Issue Nº410 – In Memoriam

Audrey Wallace Taylor, one of Auroville’s eminent artists, left her body on August 18th during a family visit in the USA. She had just become 90. Audrey discovered she had pancreatic cancer on the eve of her intended return to Auroville. After the excellent care provided by a hospice organization in Portland, Oregon, where her son lives, she left her body with grace, seemingly in meditation.

Sumitra passed away in the morning of Saturday 12 August at Jipmer hospital due to chronic health issues. She was 54. 

Sumitra hailed from a Gandhian family of Thengampudur, Nagercoil district. She came to Auroville in 1990 as a trainee of a leadership camp and stayed at the old Ilaignarkal campus at Matrimandir Nursery. She became Aurovilian and married J. Manou, the then executive of Auroville Electrical Service, who passed away in 2006. After working at Aikiyam’s Kindergarten in New Creation, she joined Ilaignarkal Education Centre as a teacher for neo-literates and caretaker of Library and Assets. She became co-executive of Ilaignarkal Education Centre from 2010.

Sumitra’s remains were buried at the Auroville cremation grounds on August 13th.