Published: January 1989 (37 years ago) in issue Nº 3
Keywords: Galaxy model, Grid / Nebula / Macro layout plans, The Mother on Auroville and Letters
References: The Mother, Roger Anger, Satprem (Bernard Enginger) and Yvonne Artaud
Letters page - Origin of the Galaxy model
To the Editors, Auroville Today,
Please refer to the Editorial of your 2nd issue: “Between 1968 and 1972, a whole team worked on the plans of the city of which Mother dreamt. Mother directed the research, accepting or rejecting the proposals. The work progressed step by step. Then a model was constructed and presented to the world: the Galaxy.”
You thus give the impression that the Galaxy was worked out by Mother in great detail and therefore should not be questioned. The facts do not seem to corroborate this interpretation:
It is in March ’66 that Roger presented the “Radiocentric” plan to Mother; She approved it. Still unsatisfied, Roger worked with his team in Paris during the years 1966-1967 to try to draw a better plan. The Galaxy was finally presented to Mother and to the world at the end of 1967, in time for the inauguration of Auroville.
On 13.4.68, Mother told Satprem: “Yvonne has ideas on education (I do not intervene); he, Roger has ideas on construction (I do not intervene)!”
On 20 & 23.4.68, Mother mentions the Galaxy for the only time in Her Agenda; there, at one instance, She refers to it as being “one of the projects of Auroville”.
In 1971, when Bharat Nivas had to be located, the only site available was in the proposed residential zone. Mother told Roger to rotate his plan so that this site would then be in the international zone. Mother’s flexible approach to town planning did not take into consideration the fact that the galaxy was oriented according to the prevailing winds and the sun.
Mother indeed asked Roger to draw the plan of Her city and guided him. She approved three master plans that were presented to Her; the Galaxy being the last one. We believe that Mother was however not at all rigid about it. It is also hard to believe that the planning process would have stopped 21 years ago and that we would not have to keep up with the movements of the world.
Yours sincerely,
Gilles, Auroville, 22.12.’88