Auroville's monthly news magazine since 1988

Issue Nº425

Dec 2024 (11 months ago)
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The bill for the hill

An interview with Arun Ambathy (Major ret’d), By Alan

The cleared forest area intended for the hill. “The hill, in providing a wonderful viewpoint of both the Matrimandir and the sea, will encourage real estate speculation and the growth of tourist facilities in the area

On 6th January, 2012, Michael Bonke, along with Toine van Megen and Harald Kraft, made a presentation to the Auroville community about Auroville’s future energy and drinking water needs [published in AVToday # 271, February 2012].

Annapurna Farm faces challenges

An interview with Tomas, By Alan

Preparing the grounds

Annapurna is Auroville’s largest farm. Comprising over 35 acres, it is a mixed farm with cattle, paddy and fruit trees, as well as a dairy and food processing unit.

From Istanbul to Auroville

An interview with Cansu, By Chandra

Cansu

Born in Istanbul, Cansu has always been driven by a desire to explore diverse cultures through travel and the study of philosophical and mystical texts, shaped by her upbringing in the Sufi tradition.

“Riding” towards the inner being

An interview with Francesco Colturi, By Chandra

ATB in Transition School with Francesco

Francesco, once a professional snowboarder (or “rider” in snowboarding lingo) from a mountain village in Italy, shifted paths after a family crisis and a snowboarding accident.

The Auroville population conundrum

Feature, By Alan

An early Aurovilian enjoying hospitality in Kuilapalayam during Pongol, 1972

There are important questions to be asked regarding the population of Auroville. Firstly, who decided that the intended population of the township would be 50,000, and is this figure immutable, fixed, or can it be adjusted?

Art and Spirituality at the Centre d’Art

Art review, By Chandra

A painting by Pujasree Burman from the exhibition "Sacred Echoes"

From November 15th to December 4th, the Centre d’Art brought together two contemplative exhibitions: Pujasree Burman’s "Sacred Echoes" and Vasandan Virappan’s "The Symbol of Meditation."

Auroville’s population declines

From the margins, By Peter

Auroville population statistics

For years, our annual population review was a prosaic, statistically-detailed piece, with musings on which nationals were moving to Auroville in increasing or decreasing numbers.

Cyclone Fengal causes havoc On November 30th and December 1st, cyclone Fengal made landfall close to the city of Puducherry and the northern part of Tamil Nadu. In Auroville, hundreds of trees were uprooted, roads were blocked, power lines came down.

Land exchanges questioned On November 11th, an article in the Times of India mentioned that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (All India Anna Dravidian Progressive Federation - AIADMK), currently the main opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, which has great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry, demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's primary domestic crime-investigating agency, into the alleged irregularities in land exchanges at Auroville.

Evergreen land dispute The appeal lodged by Mr PK Subramaniam (PKS) against the previous judgment on Evergreen land, which had found the contested Evergreen land to be rightfully Auroville land, was heard on the 25th October 2024 at the Tindivanam court, and a new judgement was issued.

Secretary’s departure leads to confusion The Government of India has still not appointed a new Secretary nor a new Acting Secretary to replace former Secretary Dr Jayanti Ravi, whose term of office ended in July 2024.

New civil works started The contractors hired by the AVFO and its Auroville Town Development Council began two new major road works immediately before the monsoon, leading again to difficult and potentially dangerous conditions for road users, in particular cyclists.

Sri Ma beach returns After months of erosion see [AVToday # 422, September 2024], Sri Ma beach sands are returning. From now until March, the sand will accumulate because the current is coming from north to south.

Plans to divert rain water to the Matrimandir lake According to meeting minutes of the Auroville Town Development Council appointed by the Governing Board, two rainwater “collection ponds” have been designed to “collect the water from the stretch of the Crown which will go from Solar Kitchen to Savitri Bhavan” and divert it to the Matrimandir Lake.

RA News & Notes restructured After a year and a half of publishing, the editors of the RA edition of the News and Notes have decided to limit the edition to content that strengthens community-building in Auroville, more specifically on working group announcements and reports, residents’ voices and personal sharings, some cultural events, and information from essential services.

Auroville dog shelter update The Auroville dog shelter has been receiving an increasing number of desperate calls to save abandoned new-born puppies. However, as the dog shelter is at maximum capacity and is regularly flooded by heavy monsoon rains, help cannot be provided.