Financial challenges

A new oversight committee (the ‘DCC’) for the AVFO ‘Donation Channeling Group’ (‘DCG’) has been announced via an Office Order. Since the ‘DCG’ was put in place by the AVFO, the number of administrative tasks that have to be fulfilled in order for units and trusts to receive their donations have greatly increased.

Four years into this crisis, I find myself searching for clarity on how we move forward. Yesterday, I came across a series of writings by Shannon Willis on Soft Rebellion that articulated what many of us have been intuitively practicing all along.

In February, Auroville’s Centre for Research in Performing Arts (CRIPA) – a constantly-in-use and free-to-use performance and rehearsal venue – and the Pitanga Cultural Centre, were informed by the GB-FAMC that their funding would be reduced to partial or zero support from April 1st, 2024.

Antonello comes from Northern Italy and moved to Auroville in 2014, where he now lives with his partner and children. He runs ‘Gastronomica’, an Italian take away gourmet store - sometimes affectionately referred to as the Italian Pavilion - that has gained popularity within and outside of Auroville, thanks to its handmade pasta, Italian takeaway dishes, and imported Italian culinary products.

Recently Disha, which was a service that provides personalised support and guidance to the youth of Auroville and the bioregion, did a survey of Auroville youth and young adults.

Integrated Animal Care Centre (IACC) was started in 2005. It is a legacy of Ann Plummer. She was known as “Animal Care Ann” as she used to give food and look after stray dogs and cats.

Before I had a child, I used to think that Auroville was an optimal place to raise children. There are forests to frolic in, fresh air, clean food, a kaleidoscope of colorful personalities and passions, activities from horseback riding to Awareness Through the Body, and, of course, the delicate and beautiful subtle atmosphere here.

Marc’s Coffee responds to the challenges of a pandemic.

Auroville Today spoke with Aurelio, founder of Svaram, the unit that makes musical instruments and conducts research into acoustics and sound healing.

When the lockdown started across India in late March, economic activity ground to a halt in Auroville, and individuals, commercial units, and community services had to take a rigorous look at their expenses to see how they would survive.

Lack of available housing threatens the growth of Auroville. The reasons for this are lack of planning, bureaucratization, ‘not in my backyard’ attitudes, over-dependence on government grants and bad economic policies.

L’Avenir d’Auroville/TDC reported that due to a drastic cut in Government funding they may have to suspend all work and activities unless additional funding is secured.

Across more than one issue, Auroville Today aims to highlight our employees and their valuable contributions to Auroville’s daily functioning.

The vocational training school, the Auroville Institute of Applied Technology, has now been running for over 15 years. What does it do? How successful has it been and what challenges is it facing today?

Across the road from Humanscapes, a Rs 15 crore (US $ 2.5 million) housing project is coming up, consisting of 42 different-sized apartments, four offices, a caretaker house, a gymnasium and a covered parking for 70 motorbikes.

The idea of Sanjana began in 2011, shortly after Gundolf had moved into one of the new apartments he had designed in the Surrender community.

With 55 countries, about 3,000 ethnic groups and about 2,000 languages, Africa is a continent of massive diversity. It is said that the genetic difference between two Africans is often more than the genetic difference between a Chinese and a Czech.

Chandresh, one of the founders of the Electric Vehicle Service group, talks about Auroville’s mobility issues, the failed and successful attempts to move Auroville towards smart mobility, and the future prospects.

It is common in India to see uncared stray dogs roaming the streets. For many years, until April 2005, a long time Aurovilian, Ann Plummer from New Zealand, known in Auroville as ‘Animal Care Ann’, provided food and care for the stray dogs and cats in the surrounding villages of Auroville, and to a lesser extent within Auroville.

When the members of the Land Board took office in January 2014 they met with a dire scenario. Funds to purchase lands were in short supply, the sale of outlying lands was blocked, land encroachment was rampant, land grabs and falsifications of land documents by outsiders were discovered, and legal assistance was insufficiently available.

When my family and I moved to Auroville in 1999, we stayed in various places before settling down in Surrender. After having gone out for a few years, I returned to Auroville in 2013.

Money has become an integral part of the exchange between Aurovilians and the increased monetization of our interactions is a genuine cause of concern.

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.”

The Housing Service and the Housing Board have concluded that as at present there are no funds available for housing for Aurovilians without financial means, it is not possible to accept any more new Aurovilians without them having the minimum funds for housing.

“I hear that you’re leaving Auroville.” The words stung more than I thought they would. Even after years of developing a thick skin and learning to shrug off Auroville gossip, somehow this statement still pinched.

In Auroville as a toddler and then raised there from the age of 8, I left Auroville in 1993 at 18 to pursue university studies in America. Although I worked part-time through my education, I still finished my degree with close to $20,000 in government-funded student loans.

The BCC has asked community feedback on the police patrolling in Auroville in view of the high costs of security. For the financial year 2013-14, the Auroville Security Budget was Rs.

“For in this ideal place money would be no more the sovereign lord. Individual value would have a greater importance than the value due to material wealth and social position.