, the Solar Kitchen and the Town Hall. If they go by car, the route includes the Industrial Zone and an Auroville farm.

The guided tours have become popular, generating 15 – 19 lakhs turnover per month for Auroville. We had amazing feedback and people thanking us for this opportunity to learn about Auroville. On many occasions we had people who were staying in a hotel in Pondicherry moving to an Auroville guesthouse after having joined a tour.

What is your take on the tourist industry that is developing at the entrace of the Visitors Centre parking entrance where a plethora of people are selling hats, balloons, children’s toys and the like?

It’s a typical tourist scene in India, but there’s a deeper economic issue. Many of these vendors are day-earners and manufacture their own products. Rather than pushing them away, we should consider providing them with a more organised space to sell their products while asking them to give a small contribution in return. It’s about finding a balance between maintaining Auroville’s spirit and acknowledging the livelihood of people in the bioregion; we are all interdependent.

I have the same take on the rickshaw drivers. Many people do not like their presence in Auroville. But they serve a purpose. How can visitors who park at the Visitors Centre reach any other place in Auroville? We do not provide solutions.

Because I am a Tamilian, the drivers easily talk to me. We have been discussing how best they can contribute to Auroville. There is a verbal agreement that they won’t bring people from the Visitors Centre to the Matrimandir Viewing Point but they are free to bring them to a guesthouse or anywhere else in Auroville.

Your term as an executive is ending soon. Would you consider staying on for another term?

That depends on who the new team members will be and what their outlook on this work is. The current team has been incredibly honest and dedicated, though at times reaching agreements was challenging. We’ve done a good job addressing past issues, but there’s still much to do. The new team will need to acquire a strong understanding of the ground reality to plan for the future, considering the growing number of visitors and possible new projects for the Visitors Centre.