Issue Nº316

The article “Auroville’s spirituality” in the August-September 2015 issue of Auroville Today contains a section on the Auroville schools. Concern is expressed that many of Auroville’s youngsters hardly know of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and that most of the Auroville schools do not communicate anything of their vision.

Besides the interviews, 54 students of Future School aged 14 to 18 filled in a questionnaire, asking them how they would define spirituality, whether they think schools should be the channel that teaches the work of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, whether they would like to learn about the history of Auroville and The Mother and Sri Aurobindo at school, and how they would like to be introduced to the work of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

We are stardust We are golden And we’ve got to get ourselves Back to the garden. (Lyrics from “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell)

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].

Four long-term Aurovilians involved in village development and commerce talk about Auroville and India.

Outreach Media plays a crucial role in how Auroville is communicated to the larger world. How does it function and what are the challenges it faces?

Margarita, jointly with Guidelma, runs MG EcoDuties, an activity under Auroville Activities Trusts. MG EcoDuties researches and manufactures All Natural, Biodegradable, Non-Toxic Cleaning and Well Being products that are 100% eco-friendly (“this means truly 100%, and not just a bit,” says Margarita), economical (“especially for Aurovilians who live on a low maintenance”); do not add to the landfills (“as people can fill-up their own bags and bottles”); are not damaging washing machines, fabrics and pipelines or are clogging sceptic tanks; and are beneficial for human health.

Auroville.com’s website appears a tad conservative for an e-tailer (or e-commerce) unit. “Expect a lot of changes,” says Stephan. “In a few months, it will be all different!”

In October, the fourth Auroville Film festival took place. “The aim of the Auroville Film Festival,” says the Festival brochure, “is to connect with people and cultures within and beyond Auroville and to further the aspiration of human unity by showcasing films that develop the theme of human unity.”

Auroville, a melting pot of arts, culture, science and society, has been involved in many educational outreach initiatives since the 1980’s.

Auroville’s Land Board has released a new film Landing Auroville. Created by Rakhal and the Auro-Image team, in cooperation with Auroville’s land fundraisers, this 8-minute film is a stirring call for completing Auroville’s body – its land.

The Matrimandir Calendar 2016 has 12 beautiful panorama photos made by Giorgio and Tine with The Mother’s handwritten ‘blessings’ on the back and quotations from Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri on the photo page.

On August 28th, the one hour film The Matrimandir: Honouring Piero Cinconeci (Part 1) was shown in Cinema Paradiso. The film is about Piero’s work for the Matrimandir which, say the film makers, would never have been built without his quiet and unceasing efforts, day after day, for twenty five years.