Issue Nº433 – News in brief

Residents learned from an article in the Deccan Chronicle that the Governing Board met on 8 July to review major developments since June 2024 and passed several key resolutions regarding infrastructure, education, administration and governance. This included approval of the first phase of the Line of Progress – comprising a 1,000 bed complex for 380 residents to be funded under the Higher Education Financing Agency. A 100 bed accommodation facility for volunteers was also sanctioned.

Also, a partnership with NBCC (India) was approved for constructing a residential-cum-retail project outside the Master Plan area, aimed at well-wishers and supporters, and a proposal for establishing the Sri Aurobindo Integral Multiversity – a 1,000 student university – was submitted for inclusion under HEFA. The Board ratified the code of conduct for business units and the framework for functioning of the Residents Assembly 2025, and an elders committee was also approved to “preserve Auroville’s founding spirit”.  

The Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly wrote an open letter to the community expressing their deep concern about how the social fabric of the community continues to be threatened “by people positioning themselves as decision-making groups, in how they have been treating other residents, and their casual disregard for well-being and livelihood. Impacting decisions have been made that affect everyone, without consultation, although signed with inspiring phrases of progress and ideals…Our endeavour, this spiritual and social experiment, calls on what is good in all of us, on doing away with machine-like calculations of cost versus human, and no matter what developments, legal proceedings, or differences in vision there can be, caring for one another should remain central.” 

Residents were asked to decide if they supported the resolution that the Admissions and Terminations Scrutinizing Committee (ATSC), the Admissions and Terminations Registry (ATR), the Human Resources Service (HRS), and the Residence Criteria (RC) are not valid because they were created without consultation or approval of the RA. 98.6% (503) agreed, 0.2% (1) disagreed and 1.2% (6) abstained. As the quorum had been reached, it was announced that the Residents’ Assembly approved the resolution. 

86-year-old Frederick is one of Auroville's longest-serving residents, having first come to Pondicherry and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1960, and settling permanently in 1966. He had been informed in April 2025 that his application for a visa extension, which had been left pending since July 2024, had been rejected and he was ordered to upload a flight ticket on the FRRO’s website within seven days. Many Auroville residents and other well-wishers signed a petition appealing to the authorities to renew Frederick's visa. It is reported that Frederick has now received a three year visa which expires in one more year (valid from 2023-2026). In a brief video, he said he had experienced a “sense of a large Auroville global fraternity” in the many thousands of people who signed and wrote letters in his support, and he expressed his deep appreciation for their assistance. 

On 24 July, a group of concerned Tamil Aurovilians called a community meeting to stop the Eternity land deal. They reported that there was a plan to exchange 7.5 acres of Eternity’s beachfront land worth Rs 112.5 crores for what they termed ‘useless’ private land partly outside the Master Plan zone, with a value of only Rs 11.5 crores, a loss to Auroville of over 97 crores. They called for an immediate stop to this exchange, as well as a legal and public review of all recent land deals. They also called upon intervention from the Tamil Nadu government.  

The relocation of Jasmin and Aravinda's house in AuroOrchard has at last been completed after a series of technical challenges. The move was necessitated by the AVFO’s land exchange in November 2023 that placed their residence as well as several major and vital infrastructures of AuroOrchard on the property now claimed by a new landowner. The new landowner had issued an ultimatum to move the house before completing a massive stone wall around his boundary, forcing the residents to move their home approximately 35 meters across the boundary line. No support, monetary or otherwise, was received from the AVFO, nor from their appointed Land Board, WC, FAMC or ATDC for this move.

Sanjeev Ranganathan, head of SAIIER (Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research) and alumnus of IIT Madras, and Poovizhi, mathematics teacher at an Auroville School, presented a research paper on “Indian Knowledge Systems and the Impact on Teachers When They Learn Indian Knowledge Systems and How They Interact with Children” at the 9th East Asia Regional Conference on Mathematics Education (EARCOME 9) in Seoul, South Korea. According to Mr Ranganathan, the research revealed that most mathematical concepts taught in schools today originated in India but became distorted through centuries of cultural transmission. A press note from Auroville said this marked the first time India was participating in this regional conference (July 18-22) and also represented “a milestone in the global recognition of Indian mathematical pedagogy”.

The WasteLess team made a presentation to the community on 26 July about their Sea Change Programme. This educational initiative has reached over 13,499 Tamil Nadu government school students, transforming their understanding of marine plastic pollution and nurturing the next generation of environmental advocates. This locally-developed educational programme was supported by the National Geographic Society to address one of today’s most urgent environmental challenges, and it exemplifies Auroville’s commitment to creating meaningful solutions that serve both our local communities and contribute to global needs. 

The Yuvabe team announced a new learning opportunity for all youth in the Auroville bioregion. They are launching a 3-Month 3D Product Design Online Course using Autodesk Fusion 360, starting 7 July, 2025. This intensive course is ideal for creative young adults who want to learn computer-aided design, product innovation, and 3D modelling. Participants will gain industry-relevant skills, design portfolio-worthy projects, and receive mentorship from professional designers and engineers. Top students may also qualify for a paid internship with 3DPD Pvt. Ltd., a leading product design company.

The SLS Team has now become an official unit under SAIIER. The service, which began in 2015, offers support to all children, regardless of the educational system they are part of. Specifically they support children requiring specialised education and those facing learning challenges such as ADD, ADHD, ASD, ODD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and other learning difficulties.

The popular Auroville Bakery opened a new branch at the Town Hall on July 11. It comprises a café as well as a bakery outlet where people can purchase their favourite bakery goodies as well as pick up bread and other bakery orders.

Auroville’s Dog Shelter is facing a breakdown of its services, a crisis directly triggered by a recent decision by the AVF auditors to ban crowdfunding in Auroville. This ban eliminates nearly half of the shelter’s vital income, leaving the shelter with a massive budget shortfall. A petition signed by over 1,000 residents and animal lovers demanding that the monthly budget be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 3.5 lakhs has been ignored since last year. Unless a solution is found quickly, the shelter will have to suspend its highly successful sterilisation project, which aims to sterilise 1,000 dogs per year and has already helped hundreds.