Auroville's monthly news magazine since 1988
May 2014 (137 months ago) Download PDF (free download)
A considered editorial — Authored by Editors
Feature — Words by Ing-Marie
Feature — Words by Auralice, Niranjan, Rajamani, Chandrah and Suryan
There is a strong group of youth (ages 30-45) engaged in solid waste work in Auroville. Indeed, all of the people featured in this article fall roughly into that age range. We asked some of them, “Why are there so many Aurovilians involved in waste work?” Here are their responses:
Feature
Feature — Words by Bindu
Eco Femme, a manufacturer of reusable sanitary pads in Auroville, recently met with conservancy workers in Chennai and learnt about the devastating social impact of disposable pads. Bindu reports.
In discussion with Cristo — Interview conducted by Alan
Recently the Town Development Council (TDC) announced that a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed with the Bommayapalayam panchayat. What does this mean, and what is the significance of this initiative? Auroville Today spoke to Cristo, one of the executives of the TDC.
In discussion with Min and Akshay Poongta — Interview conducted by Alan
Last summer, Min Ameen and Akshay Poongta made a presentation to the Auroville community on the topic of ‘Social marketing frameworks and its application to waste management in Auroville’. It aroused a lot of interest. But what are these frameworks? And how are they relevant to Auroville? Min explains.
On art and form
A closer look at
Feature — Words by Rakhal, Sonja, Jo and Anamika
An inward look — Words by Cecilia
An inward look
The Aspiration programme is the first public forum I have encountered that celebrates the first perceptions of new community members, which grounds these within the founding principles of the dream, and which enables access to the wealth of knowledge generated in the 46 years of Auroville’s existence.
In memoriam:
June Maher, founder of the Auroville Association/Auroville International USA, passed away on Friday April 25th in the Watsonville, CA hospital, the same day that her husband had left four years earlier. Her son Grant was with her. As Andrea van der Loo put it in an announcement, “June had been suffering the long term after effects of a heart condition in the form of severe oedema which kept her mostly chair bound with round the clock care. But the discomfort did not affect her. Being confined to her living room, her legs constantly wrapped in pressure bandages, being hauled from one doctor’s appointment to another, her spirit was unwavering. She would chuckle: “I’m just here in my sacred cave,” and laugh at her condition. She had surrendered to her children’s desire that she follow ‘doctor’s orders’, which she then did most conscientiously. June never wanted anyone to worry about her, because her spirit was with the Divine Mother and she had complete faith. She much rather shared the joy of life and this beautiful springtime with her friends, rather than have them be concerned about her body. June loved the earth, her garden, her roses, her children, her grandchildren, humanity and everyone’s journey into wholeness whatever form that took. It seemed that she was never in judgment but always kept an open mind and a surrendered, compassionate heart. She loved many and many loved her. When I accompanied her last year to a ‘soul level’ astrology reading by Mark Borax, the first thing he said was: Mark: I think the reason you are here is to bring on the new earth and that your soul is especially in resonance with the planet of love and truth that is hidden under the mundane skin of the 6 o’clock news planet that most people dwell in. June: I need a tissue… I don’t know why that makes me cry. Mark: I feel that your soul is resonating in affinity with the earth inside the earth that you are one midwife of and that you’re midwifing the future. That’s almost all you’re here to do and there is no one right way to do that so it involves a kind of discovering what your actual job is. You know what the title of it is: You’re the Midwife of the Future. You’re here to bring on the new earth. You’re here to trust and believe that which you sense to be real. June dedicated her life to the Mother and to the development of Auroville, our ‘City of the Future’ and she never wavered in her vision of the manifestation of the Divine consciousness on earth and in her dedication to help bring that about.” June’s body was cremated on April 30th in Santa Cruz, CA. In Auroville, friends and well-wishers of June gathered around the Banyan Tree on May 1st, to be with her.