Matrimandir

Auroville exists in more than one dimension – there is the occult as well as the material dimension – which makes it difficult to assess what really is most important or influential in terms of the community’s development.

The August 2025 Newsletter of the Matrimandir highlights the work done in the Garden of Bliss, where the five bowl-shaped fountains are being illuminated, and the work for manifesting the Garden of Youth is underway.

The January 2025 issue of Auroville Today focused on the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, which breached the Lego block dam separating sections 1 and 2 of the Matrimandir Lake.

Jyoti Naoki Eri was born in Kyoto, Japan, to accomplished artist parents. He trained as a sculptor in Japan through a traditional apprenticeship process.

Anand Prasad passed away on 8 April. Born in 1957, he studied at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

“In absolute silence sleeps an absolute power” — Sri Aurobindo, Savitri Sometimes I feel I am drowning in words. And not only mine. For it seems that every day someone in Auroville is bombarding us with words, telling us what to think, to do this and not to do that, to listen to them and not to others.

Victor Plotnikov was born in 1954 and grew up in Moscow, Russia. Since 1993 he had been living in Certitude, with his wife Galina. His son Nikita was born in 1998 in Auroville and all three lived as a family till his last day.

Serena, an Aurovilian and filmmaker, recounts her journey with the nuns of the Buddhist Karsha Monastery in Ladakh, documenting their inspiring story and the powerful exchange that unfolded.

J. Jayaraman, Jairam for those who knew him, joined Auroville at a very young age in 1970. He was born in Alankuppam (1959) and his childhood in the village had been a difficult one.

I’m not the most observant of mortals, but even I have noticed, over the past couple of years, that two different worlds have been forming in Auroville.

On Friday, 29.3.2024, the date of The Mother’s first arrival in Pondicherry, there was a morning meditation and a silent evening gathering under the Banyan tree at Matrimandir.

A community meeting took place in the Kalabhumi amphitheatre on March 16th. The participants were informed, both in Tamil and in English, about the events of the last two years.

Over the past three years, the government of India, Auroville’s host country, which had been a rather discreet and benevolent partner in previous decades, has decided to precipitate the course of events and intervene vigorously in the Town’s construction.

As befits chroniclers of our real lives, the organisers of the 8thAuroville Film Festival acknowledged in their address on the essence of the festival, the unique times Auroville is experiencing: ‘In the midst of the challenges we currently face, the Auroville Film Festival 2024 stands not as a conventional celebration but as a contemplative and reflective gathering.

The RA WCom has endorsed the creation of a task force to review the design of the Matrimandir lake. In their announcement on 12th December 2023, they stated that “the review of the present design of the lake is being undertaken to prepare a revised concept as an offering to the community of Auroville”.

Judith joined Auroville in 1971. Here she talks about her journey.

On May 27th, Bharat Nivas inaugurated Ekattva Maarg [meaning Discovery Path], a Unity Path to discover Auroville. The pathway comprises the loop that starts at the Visitors Centre and passes through Bharat Nivas, Unity Pavilion, Savitri Bhavan, the Matrimandir Viewing point and ends at the Visitors Centre.

On June 24th, Mallika left her body at the age of 86. Mallika (Claude Leandre) was born in French Guyana in 1936. She grew up in France, living and working there until a chance viewing of a television program featuring Auroville called her to come and join in the “adventure of consciousness”.

“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!

In the mid 1960s Roger Anger wanted to know the location of the geographical centre of the city to be. He brought a map to Mother and she indicated a spot.

The Chairman of the Governing Board and Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri R.N Ravi, accompanied by three members of the Governing Board, Smt.

Ramalingam Ramachandran, the manager of Sustenance Farm, passed away on 29th November in JIPMER hospital due to post surgical complications.

In November 1988, thirty-four years ago, Auroville Today began life, and this month marks our 400th issue. Peter Lloyd, one of our most loyal subscribers and a recent addition to our editorial team gives his reflection.

The 15th August is always a special day in Auroville, but this 15th was particularly so as it marked the 150th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo’s birth and 75 years of India’s independence.

Amudha joined Auroville 43 years ago. She helped start the Kindergarten in 1984 and continues to teach there today. Along with her husband and two sons, she runs Kottakarai Farm and Ganesh Bakery.

In the growth and busyness of today’s Auroville we can forget the many small miracles that contributed to its formation, those men and women of goodwill mysteriously drawn here, via dreams, books, synchronicities and all that chance entails.

Tatiana Sineeva joined Auroville in 2014. Here she talks about her background, her work teaching Hatha Yoga, her discovery of Auroville, her educational experience at Deepanam school and her work as a member of Auroville’s Residents’ Assembly Service.

That’s me - the baby sitting on the edge of the windowsill – one of the first children to live in Auroville. I was born in Kampala, Uganda, and I came to Pondicherry with Shyama, my mother, and my two brothers in 1965 when I was one-and-a-half years old.

The Mother’s stay in Japan between 1916–1920 was not only of profound importance for her spiritual explorations, but might also have had a big influence upon the development of Auroville.

Auroville from Above had a similar impact on some of the viewers. “What a change of perspective!” wrote one, “It feels like helping us to realize the amazing place/gift we are living in.”

Over the decades, Auroville has been a fertile hatching ground for many experiments and visionary projects, and this incubatory spirit sometimes goes hand-in-hand with the spark of romance.

Aurovilian Narayanasamy Gopal from Douceur left his body in the afternoon of 21 October at JIPMER due to a heart attack. He was 57 years old.

Some years ago, Vikas (Alan Vickers), one of the pioneer Aurovilians, brought out a slim anthology of Auroville poetry called 50 poems from Auroville.

It is sometimes difficult to place the 1980s in Auroville. The 1970s was a period of pioneering and high drama – including, as it does, Mother’s passing and the conflict with the Society – while the 1990s witnessed a Cambrian explosion of projects.

Paolo Tommasi passed away in JIPMER on July 16th due to the COVID-19 virus. He had just turned 92 years. Paolo was born in Ancona, Italy in 1928.

Over the years, Auroville has received much support from outside.

The photo shows the President (left) with Governing Board member Prof. Mohanty at the Matrimandir entrance.

The 2020 edition of the Matrimandir desk calendar has many new features, is more colourful, and has a gold-embossed cover page. It has quotations from The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, months and days are printed in four languages and Darshan and other important days as well as moon days are indicated.

My name is QurratulAin Contractor and I am 27 years old. I come from Mumbai and have been living and working in Auroville since April, 2016.

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.

Imagine being a young person, discovering, participating, and actively dedicated to the development of Auroville. Imagine living in a group of twelve, all volunteering in the community: people from different parts of the world, with different cultural backgrounds, but with a common intention to experience and contribute to Auroville.

“Nobody wants to talk to me”, said the journalist, annoyance clouding his voice. He had come to write an article about Auroville and had asked the staff of OutreachMedia to find people to whom he could talk.

Gérard Maréchal, one of Auroville’s early pioneers, left his body in his Sukhavati home on January 2nd due to a fall caused by a heart failure.

For six days in early January there was a collaborative planning workshop or charrette involving over 60 Aurovilians and visiting experts. The stated aim of Auroville - A Way Forward was to “bring the purpose of Auroville into our life, built environment and organization’.