Issue Nº347-348 – News in brief

Mohanam and the Auroville Bamboo Centre are collaborating to create a unique helical designed 50 feet high bamboo tower as a tribute to 50 years of completion of Auroville. The tower is to become a symbol of unity and a prototype for future innovation, and is aimed at becoming the tallest bamboo tower in the world. The ultimate use of the project will be as a viewing tower and a meditation space.

In October 2012 AuroOrchard converted to organic farming all of its central area of about 20 acres, where food for the community is cultivated: vegetables as well as the fruits like papayas, limes, avocados, coconuts, guavas, lemons, ramphal and some mangos. Its free-range eggs are also produced inside this zone. However, the surrounding mango and cashew orchard area of approximately 25 acres continued to be leased to an outside contractor (with some control on types of pesticides used) as the area was too large for the limited farm team and there was no scope to consume all these fruits in Auroville.

From the beginning of this year, with a new contractor, the conversion to organic cultivation of all mango and cashew orchards has started, a process that normally takes 3 years for full conversion. Soil, leaves and fruits samples have been sent for lab testing to know the levels of residual chemicals from past sprays, to know the degree of conversion achieved in this first season.

The Garden of Progress has been brought very close to completion. The 7 m x 7 m pool in its outer portion has been completed, as well as several details in the large central area which features an ascending line of granite stepping stones moving through the three level terraced areas of the garden.

Multi-colored Progress flowers are happily blooming there and the Lagerstroemia speciosa trees, with Mother’s significance of ‘Intimacy with Universal Nature’ are showing their purplish blooms. Her comment on this flower was: “This intimacy is only possible for those who are vast and who are without preference or repulsion.”

In the portion of this garden nearest to the Matrimandir, a curving pathway has been built, moving beside and above a narrow winding water body. The final feature of this garden, a low fountain at the base of the line of granite stepping stones, will be finalized during the coming summer months.

The Matrimandir is calling for design proposals for the Garden of the Unexpected. This garden was described by Roger Anger, the chief architect of Auroville, as a place where a child could have an initiatory experience, a place of wonder, a garden for discovering the unexpected. This garden is in four sections and lies between the Unity Garden and Oval Road, spreading in a Japanese fan-shape from the office to the West Gate. A design brief has been formulated and designers are invited to present as an individual or as collaborative teams a submission that demonstrates a high level of capability, as well as a concise yet compelling design response to the design brief. Registrations close on July 31st. To ensure that the best possible design is selected, experts will be invited to assess and rate the incoming proposals to help select the final one.

With the opening of the new wing at the Auroville Library more space has become available in the main reading hall. Following a proposal from some readers the Dutch and Spanish sections have been made more attractive by expanding their shelf space. A generous book donation has allowed the opening of a Korean section for this rapidly expanding part of our community. The library now houses books in English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Tamil and Korean.

The residents of Djaima community have complained about their recurring problem with poor and inconsistent electric power supply. The residents often live with no current for two or three consecutive days and this results in a water problem, and the impossibility to use essential appliances such as washing machines and fridges. They requested that their supply shifts to a more reliant power line.

Auroville Consulting has designed and is in charge of implementing the installation of 87 smart street lights along the Crown road from the Farewell Centre to the Mahalakshmi Home, from the Visitors Centre to Savitri Bhavan and from the Matrimandir Visitors’ Gate to Solar Kitchen Roundabout. The funds have been made available from the 50th anniversary grant. The street light clusters will be connected to a solar PV system (grid-interactive plus battery storage) which is installed in a public building identified along the stretch. A similar pilot was implemented last year from the Solar Kitchen roundabout to the Vikas Radial crossing, with the PV system in the Auroville Library building.

The Auroville Council and the Auroville Safety and Security Team issued a public warning against careless driving which is on the rise since the speed breakers on Auroville roads were removed for the visit of the Prime Minister. Parents were warned not to allow their children to drive before the right age, and without a driving license or insurance. All road users are encouraged to take more care, obey the rules of the road, and have respect for fellow drivers and pedestrians.

L’avenir d’Auroville has meanwhile finalized the positions for removable speed breakers in the City area which will be installed soon. At the community’s request it will remove the “chicanes”- 10 centimetres high road dividers, as they appear to be a danger to road users.

Since 2010, the Pavilion of Tibetan Culture in Auroville’s International Zone has been inviting teenage students from the Tibetan Children’s Village school in Dharamshala to come to Auroville for a cultural exchange program during their winter vacation. This year the 9th batch of students from 12 to 15 years old visited Auroville.

During the Marathon Market Fair 2018 at the Visitors Center, the children were given information about the land of Auroville and how crucial it is for Auroville to purchase the remaining land. One of the boys said, “Land is the main thing without which we may not be here today. For Auroville to reach Mother’s vision of a universal town with 50,000 inhabitants, Auroville really needs help to purchase all the needed land.” One of the girls followed by saying “How can we help?” and the students decided to contribute their weekly pocket money and made postcards for the Pavilion for fundraising for the lands.

The ownership of a recently bought eight-acre plot of land on the tar road between Certitude and Edayanachavady, for which negotiations have been going on for almost three years, is in dispute and Auroville has been denied possession of the land. The negotiations involved ten different owners, and a family member of one of the parties now claims ownership. The Land Board informed the community that it is confident that it will regain possession of the land as the person has not produced any valid claim and only used threats and violence to take possession of the land.

Markings left by a consultant working for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) revealed that plans are afoot to design a 4-lane National Highway from Ayyur near Vilianur to the north of Kalapet before the toll gate. This road would cross the Auroville Green Belt for a length of 3.5 kilometres through the Forecomers, Pitchandikulam and Aurogreen areas and destroy decades of work, much of the Auroville Greenbelt, and come too close to the city area.

Discussions with the authorities have started to shift the road outside the Auroville Master Plan area.

On May 18, 2018, Sir William Mark Tully, who has served 12 years as Chairman of the Auroville International Advisory Council, received the RedInk Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mumbai Press Club. Sir Mark Tully, who worked for over two decades as the Bureau head of BBC in the subcontinent, said in his acceptance speech that he grew up as a radio reporter and he would always prefer radio to television. Sir Mark, who was deported during the emergency, said for journalists credibility was everything, and in today’s age they must learn to grapple with fake news by cross checking and verification of facts.