Issue Nº367 – In Memoriam

On January 17, Christian Koradi left his body at his home in Prarthana, at the age of 69. Suffering from severe back pain, he had been treated in Santé since June last year for Arteritis Temporalis (Giant Cell Arteritis), a rare auto-immune vasculitis. In his last days, his condition was aggravated and he may have succumbed to an acute flare up of the same.

Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Christian came first to Auroville in 2003. He became Aurovilian in 2006 while working at Matrimandir Nursery, where he was in charge of the hibiscus section for several years. Later he mainly stayed at his home in Prarthana, living a rather solitary life, maintaining his garden with great love and care, meditating and studying Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s works, and often visiting the Chamber.

Christian’s remains were cremated on January 21nd at the Adventure cremation and burial grounds.

On January 7th, Ingo H.W. Torp left his body at the age of 77 in Santé, after staying two days in the ICU in the Pondicherry Institute of medical Sciences. Ingo had a weakened body due to a chronic heart condition; he succumbed to septic pneumonia.

Born in Riga, Latvia, Ingo grew up Germany. Being a teacher, and hearing about Auroville’s educational system, he came first to Auroville in 1976. As there were no schools functioning yet at the time, he stayed and worked in Forecomers and Success and got interested in homeopathy. During the turmoil that plagued Auroville those days, Ingo moved to New Community in Certitude to eventually leave in 1984. He got married and worked in Hamburg as a school teacher while becoming a Heilpraktiker and deepening his knowledge of homeopathy. In 1996 he founded, along with others, the SdH-Hamburg, a school of homeopathy, where he worked as lecturer and teacher. He also worked as archivist at the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). In 2009 he returned to Auroville where he lived in the Needam premises in Certitude.

Aurovilians got to know him as a concerned and skilful homeopath, as a member of the Residents’ Service team, as a mouth organ player ready to jive with groups in concerts, and as an actor in various theatre plays. Last month, already in a weakened condition, he insisted on playing the burglar role in ‘Noises on, Noises off’.

Ingo’s body was buried on January 12th at the Adventure cremation and burial grounds.