Published: August 2025 (2 months ago) in issue Nº 433
Keywords: Vanaville press, Craftspeople, Personal history, France, Theosophical Society, Dehashakti School of Physical Education, Teachers, Mother’s Agenda and Books
References: The Mother, Satprem and Subir (Olivier Caracostea)
The bookbinder of Vanaville

Michel working at his book sewing machine
“My interest in India began through music,” Michel recalls. “I was especially drawn to fusion music; Shakti — the band founded by English guitarist John McLaughlin, Indian violinist L Shankar, table maestro Zakir Hussain, and ghatam virtuoso Vikku Vinayakram — had a big influence on my life. They had an extraordinary ability to blend Western jazz, Celtic folk, and classical music with both Hindustani and Carnatic traditions. My best friend Christian and I would spend hours listening, completely enthralled. And that’s how we got introduced to India: through music and Indian classical music.”
One day, Christian’s brother introduced them to the Mother trilogy by Satprem. “Those books lit an inner fire or a soul opening as Satprem’s words were filled with inner power. We felt a deep urge to go to India and visit Auroville.” In 1977 Satprem came to France to give radio talks about his books, and he spoke about The Mother’s mantra, which they heard for the first time. “He had an intense presence, and his words stayed with us.” The deepening interest eventually led them to the Auroville International office in Paris and later to reading L’Agenda de Mère (Mother’s Agenda).
Still, they couldn’t depart for India immediately — mandatory military service awaited them both. Only after completing their one-year duty did they finally set out. “It was 1981; we were both 20 years old.” Their tourist visa allowed for a six-month stay — long enough to convince them that Auroville was where they wanted to build their lives. They returned to France to save money and prepare for the move. Auroville had a deep meaning, contrary to staying in France to make a living by earning money.
A serendipitous encounter with bookbinding
Michel and Christian visited Auroville again in May 1989, then went to Australia and returned to France in November 1991. While in Auroville, Michel met Subir, who managed the Boutique d’Auroville in Pondicherry. Subir’s mother was the head of the Theosophical Society in Paris. “Back in France I was looking for work and she needed someone to help manage the library part-time.”
Michel applied and got the job. “Not long after, I landed another part-time job — surprisingly, with Christian Dior’s fashion house, thanks to another former Aurovilian.”
“At the Theosophical Society, Michel met Subir’s brother Daniel who had his own bookbinding workshop over there. As he showed interest, Daniel introduced him to Celia Malouvier, a professional bookbinder who was giving bookbinding classes in her workshop in Paris. Then, quite unexpectedly, Christian Dior offered him 10,000 French francs to train in any craft of his choice. “I chose evening classes with Celia. She introduced me to the intricate world of bookbinding twice a week for two hours— not just the techniques, but also the rich history of the craft in Europe and Asia, and the many regional variations.”
Finding his place in Auroville
Michel officially returned to Auroville in 2003. Michel began working at Dehashakti, Auroville’s sports department, as a physical education teacher. During a particularly heavy monsoon season, when work at Dehashakti came to a halt, he met Arun, a Tamil Aurovilian familiar with bookbinding. Arun offered him space at his unit, Vanaville. “That’s how my bookbinding work in Auroville really began.”
Auroville’s humid climate is notoriously hard on books. “People often bring me books for repair or full restoration. Restoration means trying to return a book to its original condition as closely as possible. Repairs usually involve fixing torn pages, damage from insects, reassembling a book that has fallen apart by resewing the sections, reinforcing the spine, or making a new cover.” Cover work varies. “Some clients want re-backing to preserve the original spine; others prefer a completely new cover in leather.” Michel works primarily with goat and, occasionally, buffalo leather, meticulously sandpapered or cut with a sharp knife to the right thickness. “It’s slow, detailed work.”
A craft sustained by passion
For over two decades now, Michel has balanced his time between teaching at Dehashakti and practicing his beloved craft. “I’ve repaired hundreds of books, including full sets of Mother’s Agenda in both French and English. One of my more significant recent projects was binding the bilingual English-French edition of Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri, with Satprem’s French translation alongside Sri Aurobindo’s English, a project of the late Gérard Maréchal in collaboration with the Vanaville executives Arun and Renuka and their staff. Most of my clients find me through word of mouth.”
Michel believes he may be the last artisanal bookbinder in the Pondicherry and Auroville area. “The Sri Aurobindo Ashram used to have a bookbinding department making leather covers, but that’s gone now. The Ashram Press only does industrial binding today. It’s remarkable that this ancient craft survives here, even in such a modest form.”