Published: October 2025 (12 days ago) in issue Nº 435
Keywords: Volunteers, Weltwärts, Spirit, Ideals of Auroville, Sadhana Forest, Vocational skill development, Purpose / swadharma and Auroville and the world
Voices of Weltwärts volunteers
The 2022-2023 cohort
The following are excerpts from volunteers' final reports after 12 months in Auroville
A transformative year that still resonates
Much time has passed since my Weltwärts year in 2008-09. In the meantime, I’ve become a mother. Yet the year I spent in Auroville deeply touched me, moved me profoundly, and has left a lasting mark on my life. It was in Auroville that I first felt a higher presence – something beyond the physical – that stirred something deep within me. That experience has helped me throughout my life, especially when making important decisions: Where do I want to live? Who do I want to share my life with? What truly matters to me? I’ve always had good experiences when I allowed myself to be guided by that inner connection. Seventeen years later, I still stay in close contact with Angelika from Deepam, where I did my Weltwärts service. I’m incredibly grateful for that year – and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the kind and committed souls who made it possible for me.
(Antonia, 2008-09)
Auroville – a vision that perseveres
Auroville is a project rooted in the highest ideals, guided by a vision of being that promises a true unfolding of the self. The people who choose to live there – freely and consciously – do nothing less than work tirelessly towards what they feel is right and true for themselves. Living together is far more complex than it often sounds in casual conversations or
idealistic discussions. Auroville is home to real people – and with that come real, human challenges. What makes Auroville so remarkable to me is that it doesn’t give up. Not once did I feel that giving up was ever even considered as an option. ... What matters is that the collective continues to look forward – that there is an unwavering will to keep moving, a deep certainty that the goal is attainable, and that now is simply one of the many essential steps on the way there.
(Chris, 2009-10)
A year of struggles and joy: lessons from Auroville
The first thing I want to say is that I still find it hard to put into words what I’ve experienced during almost 12 months here in Auroville, India. I faced many challenges and went through phases of deep depression and despair. I tried numerous things that were supposed to help me or make me a better person – and often felt like I ‘failed’. But alongside those struggles, I also met so many kind, warm-hearted, and inspiring people. I experienced moments of incredible happiness and joy and caught a glimpse of what it might be like to live as an individual free from sorrow and fear – with a clear mind and a full acceptance and surrender to all aspects of life.
(Florian, 2011-12)
Planting a different world starts within
If you want to plant a different world, it also means doing inner work – expanding knowledge, pursuing education, and embracing spiritual practice. During my Weltwärts year in Auroville, I found plenty of nourishment and space for growth in all three areas. Although my year here wasn’t always easy – especially the beginning at Sadhana Forest was a real challenge – I ultimately learned an incredible amount. That year opened up the inspiration and life perspectives I had hoped for. Yes, it changed and broadened my outlook on life quite a bit. Instead of a theoretical degree in “Politics, Philosophy, and Economics”, I decided to study organic agriculture.
(Paul, 2012-13 – and co-founder of the Academy of the Good Life, a community in southern Germany, together with two other Auroville Weltwärts volunteers)
A year that enriched me deeply – even personally
This year has enriched me immensely on a personal level, too. Recently, someone asked me what I had learned, and in that moment, only one thing came to mind: I lost my fear of the future and realized that life doesn’t happen in the future – it happens now. I still don’t know exactly what I want to do with my life, but that no longer makes me anxious. It’s okay, it’s normal, because life is, in many ways, a continuous search.
(Anne, 2013-14 – now a lecturer in Tamil at the University of Heidelberg)
How Weltwärts changed my life – literally
The Weltwärts program literally changed my life. Without you, I probably would never have gone to India, never met my wife, and wouldn’t be writing to you now from the USA. It’s almost 7am, and I need to get the kids ready for school. My time in Auroville is part of who I am, and just last night, I made idli for dinner using my idli cooker. Our Weltwärts group still meets every New Year’s Eve – has for over ten years now. I truly appreciate all your work and dedication, and I thank you for the many years you’ve led the program.
(Jan, living in New York with his wife whom he met during his year in Auroville back in 2013-14)
Auroville: a place of craftsmanship and personal growth
Alongside many wonderful acquaintances, Auroville gifted me with a wealth of practical skills. In this year, I crafted and created more than I had in my entire life so far – despite always considering myself a maker.
I learned welding, forging, motorcycle riding and maintenance, farming, building houses, climbing coconut trees, tool care, and many related skills. Beyond these, I also moved closer to my current major life goals. I got to know myself better and gained a deeper understanding of who I am.
(Max, 2015-16)
Trust and growth
Looking back on the collaboration, the mutual respect with those I work closest with, and the support we give each other, I increasingly feel like I’ve become a true part of my project. Over time, I realized just how much trust was placed in me from the very beginning. At first, I absolutely didn’t feel capable – I lacked a certain know-how. Facing a task that allowed for many approaches, and finding my own way within it, was one of the challenges I repeatedly encountered. But it was precisely these tasks, which I had to manage on my own at first, and the trust – or even more so, the acceptance – of my approach and opinions from others, that I came to experience as a form of freedom.
(Myrta, 2016-17)
Living Auroville – with head, heart, and hands
Many people have grown very dear to me, and so I didn’t just explore Auroville as an ‘exciting project’ — I lived within it and poured my feelings into it. This is something I learned here: not only to use my mind and intellect but to truly feel and be involved. Following the motto “Head – Heart – Hands”, I was able to freely express myself in all these areas, and in doing so, magical moments were created – moments I will never forget and that have changed me.
(Carina, 2019-20)
Looking back – the most beautiful weeks of my life
In retrospect, the last weeks before my sudden departure were probably the most beautiful weeks of my life so far. Auroville, my project, and the many new people I met were no longer just part of my new home – they became my family. I had never felt freer or more content than in those final days at this fascinating place. I had truly arrived in the present moment; everything I did felt like a blessing. Everything in my life seemed to have happened to bring me exactly where I was meant to be. My ‘work’ became a place of learning and constant growth. The people around me became my family. My life, a source of joy. I’ve recently learned to trust that even when things turn out differently than you might have hoped, they unfold exactly as they should.
(Max, 2020-21 – the Weltwärts group that had to leave Auroville in March due to Covid rules)
Sitting on my veranda – reflections at the end of my year in Auroville
I’m sitting on my veranda in Auroville, somewhere between packed suitcases, mosquitoes, and the fading sounds of a Tamil pop song drifting in from afar. Somehow, I still can’t quite believe it: my time here is coming to an end. Twelve months in a world that can’t be summed up in a single sentence, and I’m trying to find the right words for it. Auroville – the place where spiritual seekers, artists, idealists, goats, cheeky cows, and countless ambitious visions for the future come together. And in the middle of it all: me. With a pack of cigarettes in my pocket, mosquito spray, lots of questions, a whirlwind of emotions, and sometimes a slightly overwhelmed view of a world where everything somehow seems possible – and at the same time, sometimes nothing seems to work. I don’t leave as a hero or a world changer. I leave as someone who has learned that small gestures can sometimes have more impact than big plans. That listening is often more important than giving answers. That patience here means staying calm when plans change unexpectedly and simply making the best of it. I take away the understanding that true connection doesn’t depend on a shared language, but on genuine attention. That it’s okay not to understand everything – and that’s often where the best encounters happen. I take away the lesson that sometimes you have to go far away to realize what truly matters to you. And that a place like Auroville leaves its marks, even long after you’ve gone elsewhere. Thank you to everyone who accompanied me here – who shared with me, helped, endured, and celebrated. Thank you to the kids who showed me how little it sometimes takes to make a day special. Thank you to Auroville – for all the beautiful, strange, and contradictory moments. And thank you to myself for daring to take this journey. Even when I honestly wondered at times, “What am I even doing here?!”