‘Calling the Future’s preliminary results of a community survey

In May, the community was invited to participate in the ‘Calling the future’ survey. 245 people

participated, the majority of whom (over 90%) were Aurovilian residents. One purpose was to

find out how residents had experienced and responded to the lockdown. Another was to find out from the perspective of an enforced break from our usual activities – what changes people felt needed to be made, both in their individual lives and in the organization of the community, and to assess how many people would be willing to be actively involved in making such changes.

The results are still being analyzed in detail, and additional responses from under-

represented groups are being sought, but certain broad lines are already emerging.

The general response

In answer to the question, “What do you think of Auroville’s response to the crisis?” the vast

majority (86%) felt there was much to be celebrated. These included the calm, disciplined

response to the crisis, the spirit of service displayed in the volunteering, the way that the

essential services kept running, and the dedicated work of groups like the COVID Task Force,

the Working Committee and Security. There was a feeling of fraternity and cooperation,

reflected in the way that food delivery services were provided for those who needed assistance,

as well as in the financial assistance offered by individuals and the Village Action group to those

in neighbouring villages.

However, while some lauded the general maturity shown by the residents during the

lockdown, 62% felt that certain things could have been improved. It was noted that there had

been instances of irresponsible behavior, like people hoarding basic supplies, and

rebelliousness, as in those refusing to observe social distancing. Communication was also an

issue. While the updates from the COVID Task Force and Working Committee were

appreciated, a few said the tone was too functional, conformist and lacked any sense of spiritual

inspiration or guidance. And those who accessed Auronet felt that at a time when it needed to

be a forum for mutual support, it was too often a venue for mudslinging, recrimination and

paranoia.

Personal responses

On the personal level, an astonishing 84% said they had positively changed habits. As their

lives became radically simplified by the lockdown, they had more time for family, for slowing

down and living in the present, for paying attention to their immediate environment, for regular

exercise and walks in nature, and for connecting to the self and the spirit of Auroville through

meditation and reading the works of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Many became more aware

about the food they were eating, about its nutritional value and where it comes from, and how

they could make choices that would support local food production.

And, in the absence of workers and tourists, many celebrated the quietness, the general

atmosphere of peace, which descended upon the community during the lockdown.

There was also an increased sense of solidarity as people in different communities took

responsibility for caring for each other and their immediate environment, cooking collective

meals, gardening and looking after waste disposal. While some celebrated the new spirit of self-

help – “Auroville once more for the Aurovilians!’ one person joyfully wrote – others noted that

now they had a new appreciation of the work and support provided by their regular household

helps and community workers and said this would be reflected in how they would relate to them in future.

In that future, 75% said they would adapt their food consumption as much as possible to the

availability of home-grown production, 69% would be more attentive and compassionate with

one another, and just under 50% would be willing to volunteer according to the needs of the

hour. Another 44% would be willing to accept more in-kind contributions than cash in their

maintenances.

Many (76%) also experienced negative changes. The most common were a sense of

isolation and panic and a feeling that the community aspect had suffered. Others mentioned

financial concerns, difficulty in getting food, and missing the ability to visit the Matrimandir.

Asked what surprised them most during the lockdown, they mentioned the resilience of the

community, the adaptability of Aurovilians, and the realization of how much of the essential work can be done by the residents. They were also surprised by how living much more simply was a bonus. They realized that what they had viewed before as a ‘necessity’ (office work, frequent meetings etc.) was no such thing and now they had the time to explore more interesting pursuits. “I am no longer thinking of my work in terms of ‘what the world sees’”, wrote one, “I am thinking about doing work that fills my heart with joy and brings joy to those I share my life with.”

Asked to summarise their experience in a few words, respondents mentioned “learning to

live with what I have”, “gluing more together”, “going from ‘mine’ to ‘ours’ and ‘Hers’”, and

“reconnecting with the spirit of Auroville”.

The negative surprises included the level of fear and paranoia generated in the community,

and the realization of how much we are dependent upon outside funding, labour and tourism to sustain our present lifestyle and development.

What needs to change

A theme that emerged time and again was that the lockdown was a unique opportunity for

Auroville to look deeply at itself and to make radical changes. “It’s a chance we cannot lose”,

wrote one, “It’s an opening for a new world to emerge”, wrote another.

For while the lockdown threw up many positives, it also highlighted weaknesses and gaps.

Regarding the economy, the lockdown and freeze on financial activities revealed how much our

economy is dependent upon tourism and guests, while it also accentuated existing inequalities

in the community regarding maintenances and income.

Food autonomy also became a pressing issue at a time when food provision from external

sources could not be guaranteed, and many people realized how little support was provided to

our farmers and to expanding our food growing capabilities.

Asked in which fields Auroville needs to change, an overwhelming majority of respondents

(73%) listed the economy, followed closely by farming/ food distribution (64%) and water and

energy supply (52%). Social interaction/collective life (50%) and spiritual life and aspirations

(41%) were also frequently mentioned as areas where we need to improve.

Respondents were asked to identify one or two of the most important changes that needed

to happen in the areas they identified. Those who identified the present economy said there is a

need to support the basic needs of all residents, possibly through providing a universal basic

income, and to minimise or eliminate money exchange between residents through some kind of prosperity system for essential goods and services. Others said far more Aurovilians need to

work directly for the collective, there is a need to find an alternative to tourism as the mainstay

of the economy and, more generally, “move away from the money mind”.

Ways of moving towards food self-sufficiency included providing additional financial support

to existing farms, allocating more land for farming, encouraging communities to grow their own

food through the cultivation of circle gardens, and encouraging more people to participate in

farming. In this context, suggestions included building 50 houses on existing farmland to

encourage people to work there, and requiring all residents to work one day a week on farms or in food distribution.

The environment was another area of concern, and suggestions for changes included a

more conscious use of our water resources and the need to become independent of the TNEB

grid through the widespread adoption of solar power.

Others mentioned the need to strengthen spiritual life by following the spiritual guidance

provided by Mother for Auroville, and through the development of a genuinely integral

education.

Some specific initiatives to effect change were proposed during the lockdown. When asked if

they supported them, 10% of respondents said they did not know of any of these initiatives and

another 10% didn’t know some of them, a reflection of that fact that they hadn’t been

communicated well enough in the community. Of those who replied in the affirmative, 41%

supported Solitude Krishna’s proposal to accelerate food sovereignty for Auroville through the

creation of circle gardens in communities and eating local foods, 34% supported Jasmine’s call

to improve food security and distribution, while 27% endorsed the Exploring Prosperity proposal which seeks to provide the basic necessities to all Aurovilian residents. Other initiatives that received support included David’s post-pandemic planning proposal and detailed suggestions for preparing Auroville for future emergencies from the Deep Adaptation group. Already existing proposals, like those for the Birth Centre and the Lotus proposal for re-inventing our economy, were also mentioned.

However, some skepticism was expressed. “We need real transformation, not old wine in

new bottles,” wrote one respondent. “This is not to say that the above initiatives are not

valuable...But let’s please not pretend they are in any way resembling a relevant shift or

transformative development, because it’s not. It could be, if we, for example, stop treating these

proposals as individual initiatives and invite everyone to sit together and make it into one

integrated and collaborative initiative.”

Caveats and comments

The findings of the survey need to be treated with caution. Firstly, the 245 respondents

represent only about 11% of the adult Aurovilian population, and certain sections of the

community – notably those under 30 years and those born in the local area – were very under-

represented. The survey team is at present making efforts to get more responses from these

groups.

Secondly, the survey was conducted during the most rigorous part of the lockdown. Since

then it has been relaxed, and many people have gone back to their usual work and routines. It’s

unclear, therefore, if the positive changes people speak about in their individual lives have all

survived a relative return to normality, although the broad institutional changes suggested seem to have deeper roots for many of them have been mentioned often over the years.

Thirdly, a number of respondents criticised the survey – many felt it was too long, that some

of the questions were too complicated or required them giving the same information more than once – and this may have impacted the quality of the responses. Many did not answer the

second part in questions that required a two part answer. Again, the fact that it was compulsory

to answer each question was a source of irritation to some, and there is a suspicion that they

may have rushed through some replies just to complete the survey.

A major lacuna was that the survey form did not provide links to the recent proposals for

change, which may be one reason why so many respondents replied that they had not read

them.

Finally, it’s always difficult to know how much weight to attribute to the answers that merely

ask respondents to tick boxes and, of course, it’s always easier to make promises on paper than

stand by them when called upon to do so.

But having conceded all this, the survey does seem to give valuable, if broad brush,

indications of people’s experience during the lockdown and their ideas about the changes that

need to be made, along with their willingness to be involved in making such changes. For what

does seem to emerge is an individual and collective willingness to use the unique experience of

the lockdown as a springboard for change, as a way of ‘calling the future’.

The survey was only the first step. Hopefully, those who have proposed specific initiatives for

change will use it as an inspiration and practical help to implement those changes. They will be

heartened by the fact that 60% of respondents said they were willing to participate in projects

that may emerge, or be given new life, as a result of the survey, particularly those related to the

economy, food production, and the environment, while a further 22% said they might be willing

to help.