Auroville's monthly news magazine since 1988
Jan 2024 (21 months ago) Download PDF (free download)
A conversation with Jacqueline Lacoste — Conversation led by Chandra
Jacqueline Lacoste, Roger Anger’s long term companion and collaborator, came to Auroville in 1970. In a sunlit moment at the Centre d’Art exhibition Roger Anger, l’artiste, she shares insights into Roger's identity, where the lines separating artist and architect dissolve, and reflects on the transformative influence of his spiritual encounter with The Mother.
A review of works — Reported by Laila Lille Khayati
The Roger Anger Exhibition represents an homage dedicated to the artist's centenary, showing an extensive collection of drawings, collages, and sculptures.
Feature story — Words by Paulette
Once, in later years, I went to see Roger in Auromodѐle, but it was different from the other times I visited him. I cannot recall why I went there, to discuss what. The only thing I remember is that Roger took me to his working space in the basement, full of everything. He walked straight to one collage painting, with two dark teal-blue stripes painted on the sides, inserted into a wooden black frame, mat, and gave it to me. Not even his words I remember. It was strange, I felt as if I always knew that object – not some other in Roger’s collection, no, that specific item and none else.
A conversation with Dan Capdeville, Iris and Carla — Conversation led by Alan
A few months ago, announcements appeared on various Auroville forums and in the News and Notes inviting Aurovilians to share their own experiential journey of seeking their inner/ psychic being. The invitation was for participants to be as honest and to speak from the heart as much as possible and to avoid quotes and lectures. Over 50 Aurovilians responded, and 13 audio interviews have been done so far, of which five have been broadcast. We spoke to the organising team to discover more about the intention behind the project, and their hopes for its impact both upon individuals and upon the community as a whole.
An argument — Authored by Bindu
As a child, growing up in a Hindu household in Odisha, I was always intrigued by the images of Lord Jagannath and his siblings. Like most Hindu households, an entire room was reserved for the gods, and the main icons from Hinduism’s rich pantheon of reportedly 330 million gods were prominently displayed and revered. But the pride of place was that of Lord Jagannath and the associated statues of his siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra. Lord Jagannath holds sway over the entire state of Odisha—the temple rites and rituals, Ratha Yatra (the Chariot festival), Jagannath Janana (the devotional songs related to Lord Jagannath) have infused the daily life and culture over centuries of the Odia people. So much so, that many of the songs in the established repertoire of Jagannath Janana were composed by Salabega, a Muslim devotee of the Lord, and the massive wooden wheels (6-7 feet in diameter) of the chariots used in the annual Rath Yatra are reportedly crafted by Rana Khala (a group of Muslim artisans).
Feature story
In 2023, Auroville’s Village Action Group (AVAG) celebrated 40 years. In this issue of Auroville Today we publish excerpts of the December 2023 newsletter of AVAG, highlighting the transformation AVAG has achieved in the life of women from the surrounding villages.
Feature story — Words by Shevaughn Pimenta
Feature story — Words by Nadia Akcadurak
The aroma of freshly baked cakes and the joyous chatter of women learning new skills recently filled the air at AVAG. Over three days, 70 local women from nearby villages participated in an intensive training programme in making millet-based cakes and cookies, organized by Gelato Factory in collaboration with AVAG, the Auroville unit Gastronomica, and COWE (Centre of Women Entrepreneurship).
A unique race unfolds in Auroville's bioregion. Forget stopwatches and podiums; these victories are measured in triumphant smiles, forged on dusty tracks and etched in defiance of age and societal norms. This is the story of our women's sports community, where victory transcends trophies and medals.
A conversation with Valeria — Conversation led by Alan
Valeria has been teaching ikebana, the traditional Japanese Art of Flower Arrangement, in Auroville for over twenty years. Why did she, an Italian, study it for many years in Japan and then decide to teach it here? What does she think it can bring to Auroville?
Feature story — Words by Peter
A review of works — Reported by Chandra
Lisa Suchanek’s second exhibition at the Centre d’Art, titled Soft Self: Inner Multiplicity and Gentleness, unfolds as a captivating blend of art and introspective research. This is a testament to Lisa’s evolution as an artist, integrating writings and mixed media paintings to create a nuanced narrative that explores embracing one’s vulnerabilities through various inner and spiritual perspectives.
Subscription rate increase Due to an increase of prices, the subscription rates of Auroville Today have been amended...
AVI USA donation portal Auroville International USA has included Auroville Today in the list of projects to which one can donate, some of which qualify for an additional donation by AVI USA...
Auro-Orchard land exchange The Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly (RA-WCom) has sent its concerns and a rebuttal of the recent land exchange involving Auro Orchard land to the Governing Board and the International Advisory Council...
Supreme Court order On December 14, 2023, the Supreme Court of India, in an interim order on the appeal of the Auroville Foundation against the judgement of the National Green Tribunal Southern Bench (NGT) of April 2022 in which, except for the Crown Road, the NGT stayed all constructions in Auroville and directed the Auroville Foundation to prepare a proper township plan and obtain Environmental Clearance for it [see AVToday #394 of May 2022] ruled that it was of the prima facie opinion that this direction was outside the jurisdiction of the NGT, and stayed it till further orders...
Ground clearing Both before and since the Supreme Court stayed the NGT verdict, land clearance, including tree-cutting and transplantation, has taken place across Auroville...
Pebble Garden The AVFO ATDC approval for Auroyali to take a piece of Pebble Garden land for its workshop has been rescinded by the AVFO ATDC after the feedback period...
Update from the Forest Group The Auroville Forest Group circulated a public message to the Auroville community and friends of Auroville about what the group has gone through and its plans for the future...
Maintenance cuts The RA-WCom informed the community that the Funds and Assets Management Committee (GB-FAMC) and the Budget Coordination Committee (GB-BCC) appointed by the Office of the Secretary have recently sent a mail to several residents that their maintenance would be stopped the same day, as the maintenance had not been allocated under an approved City Service budget...
SAIIER and Arts Service cuts At the request of the GB-FAMC and GB-BCC, SAIIER have prioritised the maintenance and budget 2024-2025 of all of SAIIER’s sub-units, which has led to a number of artistic and cultural units and activities having their budgets and maintenances cut...
Petition to the Governing Board (GB) and International Advisory Council (IAC) So far, over 350 concerned Auroville residents have signed a petition to te GB and IAC expressing their profound discontent with the recent actions and policies implemented by the GB-FAMC and their loss of confidence in the GB-FAMC’s ability to effectively manage the community’s finances and assets...
Constitution of the Termination Committee The RA-WCom informed the community that, as the Hon'ble Madras High Court has recently re-affirmed that the Residents' Assembly (RA) is a statutory body and cannot be restricted in carrying out its functions as per the Auroville Foundation Act, the RA has to constitute the “Termination Committee” (aka the Exit Review Group) as specified in the Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations, 2020...
MM lake task force The RA WCom has endorsed the creation of a task force to review the design of the Matrimandir lake...
Annapurna Duck Project Annapurna Farm, Auroville’s largest rice farm, has started integrating ducks into its paddy fields...
Auroville’s first Tamil Literature Festival On 16th-17th December, this festival brought together some of the best Tamil writers, educators, thinkers and philosophers, in the categories of poetry, literature, art, culture and the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother...
Better birthing conference award Morning Star is a unit of the Health and Healing Trust, made up of midwives and doulas who support pregnancy, childbirth breastfeeding and provide women’s wellness gynecological care in Auroville...
Rainfall news According to Charlie’s (Aurogreen) rainfall figures, by late December Auroville had received 147 cms, which is 5% above the average for the past 34 years...
Death announcements After many years of devotedly writing much appreciated obituaries of Aurovilians and associates, Mauna announced that she was handing over responsibility for death announcements, obituaries and other such notifications to the Farewell team...
PRISMA around the World PRISMA, one of the Auroville units that specialises in publishing and distributing books, has increased its international presence...
In memoriam:
On December 15th, Mani Jayraman left his body at the age of 54. Mani, as he was known in Auroville, was born in 1969, the year after Auroville was founded. He was part of Auroville’s early generation as his mother Poongavanam was one of the first Tamil Aurovilians. Mani was educated partly in Auroville schools, such as attending Auroville's first kindergarten in Aspiration and partly in the French Lycée in Pondicherry. Having an affinity for languages Mani spoke French, English and Tamil fluently. He was a good student and spent a year studying abroad in the US in Los Angeles. He was a remarkable sports person, excelling in basketball, cricket, tennis, kabadi. In 1996 he married Saroja and they had three children: Surya, Malvi and Deeksha. He went on to give service in various set ups in Auroville Pour Tous, opening and managing for many years AV Transport Service (later New Creation Transport) and also serving in Auroville’s organisational structure. In 2004 when the tsunami hit he had a dedicated role in the relief organisation that followed. In his final years Mani lived a more withdrawn life. Mani will foremost be remembered as a man with a radiating charming positivity, a good heart, and as a generous and caring friend. Mani’s remains were cremated on December 16th at the Auroville Cremation and Burial ground.
Selvam Nadesan passed away on December 25th in a hospital in Pondicherry, after suffering health issues. Selvam, who had joined the community in 2018, was an accomplished carpenter and had been involved in many community services. His remains were buried at the Auroville Burial ground on December 26th.
Giorgio Luciani from Surrender Community left his body in Italy in the early morning of December 22nd at the age of 65. He had been suffering from cancer. Giorgio first visited Auroville in 1988. He was working for the Italian company Ecoteco Piscine, building swimming pools. He came back for a visit in 1991, and then came every subsequent winter. In 1995, he and his wife Diana joined Auroville permanently. Giorgio started the Auroville unit EcoTeco Pools in 2003, and continued working in the swimming pool business as a representative of Ecoteco Piscine, addressing the interests of the growing number of affluent young Indians in having their own swimming pool.
