Auroville

[Guest guest]

When I did a search on Google about "moving to Auroville", I found this article:

 

A city the earth needs? That's what the New Age community of Auroville, located

in India's southeastern state of Tamil Nadu, claims to be. Although more a

village than a proper metropolis, the 1600 citizens who live there aspire to one

day boast 50,000 inhabitants.

Unlike other cities in India, Auroville is not bustling, has no pollution, and

is devoid of poor people.

Instead, it is a kibbutz-like community with interesting - if not befuddling -

ideas and plans for the future.

Oh, and two-thirds of the population are sunburned, leathery skinned Westerners.

 

The community, inaugurated in 1968, results from a vision shared by the Bengali

mystic Sri Aurobindo and his French-born companion, Mirra Alfassa, known as the

Mother. Auroville is the culmination of their dream of a place where seekers

from all over the world could come together to live a progressive life in the

service of the Divine Truth.

The 10 days I spent there were most enlightening.

 

Geographically, Auroville covers 20 square kilometers. At its center is a huge

golf-ball like structure called the Matrimandir (Mother Temple). Inside this

geodesic dome is housed a mighty big crystal in an eerily quiet meditation

chamber. Radiating out from the Matrimandir - in the

shape of the Galaxy -- are some 100 settlements or neighborhoods named after

development goals such as 'Surrender,' 'Certitude,' 'Sincerity' and

'Aspiration'.

 

I stayed for the duration of my visit at the Center Guest House. There, I was

able to meet a number of citizens (called Aurovilians) as well as possible

newcomers (who were checking out whether this community is really for them). I

was also outfitted with a bicycle and promptly got lost in the maze of

non-sign-posted red dirt roads that wind through forested areas connecting the

small settlements.

According to its charter, "Auroville aims at becoming a model of the 'city of

the future'. It wants to show the world that future realizations in all fields

of work will allow us to build beautiful cities where people sincerely looking

towards a more harmonious future will want to live."

 

Physically, entrepreneurs in a variety of fields - agriculture, housing,

computers, education - have taken to experimenting with different methods. Some

results have been successful; others less so. Rather than use established

agricultural techniques Aurovilians work the land by trial and error (and much

failure according to their latest newsletter). On the flip side, their building

research center has come up with some innovative low-cost housing technologies.

A few architects have also gone wild with their ideas and a number of the

settlements - most notably Kalabhumi and Verite -- look to be Hobbit or Smurf

inspired.

Rationally, this so-called utopian society has all the problems a regular,

non-planned city contains.

 

In its promotional material, Auroville gives the impression that it is an

integrated community of different nationalities and faiths. In truth, the

community is quite segregated, and only unified by its diversities.

 

While Auroville's charter claims it to be a place of tolerance and equality,

many of its residents seem to harbor opposing views. Racism between the Indian

citizens and the Westerners, as well as among each of the groups themselves is

very noticeable. The North Indians, like in the rest of the country, do not see

their southern compatriots as equals. At the same time, some of the European

residents I met always referred to their fellow Indian Aurovilians as "they" or

"them." And then there were those who found fault in people's different

religions.

 

"It isn't at all what I expected," admitted a Canadian man in his 50's who came

to Auroville with the desire to emigrate (but changed his mind). "Mother's

original plan and the reality of the community today are not the same."

 

The community is less spiritual than I, too, had imagined. While the Matrimandir

is geographically the center of the township - and in Mother's writings is

referred to as the 'soul of the city' - it is the Solar Kitchen that is the real

center of the community. Here residents gather for lunch or an afternoon

cappuccino and email in the rooftop cafe.

 

One of the central tenets is that Auroville belongs to nobody in particular, but

to humanity as a whole. Yet, during my stay I came across an inordinate amount

of possessiveness. Residents claim not to be materialistic, but they all have

the latest technological gadgets. Soon after my arrival, a long-term American

guest and a German newcomer purchased bicycles. While most cycles in India are

of the one-speed rickety variety, these two bikes were top-model, multi-gear

sorts. The new owners repeatedly noted how "cheap" the bikes were - when, in

reality, they cost more than most Indians make in a month.

 

As spiritual groups often do, Auroville attracts all sorts of fringe people.

Whereas one usually doesn't need the permission of a city's residents when

relocating, when moving to Auroville newcomers must complete a two-year tryout

and then be voted in as a member. Such new measures were made clear to me after

the first Aurovilian I met replied to my cheery 'hello' with: "I'm a hermit. I

don't really talk to anyone."

 

An Italian, who has lived there for 21 years, said, "this is the only place you

can express your individuality and not be told to conform."

 

But in an attempt to weed out overtly 'out there' individuals, Aurovilians are

inadvertently promoting the need to be crazy with their principle that newcomers

must provide funding for their own accommodation with the stipulation that these

facilities belong to the community as a whole and not to the individual who paid

for them. Seriously, who would shell out $50,000 for an apartment they cannot

call their own?

 

I'm a little lost at how Aurovilians plan to reach a population of 50,000. But

if that's truly a goal for them, to be taken sincerely as a "city the earth

needs", residents should really think about revising their constitution. It

reads: "[...] The whole earth must prepare itself for the advent of the new

species, and Auroville wants to consciously work towards hastening that advent.

Little by little it will be revealed to us what this new species should be and

meanwhile the best measure to take is to consecrate oneself entirely to the

Divine...."

Beam me up, Scotty.

 

© Viva Sarah Press August 2002

Traveller-at-large

13 months and counting…

Email: iamatraveller

 

http://www.hackwriters.com/Viva.htm

 

Has someone of this group been in Auroville for longer and can contribute

his/her view?

 

Alexandra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Yes I have been there and the article seems to be a quite accurate reflection of

a dream hijacked.

 

alexandra_108 <alexandra_108 wrote:

When I did a search on Google about "moving to Auroville", I found this article:

 

A city the earth needs? That's what the New Age community of Auroville, located

in India's southeastern state of Tamil Nadu, claims to be. Although more a

village than a proper metropolis, the 1600 citizens who live there aspire to one

day boast 50,000 inhabitants.

Unlike other cities in India, Auroville is not bustling, has no pollution, and

is devoid of poor people.

Instead, it is a kibbutz-like community with interesting - if not befuddling -

ideas and plans for the future.

Oh, and two-thirds of the population are sunburned, leathery skinned Westerners.

 

The community, inaugurated in 1968, results from a vision shared by the Bengali

mystic Sri Aurobindo and his French-born companion, Mirra Alfassa, known as the

Mother. Auroville is the culmination of their dream of a place where seekers

from all over the world could come together to live a progressive life in the

service of the Divine Truth.

 

The 10 days I spent there were most enlightening.

 

Geographically, Auroville covers 20 square kilometers. At its center is a huge

golf-ball like structure called the Matrimandir (Mother Temple). Inside this

geodesic dome is housed a mighty big crystal in an eerily quiet meditation

chamber. Radiating out from the Matrimandir - in the shape of the Galaxy -- are

some 100 settlements or neighborhoods named after development goals such as

'Surrender,' 'Certitude,' 'Sincerity' and 'Aspiration'.

 

I stayed for the duration of my visit at the Center Guest House. There, I was

able to meet a number of citizens (called Aurovilians) as well as possible

newcomers (who were checking out whether this community is really for them). I

was also outfitted with a bicycle and promptly got lost in the maze of

non-sign-posted red dirt roads that wind through forested areas connecting the

small settlements.

 

According to its charter, "Auroville aims at becoming a model of the 'city of

the future'. It wants to show the world that future realizations in all fields

of work will allow us to build beautiful cities where people sincerely looking

towards a more harmonious future will want to live."

 

Physically, entrepreneurs in a variety of fields - agriculture, housing,

computers, education - have taken to experimenting with different methods. Some

results have been successful; others less so. Rather than use established

agricultural techniques Aurovilians work the land by trial and error (and much

failure according to their latest newsletter). On the flip side, their building

research center has come up with some innovative low-cost housing technologies.

A few architects have also gone wild with their ideas and a number of the

settlements - most notably Kalabhumi and Verite -- look to be Hobbit or Smurf

inspired.

Rationally, this so-called utopian society has all the problems a regular,

non-planned city contains.

 

In its promotional material, Auroville gives the impression that it is an

integrated community of different nationalities and faiths. In truth, the

community is quite segregated, and only unified by its diversities.

 

While Auroville's charter claims it to be a place of tolerance and equality,

many of its residents seem to harbor opposing views. Racism between the Indian

citizens and the Westerners, as well as among each of the groups themselves is

very noticeable. The North Indians, like in the rest of the country, do not see

their southern compatriots as equals. At the same time, some of the European

residents I met always referred to their fellow Indian Aurovilians as "they" or

"them." And then there were those who found fault in people's different

religions.

 

"It isn't at all what I expected," admitted a Canadian man in his 50's who came

to Auroville with the desire to emigrate (but changed his mind). "Mother's

original plan and the reality of the community today are not the same."

 

The community is less spiritual than I, too, had imagined. While the Matrimandir

is geographically the center of the township - and in Mother's writings is

referred to as the 'soul of the city' - it is the Solar Kitchen that is the real

center of the community. Here residents gather for lunch or an afternoon

cappuccino and email in the rooftop cafe.

 

One of the central tenets is that Auroville belongs to nobody in particular, but

to humanity as a whole. Yet, during my stay I came across an inordinate amount

of possessiveness. Residents claim not to be materialistic, but they all have

the latest technological gadgets. Soon after my arrival, a long-term American

guest and a German newcomer purchased bicycles. While most cycles in India are

of the one-speed rickety variety, these two bikes were top-model, multi-gear

sorts. The new owners repeatedly noted how "cheap" the bikes were - when, in

reality, they cost more than most Indians make in a month.

 

As spiritual groups often do, Auroville attracts all sorts of fringe people.

Whereas one usually doesn't need the permission of a city's residents when

relocating, when moving to Auroville newcomers must complete a two-year tryout

and then be voted in as a member. Such new measures were made clear to me after

the first Aurovilian I met replied to my cheery 'hello' with: "I'm a hermit. I

don't really talk to anyone."

 

An Italian, who has lived there for 21 years, said, "this is the only place you

can express your individuality and not be told to conform."

 

But in an attempt to weed out overtly 'out there' individuals, Aurovilians are

inadvertently promoting the need to be crazy with their principle that newcomers

must provide funding for their own accommodation with the stipulation that these

facilities belong to the community as a whole and not to the individual who paid

for them. Seriously, who would shell out $50,000 for an apartment they cannot

call their own?

 

I'm a little lost at how Aurovilians plan to reach a population of 50,000. But

if that's truly a goal for them, to be taken sincerely as a "city the earth

needs", residents should really think about revising their constitution. It

reads: "[...] The whole earth must prepare itself for the advent of the new

species, and Auroville wants to consciously work towards hastening that advent.

Little by little it will be revealed to us what this new species should be and

meanwhile the best measure to take is to consecrate oneself entirely to the

Divine...."

Beam me up, Scotty.

 

© Viva Sarah Press August 2002

Traveller-at-large

13 months and counting…

Email: iamatraveller

 

http://www.hackwriters.com/Viva.htm

 

Has someone of this group been in Auroville for longer and can contribute

his/her view?

 

Alexandra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

so sad...

 

sankara menon <kochu1tz wrote:Yes I have been there and the article

seems to be a quite accurate reflection of a dream hijacked.

 

alexandra_108 wrote:

Has someone of this group been in Auroville for longer and can contribute

his/her view?