Aspiration community

Lakshmi, the wife of Ulaganathan, left her body at her home in Kuilapalayam on 9 July after a period of illness. She had been working at the billing counter of the Pour Tous Purchasing Service in Aspiration for more than 28 years.

Boris, Auroville’s entomologist and nature lover, passed away on 22 April at Marika Home, where he stayed for the past few years. He was 87.

Joya Diane Skye left her body on 19 February. Born 13 April 1945, Skye (known as Diane from the early days), arrived in Auroville in May 1970 with her partner Philip and unborn child Lunaura.

Last December, there was a photographic exhibition in the Tibetan Pavilion which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the second caravan in Auroville.

Karuna Periyaswamy, who was born in Kuilaypalayam, was only 14 years old when he joined Auroville. As a child, he had once met The Mother at the Ashram, as part of a school visit, and offered flowers to her.

Jothi was born in 1964 in Kuilapalayam. He joined Auroville by himself at a young age and has contributed in numerous ways, through service, education and sports, while battling long-term health challenges.

On July 6th, a community gathering and potluck dinner took place at the Certitude sportsground. The event was organized by the RA-WCom and the Auroville Council.

Rolf Lieser arrived in Auroville in 1981 and during his thirty years stay here, among other things, he practised and exhibited his paintings and sculptures, played music in various bands, did graphic design (including working with Kireet Joshi on certain projects), designed and constructed a number of houses, and started Kalabhumi community in the Cultural Zone.

Josette, who had been living in Surrender community, passed away on March 17th. She had recently celebrated her 80th birthday, and had been suffering from cancer.

“Once upon a time ..” is how we begin telling stories, and here’s mine. Once upon a time exactly 50 years ago, there was a report about Auroville shown on French television and, quite by accident, I turned on my TV that evening to that channel!

Born in Tunis, Tunisia, on the 4th October 1946, Bernard Borg moved in 1961 with his family to Marseille, in France, while he was still a young boy of 15.

Partha was one of the first local youngsters to join Auroville. After teaching in Auroville’s schools, he’s now part of the Working Committee, and runs Neem Tree Café.

The following is a selection of reminiscences about Kottakarai community in the 1970s by its members. These were first published in the 2020 Fall-Winter issue of AVI-USA Connect magazine.

Long-term Aurovilian Hervé Millet left his body on August 19th at Marika Home at the age of 75, due to complications of cancer which he had been battling since several years.

Navoditte (Norman Thomas) came to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1967 with his wife, Alice, and in February, 1968 attended the inauguration of Auroville.

On the morning of 28 May, Myriam Françoise Marie Noelle Isaac left her body at the age of 76 due to cancer at her house in Sincerity, surrounded by her children.

I am currently 50, I live in Denver Colorado with my husband, Murugan and my 13 year old daughter, Rasam. My son Chidambaram is a junior at Harvard.

“Dear Community, this is to inform you of the water scarcity that Auroville is facing. And though there is still water flowing from our taps, it is important to know that many of our supply wells are showing depleted levels, some are already dry.

On 14 August our long-term Dutch friend and brother Pieter van der Molen (‘Big Piet’) passed away at the age of 75 in his home in Holland. Pieter, who in the sixties was the top judo trainee of the then world champion judo Anton Geesink, had during a judo demonstration session a profound inner experience which left him in shock and in search for answers.

V. Devaraj, husband of D. Davamani and father of Ranjani, Nathiya and Sathiya passed away on May 26th in his house in Aspiration after a long extended illness.

Alain Bernard first came to Auroville in 1972. Since then, he has been involved in many key areas, including the economy, education, the Press and, most recently, Village Action and the Sustainable Livelihood Institute.

Tapas Bhatt has long been associated with supporting the arts in Auroville and, in particular, with connecting Auroville to the world and the world to Auroville through the arts.

One of Auroville’s pioneers, Serge Cataneo, passed away on February 6th at the age of 77, in France where he lived with his long-time partner and wife Flore, also Aurovilian for many years.

Last year was the 40th anniversary of the arrival of the second ‘caravan’ in Auroville. That caravan, like the first caravan a few years earlier, was made up of a motley collection of individuals who travelled overland from France to offer their energy and idealism to Mother’s Dream.

In early 1974 an Aurovilian, Jean-Claude Bieri, who was on a visit to France, suggested forming another caravan to take a large number of people to Auroville.