Dr Karan Singh

Auroville exists in more than one dimension – there is the occult as well as the material dimension – which makes it difficult to assess what really is most important or influential in terms of the community’s development.

A year ago, architect David Nightingale talked about how Spiral Dynamics could provide one way of understanding the present situation in Auroville.

In November 1988, thirty-four years ago, Auroville Today began life, and this month marks our 400th issue. Peter Lloyd, one of our most loyal subscribers and a recent addition to our editorial team gives his reflection.

After completing his higher studies at Delhi University, Dr. Jai Singh joined Auroville in 1992. His wife and children joined a year later. Jai has been a member of the Auroville Council, and has also worked at SEWA, Village Action and New Creation School.

The caption below the photo of Dr. Karan Singh and Dr Abdul Kalam on page 1 of the December 2020 issue of Auroville Today # 377 mentions mistakenly “With Prime Minister Abdul Kalam, at Auroville, November 2004”.

Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, leading scholar of Indian culture, art and art history, and Padma Vibhushan award, passed away on September 16, 2020 at her Delhi home, at the age of 91.

Auroville is under attack, both from the outside and the inside. It started in February 2019 with the publication of the book Auroville – A Dream Hijacked, authored by Dr.

On September 8th, 2019, Dr. Karan Singh, the Chairman of the Auroville Foundation, inaugurated the Mahalakshmi home for elderly Auroville residents.

The Journey of Auroville festival, a project under the special grants from the Government of India for Auroville’s 50th anniversary, was most recently held in Kolkata (earlier called Calcutta) from 28 to 31 January 2019.

During the community interaction with the Governing Board members on September 8th, Dr. Kiran Bedi, the Lt Governor of Pondicherry, lauded Dr.

The Auro Vidya Retreat, a branch of the Pondicherry-based Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research (SACAR) directed by Dr. Ananda Reddy, was inaugurated at its location near Auroville on September 9, 2018.

The Journey of Auroville is a project under the special grants from the Government of India for Auroville’s 50th anniversary. Officially started with the Auroville Expo in Delhi, which took place in November 2017 and comprised an exhibition and two conferences at the Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts and the UNESCO Office, this 50th anniversary commemorative project has evolved into a festival format to reflect the many facets of Auroville’s vision and realities over the past fifty years.

On February 26, Dr. Karan Singh, the Chairman of the Auroville Foundation, inaugurated the Auroville Archives. The building houses a treasure trove of Auroville data.

That the visit of Sri Narendra Modi would cause a lot of commotion was to be expected. Just how much became clear by the middle of January, when the Aurovilians found out that access to many roads was blocked, diverting them to dusty bypasses.

YouthLink celebrated Auroville’s 50th Anniversary by launching two of its projects, the Hive and the Joy of Impermanence.

As a prelude to next year’s Golden Jubilee, a series of events took place in the nation’s capital in November to create awareness of what Auroville is, has achieved and aims to become.

On February 28th 2018, Auroville will celebrate the anniversary of its 50th year. The occasion presents an unprecedented opportunity to honour the birth and vision of Auroville, to increase the recognition of its relevance for India and the world, to attract people of all ages from India and abroad to visit Auroville and participate in the events, and to document and share its journey of 50 years.

On August 14th, the new building of the Auroville Electrical Service and the Auroville Solar Service in the Service Area was inaugurated by Dr.

Alain Bernard, a trustee of Auroville Village Action, introduces the Sustainable Livelihood Institute (SLI) project, a joint project of Auroville and the Government of Tamil Nadu.

During the recent visit of the Governing Board, its Chairman, Dr. Karan Singh inaugurated the Educational and Research Network of Auroville, which connects us to the National Knowledge Network of India [see Auroville Today No.313-14].

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first meeting of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in 1914, the Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER) has published its second compilation of remembrances of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

On March 1st, 2015, the Auroville Festival in Chennai was launched at the ITC Grand Chola by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, His Excellency Dr. K.

Sometimes it’s the small moments of synchronicity that seem to point quietly at something else that is at work, perhaps a grace. Such was the case for the recent Saarang exhibition, event at India Space in Bharat Nivas.

On 23rd January, 2010, for the French Pavilion, Alain Bernard gave a talk on the background and passing of the Auroville Foundation Act. Here is an edited version of the translation of that talk.

The term of office of Shri N. Bala Baskar, IAS (retd.) the Secretary to the Auroville Foundation, will end on August 16th. He had been Secretary from 1996 till 2001, and rejoined the Auroville Foundation on March 8th, 2012.