Karma yoga

In 2018, Amrit published ‘Children of Change’, a memoir recounting his early life and the difficult years in Auroville when he and others chose not to take sides in the bitter conflict between the Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) and the then-dominant Auroville collective.

I first visited Auroville in 2000 as a student in the Living Routes programme. After I came home, Auroville lived inside me. I dreamed about it and imagined myself there, but I didn’t go back for 13 years.

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.

Working in Auroville has its own specialty. As novice honorary volunteers, drawn to the idea of Auroville and with stars in our eyes, several years can go by slightly tinted.

Recently, Suryamayi Clarence-Smith, who was born and brought up in Auroville, completed a Ph.D in International Development in the University of Sussex, the world-ranking institution in the field.

Monica Sharma trained as a physician and epidemiologist, then worked for the United Nations for 22 years. She was the Director of several global programmes, including the UNDP programme on HIV/AIDS, as well as being Director of Leadership and Capacity Development at the U.N.

The result of the U.S. election generated some interesting responses. One of these was a perceptive essay written by the economist, Charles Eisenstein, called “The election of hate, grief and a new story”.

Both Sri Aurobindo and The Mother have written extensively about the Integral Yoga. Some of this has been for general guidance; some has been guidance for particular individuals in particular situations.

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.

Imagine you’re tapping away on your computer, diligently doing your work for Auroville. It’s bucketing down rain outside, and your computer starts to assert its feelings about the monsoon humidity – stuck keys, a haywire cursor, documents that freeze and programmes that get stuck in never-ending sand clock icons… Just as your patience starts to disappear along with the sand sifting through the hourglass – the computer crashes altogether.

The undisputed master of Auroville woodworking is Japanese Aurovilian Kenji Matsumoto. But it was by chance, he says, that woodworking became his profession.