Issue Nº422 – In Memoriam

Agia Ram Lamba, the father of former Working Committee member Hemant Lamba, passed away in his house in Aurodam community on August 2nd. He was 87 years old.

Danielle de Diesbach, a friend of Auroville who for more than 20 years has been coming to Auroville for six months a year, left her body on the night of August 18th in her home in the south of France. Danielle had made the Center Guesthouse her second home, each time leaving a few more bags for ‘the next time’. In France she had been working as a photographer and in the fashion industry.

It was during one of her trips to Pondicherry that Danielle came across the Auroville Boutique. She asked to meet the designers who made the clothes. And that was how the Auroville virus took hold of her. Her passion for the people she photographed and talked with led her to making documentaries, such as ‘Conversations with Death’, ‘What you contribute to Auroville’, ‘What you will say to Newcomers’, ‘Diversity and Unity’, and ‘Women's Day’, which are now all available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@danielledediesbach1583

Yuval (Govert Jan van den Eijk) left his body on August 25 at the age of 77, at the Mahalakshmi Home for the elderly, surrounded by members of his family.

Yuval came to Auroville from the Netherlands as a volunteer and joined Auroville in 2008. He lived in Utility and, lately, at the Mahalakshmi Home.

At heart, Yuval was first and foremost a pioneering adventurer. Born in the Netherlands, he embarked on his first adventure at the age of 19, when he left for Israel, later moving to Egypt, Copenhagen and Istanbul and finally coming to Auroville in 2004.

Yuval contributed to many projects around Auroville but was best known for his work in the field of Family Constellations, where his intuitive and humble way helped people reach deep realisations.

As Yuval struggled with Parkinson's disease in the last years, his optimism and positive outlook were an inspiration to others around him.

He was loved and respected by many and the outpouring of appreciation and love has been overwhelming.

Yuval’s remains were buried at the Auroville burial grounds on August 29th.

Kuppammal, a long-time resident of the Grace Community, passed away on August 3rd. She had been living and working at the Grace Community for over 40 years along with her husband, Janarthanan. She was 62 years old.

Kuppammal’s remains were cremated at Aprampet village the next day.