Auroville’s relationship to India

How would you describe Auroville’s relationship to India?

Kumbha: We are a bubble, absolutely. There’s a lot going on in Auroville, and there’s a lot going on in India outside. Link-ups between the two are increasingly happening, but not so much. From a business point of view, the opportunity offered by India is huge, but I don’t think we are close to capitalising on all the opportunities out there.

Why? It’s partly because of our ‘style’ which is a bit laid-back, and partly because some people feel we did not come here to do business. These are two quite large reasons why I think we’re not embracing India more.

Alain: It’s a matter of perspective. Some Aurovilians are more inward-looking, focussed upon what is happening here, others are naturally more oriented to the world outside.

There’s a lot of madness out there, and I can understand Auroville does not want to connect to the aspect of India that is unsustainable. However, what is certain is that India has accepted Auroville, and Auroville should contribute to India as much as it can. And I think that to quite an extent it does.

Abha: Many Aurovilians are aware that we have to be connected, that we are connected, with India. But some Aurovilians seem unaware that there is a reason for Auroville being in India. This, I feel, is very undesirable.

Kumbha: This kind of attitude makes me uncomfortable. We have to accept India as it is, that we are in India, and work with that.

Abha: We need to have relations with India but, on the other hand, Auroville needs to be true to itself, and we Aurovilians need to be true to ourselves. Sometimes I fear that we tend to lose this touch with our raison d’être. We need to discover it and live by what we are supposed to be doing to become true Aurovilians.

How is Auroville viewed in India?

Alain: It seems that some people have an image of Auroville as a gated community where people of a supposedly high consciousness live together who don’t want anything to do with the rest of India. Of course, it is not like that and must not be like that.

Other people are very positive. I remember that when the top person from the Comptroller and Auditor-General’s office of India visited Auroville he was obviously very touched. “Such a God’s work!” I remember him saying. He showed that in India there is the capability to understand Auroville at a deeper level: that its fundamental link to the world, its purpose, is to work on evolution and, as Mother put it, to be the solution to the problems of India and humanity. This is why our relationship with India is very deep, very subtle, and it is one of the reasons why Auroville has been sustained.

Kumbha: I run into different attitudes to Auroville. Some people know nothing and only think of Pondicherry and Auroville as holiday destinations. Others think Auroville is an ashram because they totally confuse us with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Of late, though, some of the people I know who have come here have been really impressed. They feel we are quite closed to visitors, and our no-cash system frustrates them, but they really appreciate the quality we are delivering in pretty much everything we do.

Abha: Looking at it from the local point of view, from that of the girls who work with us at Shradhanjali, Auroville has a double-sided image. On the one hand, they are dazzled by the Auroville they experience when, for example, we go to Matrimandir or on tours of the community. They are dazzled by the concept, by what has brought so many Aurovilians here and also the fact that Aurovilians can be utterly charming.

However, there is another side to it. Many of these girls have worked here for many years, decades in fact, eight hours a day, but they feel they are invisible, disregarded, by the larger Auroville; that they have no say in anything that goes on here. It comes out in small examples. When Sydo passed away, Auroville had a gathering for him at the Banyan tree. Many of the girls knew him and wanted to go, but they could not because they were not Aurovilians. Or take our beautiful new health centre. It is only for Aurovilians, Auroville guests and visitors. An Auroville worker cannot go there. They ask, Why not? Then immediately they get the feeling that we are an exclusive club. It bothers me deeply. So much depends upon the goodwill of these people and we should be more conscious of how we are with them.

As to how Auroville is viewed by the people we supply with our products, they are extremely positive. However, they also have extremely high expectations of Aurovilians, so whenever an Aurovilian does not measure up to the ideal in their dealings or in the products supplied, they are disappointed.

Kathy: I think most of the people that initially contact us at Eco-Femme have no idea about Auroville. I don’t think this project would have been possible without Auroville, so I feel very passionate about explaining that it is born out of the soil of Auroville.

At the same time, I feel it’s a delicate one because people do not necessarily come to us to get the story of why we are doing what we are doing; they just want the product or the service.

Of course, if we have a longer relationship I always encourage people to visit. Many do, and you can feel their eyes opening wide: they are struck by the beauty and they often sense that something bigger is going on here. Then we can explain that what we are doing in menstrual health and hygiene is an integral approach that comes from the spirit of Auroville.

How would you describe Auroville’s relationship with the Central and State Governments?

Alain: I think that the passing of the Auroville Foundation Act in 1988 by the Indian Parliament surely had a Force behind it; a friendly high bureaucrat who did help a lot even said it was a miracle. But then there is the question of what we make of it. When it comes to our relationship with the Central Government, I think in a way we benefit from benign neglect. In that sense, I think we are far freer than we think we are to make experiments. The other reason why we are free is I feel that in India, if you are really sincere, no government will block your way.

As for our relationship with the Tamil Nadu Government, I think the planned Sustainable Livelihood Institute marks a new possibility, even though it is still early days. One very important aspect is to bring people of the State administration to Auroville to study what is being done here in the field of sustainability and understand that things can be different. I think there is some general understanding at the top that things have to change, and that Auroville can play a role in this.

In terms of your contacts with people outside, do you feel you are representatives, ambassadors, of Auroville?

Abha: For me, it is totally like that. I am aware that each one of us, each Auroville product, service, represents Auroville, and that Auroville is continually being judged on the quality of these things.

Kumbha: I am always an ambassador for Auroville when someone shows an interest, and I hope I give the best possible impression. But I never push it if it doesn’t come up. One reason is that it can lead to a very long discussion: it is not easy to explain this place.

When you talk about Auroville, do you feel you need to be protective of it, to project a positive image?

Abha: I always say we are not perfect, we’re just walking the path, because people will come upon the contradictions for sure. Generally, people are wonderfully impressed on their first visit to this place. On the second visit already, they begin to see the shadows.

Alain: At a certain level we do not live up to the ideal, but at the same time I know that even the present Auroville has an impact on people. When I told my father-in-law, who had been quite a big industrialist, that the fixed assets in Auroville do not belong to anyone, he was impressed. “That makes a difference”, he said.

Kathy: Some people seem to think some super-body is coordinating Auroville, but then they do not understand why so many things are difficult to reconcile or contradictory. Explaining how decentralised Auroville is helps people make sense of it, even if the contradictions remain.

Why is Auroville not better known in India?

Alain: It is partly because it is so difficult to explain this place. I was able to speak much more about Auroville years ago. Today, I don’t know what to say because, ultimately, what is Auroville? It is a mystery. What is really being done here?

J.R.D.Tata once said it was a wonder that a grandmother sat in a room in Pondicherry and called the young people of the world, and they came.

Kireet said the fact that Auroville has survived is a miracle. How was it that a government, who saw people fighting during those difficult years, did not go for the simple solution and send everyone home? It is a miracle, a string of miracles