Auroville's monthly news magazine since 1988

Issue Nº305

Dec 2014 (131 months ago)
Download PDF (free download)

Heeding the Call: Sustainability for South India and Beyond

Feature, By Kavitha

Women receiving training at an Auroville hammock making unit in Kottakarai

Tamil Nadu today is ranked among India’s most ‘developed’ states. Increasingly urbanised, it has a growing service sector in the cities, and is a proud leader in healthcare and information technology.

The Evolutionary Cafe

An interview with David Nightingale and Ulli, By Alan

Ulli and David

Recently, Auroville residents were invited to participate in a new series of the Evolutionary Café which take place every two weeks in the Unity Pavilion.

Matrimandir – a hymn to the builders of the future

Feature, By Carel

Dominique Darr

The name of Dominique Darr is indissolubly connected to the early days of Auroville. Who in Auroville doesn’t know her photo of a lone granite stone with the letters AV painted on it, marking Auroville land?

Caring for Auroville – the Auroville Health Services (AVHS)

An interview with Manfred, By Alan

.jpg

Auroville Health Services (AVHS), a team of eight members, is a non-profit service in the area of public health and health care for seniors.

Auroville Council getting up steam

An interview with Sindhuja, By Carel

The sounds of Divine Harmony

An interview with Vera, By Christian

Vera playing the Russian Singing Bells

Many visitors to Auroville have heard the ‘Russian Singing Bells’, a set of differently sized brass plates of rectangular shape, which are hit with several kinds of mallets.

Sri Aurobindo – Selected photos

Book review, By Michael Bonke

Four years after publishing a book with selected photos of the Mother, we are happy to present the companion book with pictures of Sri Aurobindo.

ONE ASIA, 2014

An interview with Jyoti Naoki Eri and Isha, By Alan

Jyoti and Isha

In 2010, the first ‘ONE ASIA’ event was held in Auroville. It brought together artists and tea masters from various Asian countries to explore and strengthen unity between their cultures, as well as introducing the richness of Asian cultures to Auroville.

Working Committee selection

Feature

On October 27th, the Residents’ Assembly passed a revised Participatory Working Group proposal and a three-day selection process for the new Working Committee members with 291 people voting in favour, 133 people against and 25 abstentions.

New location for Sri Aurobindo statue at UNESCO Auroville International France, which has had a close relationship with the UNESCO headquarters in Paris through the years, has been collaborating to change the venue of the Sri Aurobindo statue at UNESCO.

First Matrimandir test pond completed In a group work that for some people was reminiscent of the Matrimandir concretings of the past, the lining of the first of the six tests ponds of the Matrimandir [see AVToday September 2014] was completed early November, just before the monsoon rains.

Code of conduct The Auroville Council announced that attempts to create a ‘Code of conduct and eligibility criteria’ for members of working groups has failed due to limited community participation and widely diverging opinions on the topic.

Land Board The Governing Board, in its meeting of August 2014, decided on the merger of all land related working groups, such as the Land and Estate Management group, the Land Resource Management Group, the Land Consolidation Committee and the Land Development Group, into one overarching Land Board of seven persons.

Housing issues The Housing Service and the Housing Board have concluded that as at present there are no funds available for housing for Aurovilians without financial means, it is not possible to accept any more new Aurovilians without them having the minimum funds for housing.

House steward’s absence The Auroville Housing Policy stipulates that if a house steward has left Auroville for longer than 5 years, the stewardship lapses and the asset returns to the community, to be re-allocated by the Housing Service.

Firewood shortage Due to the weather and the fact that the wood stocks from Cyclone Thane are slowly decreasing, there is not enough dry firewood available for various Auroville units like the Bakery, Tanto Pizzeria and the Visitors Centre.

International Zone developments In a meeting between members of the International Zone Coordination Team and L’Avenir / Town Development Council, it has been agreed that the Coordination Team prepare a number of applications for approval such as the loop road, the fencing, an urban design plan and a preliminary study for a Detailed Development Plan.

Auroville International The Netherlands Auroville International The Netherlands reported that its Facebook page is frequently visited, particularly its Trend Watching posting, which contains a report by two Dutch students of the Fontys Academy for Creative Industries (‘International Lifestyle Studies’) who are doing a research project in Auroville.

Mosquito control There are two types of mosquitoes in Auroville. There is the large slow Armigeres, which breeds in septic tanks and grey water. Then there is the zippy little striped one, Aedes, which transmits dengue, chikungunya, and filaria.

Korean evening On November 27, the Korean Pavilion team organized a Korean evening. It included a Korean new wave music performance by the group Noreum Machi, which visited India to celebrate the opening of the Consulate General of the Republic of South Korea in Chennai.

Deficient monsoon so far This year’s rainfall stands at around 1180 mm as against the yearly average of 1299 mm.

Enforcement of Food Safety Regulations Auroville Food Units have been warned that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has stepped up enforcement measures. All Auroville food processing units have been advised to maintain the highest level of conformity to food safety regulations.