Letters

Dear Residents of Auroville, This month we complete our four-year term as members of the International Advisory Council of the Auroville Foundation.

Letter from three members of the Auroville International Advisory Council to the Chairman, Auroville Foundation, regarding Annapurna Farm & and the Memorandum of Understanding with the IIT Madras.

To: Shri R.N. Ravi, Chairman, Governing Board, Auroville Foundation. Subject: The MoU with IIT Madras & Land Use Concerns Dear Shri R.N. Ravi ji,

Through a 12-page letter to the Prime Minister and Minister of Education of India dated 31 July, Shri R Sarvesh Kumar, General Secretary Namo Peravai, Tamil Nadu, drew attention to large losses suffered by Auroville in recent land exchanges.

Bob Zwicker has worked in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives for 52 years, with particular responsibility for the Mother’s works. Recently, three new books have been published containing new material not published in the Centenary edition of The Mother’s Collected Works.

On June 9th, the Auroville International Advisory Council (IAC) shared with the community that during a joint meeting with the GB on May 31st, it had called for a more transparent and inclusive land exchange process.

On April 3rd, 2024, Shri M. Chakrapani, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu representing the Vanur constituency of the Villupuram district, sent a widely circulated letter to the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation alleging Auroville mismanagement over the last two years.

Two long-time Aurovilians have written letters to the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, in response to the Leave India Notice, appealing to the P.M. to intervene in the ever-escalating situation, for “Auroville is in great danger” as the “core values” of the experiment are being threatened.

Dear Auroville Community, I am an avid follower of the Auroville community and its developments, and am a well-wisher for its success, even though I have never lived in Auroville.

This small book is a recollection of J.R.D. Tata’s involvement with Auroville as well as a meditative reflection by the author, Frederick (Friedrich Schulze Buxloh), of his very special relationship with this great man, one of India’s foremost industrialists who in 1992 was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, for his contribution to India’s development as the head of the then largest industrial conglomerate.

In its March 2019 issue, Auroville Today published an interview with Andrea Cammarata on the International Zone (IZ). He explained that the plan now is to build continental and regional clusters of nations and cultures in the International Zone.

Dear Editor Alan This is my first ‘Letter to the Editor’ of Auroville Today but I am not nervous. You usually graciously publish all the letters you get, and you get very few.

During the community interaction with the Governing Board members on September 8th, Dr. Kiran Bedi, the Lt Governor of Pondicherry, lauded Dr.

One June 24th, Yolande Lemoine, one of Auroville’s strong supporters in the early days, left her body in Paris. Yolande had been a close friend and aide of Satprem and Sujata, and liaised the important contacts between J.R.D.

The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation, Dr. Karan Singh, in two open letters to the Aurovilians, communicated the Board's concern about the slow progress of land purchase.

To the Editors, Auroville Today, Please refer to the Editorial of your 2nd issue: “Between 1968 and 1972, a whole team worked on the plans of the city of which Mother dreamt.

Dear Editors, Auroville Today is really bright – thanks for it.

Sir, I read with great interest the monthly newsletter “Auroville Today” of November 1988. I am very happy to learn that the Government of India has now passed the bill in the Parliament promoting the Auroville Foundation with a three-tier system, having an International Advisory Council, a Governing Board and for the management and day-to-day running of Auroville the Auroville Residents Assembly and its Working-committee.

Sir, With regard to Mr. Smytthe-Buckfast’s letter in the first issue of your publication, I have the following comments to make. Mr. Smytthe-Buckfast displays his appalling lack of knowledge in the field of paleontology when he states that he observed a “Pterodactyl indica” (sic) near the Matrimandir.

One name keeps coming back over the years, in connection with the Galaxy: Roger Anger, the well-known French architect. Soon after leaving the Beaux Arts, he constructed some buildings which were architecturally remarkable and which immediately associated him with the avant-garde.

After months of speculation and incertitude, the Auroville Foundation Bill was passed in both Houses of Parliament in early September. There is no doubt of the historic importance of this bill in terms of Auroville’s growth.

Esteemed Sir, I feel obliged to inform you that last night, while perambulating around the periphery of Matrimandir Gardens, I happened to see a Pterodactyl Indica, a large prehistoric bird of rather unpleasant habits, grazing daintily off a Hibiscus flower.