Issue Nº403

Feb 2023 (33 months ago)
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The Spirit of Auroville

Feature, By Alan

Order and emergence

Reflection, By Alan

Most people believe that order requires control, and that it cannot result from a lack of control, or even anarchy. Nietzsche considered ‘Apollonian’ order and ‘Dionysian’ disorder polar opposites, and even Einstein, the disruptor of so much received scientific knowledge, could not accept the ‘disorderliness’ of the quantum world, famously exclaiming that ‘God does not play dice with the universe’.

The Delta programme: aspiring for collective transformation

Feature, By Peter

In amongst Auroville’s current governance schism, there are a few initiatives taking place to find a way through to an opening to something higher to unite us all.

An invitation to Grace

An interview with Natasha, By Peter

Natasha Storey is a long term Aurovilian who recently brought the Gene Keys and its Delta programme to Auroville.

Every performance is unique

Event review, By Peter

Auroville is a place of experimentation where the new can emerge and ‘something else’ can flourish. On January 19 and 20, in CRIPA, 70 children from Auroville schools, including Deepam school for children with disabilities and Auroville outreach schools, performed a one-of-a-kind co-creation titled ‘Every Soul is Unique’.

Seeing waste in a new light

Feature, By Ok

Examples of table-top, suspended and wall mounted light fixtures from ‘Illuminating 2023’

Ok Upcycling Studio, located in the Re-Centre building in Auroville, recently opened its doors to an innovative, upcycled lighting design exhibition, ‘Illuminating 2023’.

Stepping out of Time

Reflection, By Bindu

I am, for the most part, a creature of Time. The days race by with me following the clockwork of the hours that determine when I work, eat, play, and rest.

For the love of cheese

An interview with Massimo, By Chandra

Massimo, a master cheese maker from Valle d’Aosta with decades of experience gathered in this art from across Italy, moved to Auroville with his partner Monica and three children in 2008.

Talking about death

An open letter, By Julietta

LTAD core group from left: Fakeera, Lisa, Den, Kalsang, Valeria

Initially created as a sub-group of Third-Age (under Mattram’s umbrella), the “Let’s Talk About Death” group aims to reach any age of Auroville’s population by providing time, space and content to talk freely about death.

WasteLess: A vanguard for Sea Change

Feature, By Neha

Since the unit’s launch in 2010 with the large-scale Litter Free Auroville Campaign, WasteLess has featured several times in the pages of Auroville Today.

News in Brief

G20 meeting in Auroville After India assumed the presidency of the G20 during 2023, the Union Government planned to organise around 200 events across India. One of these was an environment-related conference in Puducherry at the end of January, attended by about 50 delegates from India and other G20 countries.

Governing Board Meeting The 62nd meeting of the Governing Board took place on 27th December in Raj Bhavan, Chennai. It is reported that the agenda and minutes of the meeting have not yet been communicated with the RA Working Committee or the Residents Assembly, as requested.

Visa Matters In her New Year address to the community, the Secretary clarified that out of the 1065 recommendation letters that had been issued, 993 had been issued for the period requested by the applicant.

Krishna Das in Auroville There are plans for Krishna Das, the well-known mantra musician, to offer a live chanting event in the Amphitheatre on 12th February to launch the ‘Science and spirituality’ summit.

FO BCC report In the current financial year, the FO BCC reported we have a deficit of around 50 lakhs per month and our reserves are low. Nevertheless, they had revised all maintenances by 10% from December 2022, while increasing the City Services contribution from Rs 3,470 to Rs 3,800 to partly cover the expenses of the increased monthly budget.

Concerns about disbursement The RA selected Working Groups expressed concerns that certain individuals associated with the Office of the Secretary are ‘usurping the role and functions’ of the Budget Coordination Committee (BCC) constituted under the Funds and Assets Management Committee selected by the Residents’ Assembly (RA).

Project leaders wanted The FO FAMC announced that they have identified ten key areas that need dedicated full time project leaders to take them forward under its direct guidance.

New housing policy Regarding housing, the FO FAMC stated that from now on all Aurovilians must work only with the Housing Service for the allocation and use of the residential asset/premises for their own use.

Muyerchi youth housing Most of the residents of Surrender have written an open letter expressing their concern that youth residents of Muyerchi house in Surrender have been informed by the FO Housing Service to vacate the building by 8th January, due to the claim that renovations are needed.

Checking housing parameters The FO L’avenir d’Auroville / ATDC reports it is now fully focused on implementing and realising the Galaxy Master Plan. Therefore, “All existing and planned buildings will be checked against the parameters given in the Master Plan.

News and Notes threatened The News and Notes editors have been publishing reports from both the Foundation Office (FO) supported groups and those selected by the Residents Assembly.

Legal matters The RA Working Committee stated, “It has come to our knowledge that an unknown group of people referring to themselves as ‘AVF Legal’ has been sending threatening communications to residents over the past few weeks”.

Survey on restorative process In October the RA selected groups sought to get a sense of the community’s feelings and thoughts on the topic of starting a restorative process between the Residents’ Assembly (RA), Governing Board (GB), and International Advisory Council (IAC).

Aurovilians to Aurovilians Some participants in the Wednesday meeting in the Tibetan Pavilion have been meeting with members of FO-appointed groups as ‘Aurovilians to Aurovilians’ in an attempt to touch something deeper, beyond the barrier of defensive arguments.

Kalabhumi meeting and community get together On Friday 20th January, around 500 residents participated in a meeting which had the intention, as the organizers put it, to co-create a space to review the past year, reflect on the present and revive our collective strength and action, and find practical steps and actions that can be taken now to “walk a few steps in the direction we want to see, while addressing today’s priorities”.

FO Working groups open meeting The FO Working Committee, ATDC and FAMC invited residents to an open meeting on 24th January at Unity Pavilion where they shared a report of their work as well as updates on a number of topics and forthcoming events.

Multi-disciplinary forum The Multi-disciplinary forum has begun meeting again. This forum, which evolved out of the Dreamweaving experiment, brings together Auroville experts from different fields to examine topics of collective importance.

Selection process 2023 The 2023 selection process concluded on 29th January. Two new members were selected for the Auroville Council and four for the Entry Board. Several candidates for FAMC selection dropped out at the last minute, and no new members were selected.

Disappointing monsoon The North East monsoon, which normally brings our heaviest rainfall, fell short this year. According to Charlie’s (Aurogreen) figures, the rainfall in December was almost 40% less than the 33 year average, in November 23% less and in October 4% less.

Potters’ market The sixth edition of the Auroville International Potters’ Market was held from January 26th-28th at the Visitors Center. This year, about 40 national and international ceramic artists participated, including a number of Aurovilian potters.

In Memoriam

Christian Edet

In memoriam:

On 24 January Christian Edet passed away in his Promesse home at the age of 62. Born at Noumea, New Caledonia, Christian came at the age of 46 to Auroville in 2006 and was accepted as an Aurovilian in 2007.

Matriprasad (Marco Zaccanti)

In memoriam:

Matriprasad passed away at the age of 65 in his apartment in Prayatna. His body was found around noon on 26 January; he had earlier informed his colleagues that he felt unwell and wouldn’t come to work for a few days.

B V Doshi

In memoriam: — By Mona Doctor-Pingel

The passing away of B V Doshi on 24 January 2023, marks the end of an era for Indian architecture. Aged 95 (1927-2023) he lived a full life and was conferred the second highest civilian award of the Republic of India – Padma Vibhushan – a day after he passed away.