Culture

Krishna Devanandan has a background as a dancer, cultural event organiser and teacher of Tai Chi. She helped organise the Auroville Film Festivals and managed the Auroville Art Service from its inception in 2012 until 2023, when the Auroville Foundation appointed new executives.

Seza is Auroville’s first Newcomer from Türkiye (Turkey). She moved here 1.5 years ago after her first visit eight years earlier. She describes her journey from Istanbul to Auroville as a quest for meaning, self-discovery, and transformation.

Auma is a second-generation Aurovilian, born to Indian and French pioneers, Marie Babu and André Tardeil. While she raises her third generation child, she shares insights with us about what makes Auroville unique to her.

Dr Mohanty is former Professor and Head of the Department of English, University of Hyderabad. Winner of many national and international awards, he has published extensively in the field of British, American, gender, translation, and post-colonial studies.

In 1959, the physicist and novelist C.P. Snow gave a famous lecture in Cambridge in which he distinguished two cultures: the scientific and the intellectual literary cultures.

When moving to Auroville, do people let go of their 'base cultures' or do they nurture those habits and traditions in their new life here? Is there an 'Auroville culture' or do we live in a cultural void?

The Journey of Auroville festival, a project under the special grants from the Government of India for Auroville’s 50th anniversary, was most recently held in Kolkata (earlier called Calcutta) from 28 to 31 January 2019.

For six days, progressive researchers held a conference in Auroville

A new online English language magazine, Vaasal, has just been released. “We would like this magazine to be an entrance into the world of Tamil ideas, art and culture for anyone in Auroville who is a non-native, from another (village, country, habitat, that place that belongs to you and you to it)” it announces.

Traveling during the early seventies through the Indian subcontinent brought me to Agra. One afternoon, I found myself sitting on the borders of the Yamuna River while watching a sand barge being loaded right behind the Taj Mahal.

Dr. Prema Nandakumar has written and spoken to audiences the world over about Sri Aurobindo's writings and philosophy. She is the author of many articles and books on Sri Aurobindo and on Indian culture.

Auroville recently conducted its first women’s health survey. Lesley spoke to the survey’s convener, Paula, about the findings.

Auroville Radio celebrated its 11th anniversary on December 5th this year. Despite their busy schedule in the months of November and December, and having to help set up Peridar Kaala Vaanoli (‘Radio in the Time of Extreme Calamity’ in Tamil), a temporary emergency FM radio station for the flood-hit Cuddalore, Andrea and Renu share their stories from Auroville Radio.

In October, the fourth Auroville Film festival took place. “The aim of the Auroville Film Festival,” says the Festival brochure, “is to connect with people and cultures within and beyond Auroville and to further the aspiration of human unity by showcasing films that develop the theme of human unity.”

Auroville, a melting pot of arts, culture, science and society, has been involved in many educational outreach initiatives since the 1980’s.

In 2010, the first ‘ONE ASIA’ event was held in Auroville. It brought together artists and tea masters from various Asian countries to explore and strengthen unity between their cultures, as well as introducing the richness of Asian cultures to Auroville.