Exiles’ views

Valentina Garozzo

In early March I flew from Chennai to Sri Lanka for a short vacation. After two days, I discovered that I was unable to return to Auroville because India had closed the borders to Italian passport holders. I must confess: I felt my world collapsed. It couldn’t be true... I tried to stay more days on the island hoping to receive miraculous news, but soon it was clear that there was no other option than flying to my country as soon as possible. I landed in Rome on March 21st and I had to stay there for two months before I was able to reach my parents in northern Italy. It has been four months since then. 

Italy is in chaos and in a heavy crisis. The limitations on individual freedom, due to the emergency regulations imposed by the Government, are evident and often incomprehensible. The whole world is in the same situation, and I wonder:  Can we do better? 

Yet, despite all what’s going on, I can’t help but feel immense gratitude for what I have experienced recently. I don’t recall having lived through such a dark period, but at the same time I recognize its great fertility. I feel it’s like a sort of gestation process, in which I want to powerfully bring all my attention inward, giving myself a strong discipline and scheduling my routine by distributing my time equally for my body, mind, spirit, and outer work, which I’m doing daily for Auroville Art Service despite the physical distance. 

Yes, because the umbilical cord that keeps me hooked to Auroville certainly did not break. Every day, in fact, I offer my service and I am constantly in connection with friends. Auroville is here with me, accompanying me step by step. This is another sign that this experimental city is indeed not only a physical space, but also a vibration, an attitude, an intention, which all those who feel its call carry it in their hearts to the places where they live. 

This period of COVID-19, which has brought turmoil on a global level, for me has demonstrated that is precisely in the darkest moments that there’s a special possibility opening up: the opportunity to bring to the surface as much light as possible, the one that is hidden inside that shadow. 

In recent months I’ve written and published my third book on this topic, Una nuova storia: La rivoluzione interiore necessaria

Since I decided to break through the difficulties, my creativity has been a flowing river and I can’t help but to go with it. Sometimes I wonder if this creative journey would have happened if I had stayed in my warm Aurovilian cocoon. The answer somehow is clear: everyone is exactly where they should be, a bright pawn in an evolutionary game in which everyone has his own individual experience to live. 

Nobody can play for us, there are no shortcuts or easier ways. The important thing is to take everything with a playful attitude, to smile, to move forward grounded in the present moment, to have an unshakeable faith in the universal wisdom that guides us.

Dan Greenberg

Having squeaked out of India on the last seat of one of the final flights before international travel shut down in March and hoping to return on one of the first flights once they resume, my time away has felt like a parallel reality to what my friends and colleagues experienced during the pandemic in Auroville.

Although a U.S. citizen, I returned to southern Ontario to support my elder daughter, Simone, while my wife Monique stayed with our younger daughter, Pema, in Auroville. Although relatively safe and calm up here in Canada, being just 10km from the U.S. border has felt like living in the apartment above a crack house! 

My time away has led to four important insights. First, being in the “belly of the beast” has helped me see our world’s unfolding drama more clearly and how vital is the role Auroville plays as we near the climax of this movie.  

The pandemic seems to have flipped the switch and catalyzed humanity’s and perhaps the planet’s first conscious experience of our collective interdependence as well as our collective vulnerability, which I believe is pouring fuel on the fire of our conscious evolution. In this light, it is natural that our collective shadows are emerging and fighting for their survival. 

As humanity’s systems, structures, and worldviews dissolve into a sort of nutritive soup all around us, similar to a caterpillar in its cocoon, Auroville is like an imaginal cell, offering a blueprint the DNA for a “butterfly” culture. I can’t wait to come home!

Second, from this wider perspective, I have come to further appreciate things about Auroville that I noticed or heard about, which I suspect are easy to take for granted from inside. The COVID19 Task Force was quick to assemble and, along with the Working Committee, has been organized and thorough in its communications. Over a hundred cheerful volunteers stepped up to keep essential services running and support those less fortunate, both in Auroville and the surrounding region. And Solar Kitchen tiffins, Solitude Farm’s vegetable boxes, and PTDC’s basket delivery service all allowed people to be well-nourished during lockdown. 

In addition to more time for meditation and inner solitude, it seems that for many, Auroville’s Greenbelt and abundant nature has become a newly appreciated site of spiritual nourishment.

Third, it seems this period has pointed to some ways Auroville can become more resilient and impactful going forward. I hope Krishna’s Circle Gardens project and the “Roots” group will continue to increase our access to local food, both cultivated and wild. I hope we can continue to explore how we can best support ourselves financially, perhaps by shifting the maintenance system to some form of Universal Basic Income.

When I left, I assumed I would be outside the bubble of communication, but was surprised and appreciative of how much moved online. This has sparked in me excitement for how much impact Auroville might have in the world if we virtually shared more of our gifts and wisdom through webinars, online courses, meetups, etc.

Finally, feeling a part of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. (and now around the world) has inspired me to dig deeper into my own unexamined biases. While I have worked hard to be a good ally to oppressed populations, I still carry a knapsack of white privilege that I hope to further unpack and release. Similarly, while Auroville is ahead of the curve in so many ways, there is still a lot of work for us to do as we continue our journey towards our vision of human unity and the City the Earth needs. May this “time out of time” allow all of us to reflect and sink deeper into our core vision and a recognition of our fundamental interbeingness with each other and all life.