Reflection

There is an hour before dawn when the night seems darkest, when stars fade but the sun has not yet shown its face. In the old tales, this was often the hour when hope seemed most distant, yet also when transformation was closest at hand.

“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.

Aurodeva is an artist and art therapist born and raised in Auroville whose work displays a rich blend of creativity, introspection, and connection to his roots.

Born in Paris, Nathalie grew up surrounded by the evocative scents of her grandfather’s painting studio. At the age of seven, her life took a profound turn when her family moved to India, eventually settling in Auroville.

But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. WB Yeats Death has been haunting me of late.

These days, more and more of the space in Auroville Today seems to be taken up with obituaries. It made me begin to reflect upon death and our attitudes to it.

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.

Once, in later years, I went to see Roger in Auromodѐle, but it was different from the other times I visited him. I cannot recall why I went there, to discuss what.

In 2022, Vishwa Chudgar, her husband and daughter spent a month in Auroville, before moving back to the USA. A little over a year later, the family is now calling Auroville home and Vishwa has started the newcomer process.

Himal Jaiswal came to Auroville 45 years ago as a seven year old boy. Approximately two years ago he started working in the Matrimandir gardens.

When I first saw the tree, I saw a Mother and her many children. Branches reaching out to all directions. Outward, skyward, earthward. The tree had roots that were branches and branches that were rooted.

As my partner and I were talking about the history of Auroville’s on-going crisis, she encouraged me to read a specific book chronicling the early days of Auroville.

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.

What does Auroville represent to its immediate neighbours? To the average person in Pondicherry? To the average tourist? Despite it being a popular sightseeing destination on the Pondicherry itinerary, how is this town and its inhabitants viewed and understood by many Indians?

20 years old, I was born and raised in Auroville. I studied in Last School and I am currently living in Muyarchi. My passion/interest lies in several activities like art, fire dance, horsemanship, writing/languages.

I am 24 years old and i am from Tamil Nadu. I came to Auroville 2.5 years ago, I consider myself a barefoot architect working on integral rural development through community empowerment and participatory leadership.

Special events are celebrated in all parts of the world. Have you ever been in a big city, like Paris or London, when they are celebrating something like Christmas or the New Year?

Understanding Auroville with the mind is like grasping a handful of ash that wafts away in the breeze. You say something about it, then realize that the opposite also is true.

The way we present Auroville through films and exhibitions is overwhelmingly positive. Little or no attention is paid to the challenges, dissonances, even contradictions that we encounter every day here.

On March 7, 2018, architect Balkrishna V. Doshi, former Auroville Governing Board member and Chairman of the Auroville Town Development Council (TDC) between 2009 - 2016, was announced as the Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2018.

I do not remember when and from whom I heard about the idea of Auroville, but it appeared to me natural, almost inevitable, in the context of The Mother’s Dream of a place where people could lead a life according to the dictates of the highest and also her warning that it had become imperative for men, countries and continents to choose between Truth or the Abyss.

In March, 2015, we interviewed three Aurovilians, Gérard Maréchal, Janaka and François Gauthier, who had journeyed to Auroville in the first caravan in 1969, to learn more about the caravan story.

Bindu reflects upon Auroville as a social experiment.

In the months of July and August, Auroville benefitted from unexpected rains. In July 153 mm fell, against an average of 73.1= for the last 39 years.

Auroville Today published an interview with the Facilitators of the Swadharma programme in September 2016. Manas met with the students of the 2016 and 2017 programmes to understand it from the participants’ perspective.

For some years, Vikram has been very much involved in youth and sports activities in Auroville. He is also deeply interested in conflict resolution and meeting process.

When I first arrived three months ago, I imagined I was going to learn about new governance and economic structures, a new way of making decisions and managing money.

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.

Why am I in Auroville? I choose to stay here because I am inspired by Auroville – by its dream and ideals, by its people and their stories, by its beauty and unending possibilities.

I was born in Auroville, but at the age of 14 I chose to go study at the Kodaikanal International School. I had always wanted to get out. I was always told that Auroville is a special place, and my parents were both here for that reason; but when you grow up it is not so evident why Auroville is special.

The term of office of Shri N. Bala Baskar, IAS (retd.) the Secretary to the Auroville Foundation, will end on August 16th. He had been Secretary from 1996 till 2001, and rejoined the Auroville Foundation on March 8th, 2012.