Auroville’s governance crisis: a call for transparent residents’ control

Auroville Today: The last time we did an interview with both of you was in 2007. [AVToday # 225, November 2007]. At the time you spoke about the need for more fraternity between Aurovilians, about the fact that many decisions were being made in back rooms not involving the community at large, that there was a lack of transparency and, generally speaking, that there was a lack of trust. That was more than 17 years ago. How do you see the present situation?

Abha: In 2007 the talk was about the attitudes and issues between Aurovilians and the members of the working groups selected by them, about how decisions were made; but today we are confronted with the attitude of the Governing Board and its Secretary, and by extension that of the members of their working groups, who are taking all kinds of strange decisions without informing or consulting the Residents’ Assembly and without any accountability to it. Crucial lands have been exchanged, here an existing road is ploughed up, there a new road suddenly appears; accountants and chartered accountants are changed without units’ consultation; residents’ criteria are imposed; residents’ maintenances are summarily stopped; people are ‘taxed’ the city service contribution and there are consequences if they don’t pay. These are just a few of the recent issues and there are many more. Today, these groups use – and I believe misuse – the powers given to them by the Board and the Secretary, sometimes quoting that they act in accordance with a decision of the Governing Board taken in a meeting of which the minutes were never published. Today, the residents are being completely bypassed.

What do you think is the cause of this?

Abha: Undoubtedly we brought some of it on ourselves, because our governance was not what it should have been. The working groups constituted by us did not have the power to implement even what they knew was correct. Any decision could be – and in effect many were – questioned by someone or some people and then shot down. We had not yet found ways for effective consultation and implementation.

Claude: But now the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. What galls me are not only the impositions, but also the ways in which things are being imposed. Back in 2007 we talked about the lack of fraternity. Today we see fellow Aurovilians, who have chosen to work with the Secretary and the members of the Governing Board (most of whom have little understanding of Auroville), lording it like masters over other Aurovilians. Fraternity, compassion, they are far from what these Aurovilians are manifesting.

Abha: I’ll give you a small example. Since maybe 15 years, Shradhanjali has been using seeds and seedpods, sourced from Auroville’s forests, to make seed jewellery and other decorative objects. From the start, in return for these gifts of nature, a part of the profits from this range have been donated to the Auroville foresters through the forest account of Auroville’s Financial Service. However, the Funds and Assets Management Committee constituted by the Governing Board (GB-FAMC) decided last year to close this collective Forest account. Recently, while inspecting our accounts, the GB-FAMC has instructed us that “Shradhanjali will stop henceforth any forest contribution”! It is nonsensical.

Claude: I’ll give you another example. In 1991 the Governing Board approved the creation of the Pavilion of Tibetan Culture with His Holiness the Dalai Lama as its Patron. Ever since, we have been giving our yearly accounts directly to the office of the Auroville Foundation. Though we were never registered under any Auroville trust, it was fine with the Foundation, the auditors and even the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, which audits the accounts of the Auroville Foundation.

I used to give yearly donations to the Pavilion. More than a year ago I made a donation of Rs 40,000, but the GB-FAMC blocked the transfer of this donation to the Pavilion. When I asked for the reason, I was told that the Pavilion had not been registered with the Donation Channeling Group constituted by the GB-FAMC. We filled the form. But till today the money has not been released. Then last week the GB-FAMC decided that the Pavilion needed to become a unit of the Service Trust – of course, without discussion or even consultation. The high-handedness is very upsetting. And this is not an isolated case. There are other projects and units that are not able to access donations made to them because the FAMC has blocked it.

What I see are attempts to ‘control’ units and individuals: the units through the new accounting software Zoho which replaces Tally and which, I believe, makes it possible to monitor the work of the units in greater detail; and individuals through that Standing Order on Residents’ Criteria. [See AVToday # 426 of January 2025]. And we see decisions being taken which are, from the legal point of view, questionable, such as reducing the number of trustees of the various Auroville trusts from three to one, which is illegal according to the trust deeds. I can’t escape the impression that the people in charge do what they want regardless of laws of India and of the spirit of Auroville. Sometimes I feel that we are presently living in Absurdistan.

Is there a deeper cause for all these issues?

Abha: I think there is. Mother, on 3 February 1968, spoke about India having become the symbolic representation of all the difficulties of present-day humanity, and that India would be the site of its resurrection to a higher and truer life. And she added, And the clear vision: the same thing which in the history of the universe has made the earth the symbolic representation of the universe so as to be able to concentrate the work at one point, the same phenomenon is occurring now: India is the representation of all human difficulties on earth, and it is in India that there will be the... cure. And it is for that – it is FOR THAT that I had to create Auroville.

So we shouldn’t be surprised or upset that we are facing difficulties. It is our task to find solutions. And then there is that conversation of Mother with Shyam Sunder Jhunjhunwala and Roger Anger [see Mother’s Agenda vol. 13, 4 April 1972], where she said that living in Auroville will not be easy.

“I know it’s not easy, but we are not here to do easy things; the whole world is there for those who like an easy life. I would like people to feel that coming to Auroville does not mean coming to an easy life – it means coming to a gigantic effort for progress … It is the sincerity of our attitude and effort which makes a difference. People should feel that insincerity and falsehood have no place here – they just don't work, you can’t fool people who have devoted their entire life to go beyond humanity … We are here to prepare a superhumanity, not to fall back into desires and easy life – no.”

Even assuming that many of us have failed in this constant urge for making progress, why this violence? Even if we needed the kick to remember the true purpose of being here, why such extreme and harsh methods?

How do you see the future? Suppose the Government of India decides one day to return the management of Auroville to the Aurovilians, how do you think we should act?

Abha: The situation cannot continue as it is and the management has to return to the Aurovilians. More and more people are leaving Auroville. But the question will be how can we manage by ourselves? The Mother has given some indications. In that same conversation of 4 April 1972, Mother spoke about the qualities required to organise life in Auroville.

“We must strive for Order, Harmony, Beauty and... collective aspiration – all the things which for the moment are not there. We must... you see, being the organisers, our task is to set the example of what we want others to do. We must rise above personal reactions, be exclusively attuned to the divine Will and be the docile instruments of the divine Will – we must be impersonal, without any personal reaction.”

It will be our task as residents to find people who, if they have not yet reached this phase, are at least recognisably on the way. That deeper level is the first need.

Claude: This implies that Aurovilians will need to accept that their working groups can assert authority if needed, but in a transparent manner. Back in 2007 I spoke about the need to build a ground-level consensus, which means that decisions are not only taken by the seven or eight members of a working group, but by a larger number of people actively participating in decision making. I still believe this is a way forward. It’s not that everybody needs to be involved in all aspects of Auroville. Perhaps each working group can have a separate support body that can help in making decisions pertaining to the work of that working group. This is just one idea. But it’s time that Auroville starts thinking about the structures required for the residents to regain control of the affairs of Auroville.