Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS)

On 10 April the Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS) announced the outcome of an Emergency RA Decision-Making (ERAD) Process initiated by the Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly (RA-WCom) to formally acknowledge Residents' Assembly entities as section 19 committees under the Auroville Foundation Act 1988.

On 11 February it was announced that Auroville’s Residents' Assembly (RA) has approved the revised mandate of the Residents’ Assembly Service. 359 residents of Auroville voted online and in-person, with 355 votes in favour and 4 against.

At a Residents’ Assembly meeting, the Council explained that this revision of the RAS mandate has been long overdue. The existing 2007 mandate framed the RAS more as a decision-making body, whereas their actual role is to facilitate processes for the Residents' Assembly and working groups.

Auroville’s communal fabric is having a difficult time of late with the Residents’ Assembly’s voice being ignored. The recent Selection Process showed that our collective spirit is still in good health.

The Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS) informed the community of the results of an Emergency Residents' Assembly Decision-making process, initiated through a petition signed by more than 300 members of the Residents’ Assembly (RA), (1) to approve or disapprove that the Working Committee selected by the RA will coordinate the functions of the Funds and Assets Management Committee of the Residents’ Assembly (RA-FAMC) until such time as the circumstances allow for the selection and functioning of a new FAMC of the RA; and (2) to extend the emergency functions granted to the Working Committee on 14.08.2023, for a period of six months.

The GB appointed Working Committee (GB-WCom) informed the community that a new Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS) has been appointed through an Office Order issued by the Office of the Secretary.

Auroville’s Residents’ Assembly Service is tasked with organizing decisions of the Residents’ Assembly of the Auroville Foundation. Lately their job has become very challenging.

Over the years, the community has selected members to serve in its major working groups. In the early years, this was comparatively simple, as there were few residents and only one or two such groups, and everybody knew each other well.

On the afternoon of 22nd November, the first open community meeting on the multiversity concept was held. After the origin of the draft Parliamentary Act and the present stance of the Working Committee and SAIIER were presented (see accompanying interview), the floor was opened for questions, clarifications and comments, as a means of deciding “where we go from here”.

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.

In February this year, the Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS) announced its wish to pause all Residents’ Assembly Decision-making (RAD) processes until a review is made of the existing decision-making policy and the RAS mandate.

The term ‘community’ is used in a very loose way in Auroville. Sometimes it refers to the settlement where people live, sometimes to national sub-groups, sometimes to the residents as a whole, and sometimes to an idealistic or occult aspect of Auroville.

Many residents have come to know Sathish Arumugam through his work with the Residents Assembly Service (RAS) and his recent chairing of General Meetings.

Some time ago the Residents Assembly Service received a petition signed by 93 residents calling for a Residents Assembly to discuss and decide on the next steps for choosing the manner in which members for Auroville working groups are selected.

In a presentation to the Residents Assembly on 23rd August, the Working Committee reported that while there is agreement that private development within the Master Plan is one of the most serious challenges facing Auroville, there is no consensus on the possible solution.

I was born in Auroville in 1994, where I grew up as a child. I left for France when I was nine years old, came back for one year in 2009, and returned to France to finish my studies.

An innovative process to design a new garden close to the Matrimandir is underway. What is it trying to achieve? What does it involve?

The work of the Auroville’s Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS)

On Sunday May 28th, the Residents’ Assembly Service announced that a proposed new method of town planning had been approved by 81% of the 243 registered residents who participated in the vote.

Members of the Residents Assembly Service and Auroville Council have been hosting Create Auroville Together (CAT) meetings. The stated intention is to offer “a space to unleash our creative energies, to respond with discernment, respect and a spirit of collaboration instead of reacting through likes, dislikes and distrust."

On Wednesday April 20th, the Residents’ Assembly Service announced the results of a vote called by the Auroville Council on a new Entry Policy and a new mandate for the Funds and Assets Management Committee (FAMC).

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.

Food is very much in the news these days. Recently, the Joy of Learning team presented two sessions on farming in Auroville, where the issue of Aurovilians’ food tastes, and how this impacts the farmers by determining what and how much organic food they grow, was an important topic.

A three-day selection process for new members for the Working Committee and Auroville Council took place from December 4-6th. It wasn’t to everybody’s liking.

The Residents’ Assembly Service (RAS) facilitates the decision-making process of the Residents’ Assembly (RA). The current team is the third since it was set up.

The Auroville Retreat, which took place on 12th and 13th March, brought together members of the International Advisory Council (IAC), the Governing Board (GB) and around 160 Aurovilians to examine the present state of Auroville and to draft an action plan for the near future.