Issue Nº400

Nov 2022 (36 months ago)
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Auroville Yesterday

Feature, By Peter

In November 1988, thirty-four years ago, Auroville Today began life, and this month marks our 400th issue. Peter Lloyd, one of our most loyal subscribers and a recent addition to our editorial team gives his reflection.

Do we have a future?

Reflection, By Alan

We have grown accustomed to having a future. It’s why we have children, why we make long-term plans and investments, why we cling to the promise of unending progress.

Kajimba: Bottling the Auroville Teen Spirit

An interview with Nahar, By Gita

Nahar Emet, now 22, was nine years old when he came to Auroville with his family. He attended Deepanam, TLC, and Last School, and then worked as CRIPA’s light and sound designer before joining the Youth Centre team.

Dear Aurovilians

An open letter, By Mariya

The current situation in your community is affecting not only its residents but also people who may be interested in joining this special community.

Perking up the coffee scene

An interview with Marc, By Carel

3 Coffee flowers spiritual significance: The Right Path

Marc Tormo Altimira is Auroville’s coffee entrepreneur, roaster, brewer and consultant. His journey started in Barcelona, Spain, at the age of 23, when he and his wife Matilde opened a few cafe boutiques.

The trials of an Auroville entrepreneur

An interview with Daniel Emden and Sheril, By Carel

Daniel Emdin first came to live in Auroville in 1977, after a career as a radio journalist and an art dealer in Paris and as a pizzeria manager in Italy.

The last room

Editorial, By Peter

2 Diwali celebration outside the Council Office

Peter reflects on many months of keeping the council office in the Town Hall available for the Auroville Council.

Presence and Flow

Art review, By Chandra

Terukkuttu Tamil street theatre performer

In mid October, Aurovilian Frederic Martin Duchamp presented ‘Presence and Flow’, an exhibition of photographs from different parts of the world at the Centre d’Art in Citadines.

Unexpected

Art review, By Chandra

On the 25th of August, Charles Zanon opened his sculpture exhibition ‘Unexpected’, at the Auroville Botanical Gardens, where he showcased a collection of pieces in black granite that he had been working on over the past year.

Crossroad: A New Humanity

Book review

Paulette has published an interesting new compilation in celebration of Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary. ‘Crossroad: A New Humanity’ contains extracts from “The Human Cycle”, “The Ideal of Human Unity” and “War and Self Determination”.

Building a ‘New Earth’

Book review, By Peter

Every so often a story comes along that captures the spirit of Auroville in a unique way, bringing to light aspects of its deeper purpose of transforming the world we live in to create a spiritualized life on our planet.

Interview with Avigal, author of ‘New Earth’

An interview with Avigal, By Peter

I do not want people to feel they have to read cover to cover, the purpose is to get a feel of it. At the end of the book are tiny mandalas, an endless world.

News in Brief

The Chairman visits Auroville The Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu and Chairman of the Governing Board, Shri R N Ravi, visited Auroville on 18th and 19th of October, 2022. He was welcomed by the Collector, Mr.

Visit of Union Minister of Education On 2nd October, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan visited Auroville. The Minister met only with the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation and Foundation endorsed working groups.

General Meeting of RA working groups The four main working groups of the Residents’ Assembly (Working Committee, Auroville Council, Town Development Council, and the Funds and Assets Management Committee selected by the Residents' Assembly) met with residents at a well attended meeting on 17th October to update them on the current situation and their work, and to answer questions.

Register of Residents survey On September 28th, the Foundation appointed Working Committee announced that a house-to-house survey of Auroville would take place over the following two weeks.

Letters of recommendation / visa update A small group of people have been given letters or recommendation for very short time periods (for example, 3 months instead of 5 years) seemingly for holding opposing views to the Foundation Office.

BCC loses control of Auroville’s finances On 14th October, the RA Budget Coordination Committee (BCC) announced that they “no longer have any control or oversight over Auroville’s City Services budget” as their access to the Financial Services has been removed.

Stop cash payments The Foundation FAMC has announced that all units, services, activities have to stop receiving cash payment. Blue book or digital payments are the two modalities that have to be adopted now.

Beyond mandate? The RA approved Housing Board has also been removed from their positions, and have been locked out of the Housing Google accounts as well as the Housing Service office.

House-sitting changes The Foundation appointed Housing Service announced that from now on house sitting arrangements will be made exclusively between Aurovilians-Aurovilians and Aurovilians-newcomers.

New development plans The Foundation appointed TDC/L’Avenir announced they are in the process of designing the new Sunshine Housing Project, a low-density project in the Gaia/Grace area, and invited people to apply to join the project.

Imbalance? In their September report the Foundation appointed FAMC stated that they wished to address a perceived “systemic fault and … imbalance towards the building of the City the Earth Needs” which, they claim, exists because forests and farms receive a higher number of maintenances than the ATDC.