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Auroville One for All, All for One

‘Analytical report submitted to Discover India Programme Committee, FLAME for partial

fulfillment of Discover India Programme six credit course.’

Research Team:

Aalisha Sheth

Abhik Basu

Atisha Lama

Harsh Solanke

Kabeer Kathpalia

Malvika Bhagwat

B.A. Namrata

Phuntsog Dorjee

Richa Sheth

Ruhi More

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Prasad Vanarase

FLAME School of Liberal Education, Pune

Foundation for Liberal and Management Education

2010-2011

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Authentication Certificate

This is to certify that the work incorporated in this report, entitled “Auroville –

One for all, all for one” submitted by the undersigned research team was carried

out under my mentorship. Such material as has been obtained from other sources

has been duly acknowledged.

Research Team

- Aalisha Sheth ...............................

- Abhik Basu ...............................

- Atisha Lama ...............................

- Harsh Solanke ...............................

- Kabeer Kathpalia ...............................

- Malvika Bhagwat ...............................

- B.A. Namrata ...............................

- Phuntsog Dorjee ...............................

- Richa Sheth ...............................

- Ruhi More ...............................

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Prasad Vanarase ...............................

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Table of Contents

The Auroville Charter .................................................................................................................. 4

And suddenly, there was light. ..................................................................................................... 5

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 6

CHAPTER ONE: Money money everywhere, yet not a single rupee to spare ....................... 8

Economy.................................................................................................................................... 10

CHAPTER TWO: An Uncommon Supremacy ........................................................................ 18

„The City of Dawn‟ in the making ............................................................................................ 20

Validating the Ideology ............................................................................................................. 21

CHAPTER THREE: A Sucker for New Age ideas .................................................................. 25

Go Green! .................................................................................................................................. 30

Getting Started........................................................................................................................... 32

Double Dilemma ....................................................................................................................... 36

CHAPTER FOUR: Love thy Neighbors ................................................................................... 39

Don‟t bite the hand that feeds you ............................................................................................ 40

Fishy Village ............................................................................................................................. 46

Through the eyes of Ramesh Macha ......................................................................................... 47

CHAPTER FIVE: Mad Angles.................................................................................................. 51

Town Planning and Urban Design ............................................................................................ 51

CHAPTER SIX: Brewing for the perfect coffee ...................................................................... 58

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 65

Epilogue ....................................................................................................................................... 69

Pre-research................................................................................................................................. 70

Primary data................................................................................................................................ 85

Works Cited ................................................................................................................................. 95

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 97

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... 100

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The Auroville Charter

1. Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to

live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.

2. Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that

never ages.

3. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all

discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future

realizations.

4. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an

actual Human Unity.

1

The dot at the centre represents Unity, the Supreme;

the inner circle represents the creation, the conception of the City;

the petals represent the power of expression and realization

1 Auroville Symbol; Aurovilla, a universal city in the making

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And suddenly, there was light.

A flash as brilliant as a thousand supernovae appeared right before my eyes, quietly but

imposingly. This light was not of the white kind that is often seen in today‟s „power saving „tube

lights. It was more of the yellow kind – warm, gentle and homely. I had no time to recover from

this sudden shock for I was bombarded by another, far greater one.

There she stood before me, in all her glory. Golden and smiling, she patiently looked at me.

“I am here. I always have been. It is only now that you are too. Ask, and you shall be answered

little one!” said The Mother.

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Introduction

The aspiration of a utopian society is just as tempting as it is illusive. The most brilliant of

thinkers - economists, sociologists, politicians and scientists have debated and theorized of the

creation of a perfect society for centuries and yet they fall short of truly experiencing one.

Adam Smith theorized that it‟s possible with the laissez-faire economy and although most of the

world is close to achieving the free market economy, it is no closer to utopia. Marx went to the

other extreme, and that too proved to be much more competent when left to the confines of print

instead of the real world.

Yet, with a similar giddy optimism that undergraduate students, like ourselves, possess about the

future of the world, we jumped at the thought of Auroville - an experiment aimed at realizing a

utopian society. The preconceived notions that that were present in our minds at the time were

those of a peace loving society, where people are content and families blossom; where there is no

discrimination, no hatred, no crime and no pollution. Perhaps something Bob Marley would sing

about. Add to that the proximity of Pondicherry, an old colonial French town, known for its

exquisite food and cheap beer; we had few reasons not to go to Auroville. It fit the perfect

college time exploration.

During the course of our initial research, we realized that the trip to Auroville promised a lot

more than youthful, mindless revelry. Auroville, with its enormous spiritual and transcendental

background, is an unending spiral of human spirit, innovation and co-habitation. The intention

was to have a good time while experiencing a cool place. Though it did not take much time to

realize that the journey, not to mention the experience, would be incomplete without a

comprehensive rethink on the notions and ideals we held for a fair and just society today.

Auroville is not just an alternative township; it is alternative way of living. The purpose of life is

different, the way one reasons is different. Competition is for the sake of excellence, not one‟s

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triumph over the other; education is to equip the spirit, not for a certificate degree. With such

radical differences, it became impossible to study the Auroville experiment from a conventional

point of view. It‟s impossible to develop an objective outlook with these; a truer approach would

perhaps begin with changing our eye pieces.

We decided a good starting point would be to have a broad topic or question that we would like

to understand or answer once we go there. After many discussions and even more arguments, we

agreed that we would like to understand the connection between the Mother‟s philosophy and its

implications for everyday life, into town planning, and into the cultural and economic structure

of Auroville. We were also interested in looking at Auroville as a model for sustainable

townships, and how it was trying to reach its ideals.

Our discovery of Auroville began with the simple discovery of ourselves. A spiritual peek inside

at the ideals we stand for before we looked at a society aspiring for utopia. The playful ideas we

had of the trip before we went to Auroville became mere shadows of the dancing thoughts of

spiritual discovery and awakening that we found ourselves in the middle of once here.

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CHAPTER ONE

Money money everywhere, yet not a single rupee to spare

It had been a tough day. The rain was as spasmodic as ever, changing its mind every couple of

minutes. My bike was out of fuel. And money? What money? Luckily, the solar kitchen was not

a long walk. Nothing was a long walk here in Auroville. How things had changed for me in the

last three years. The shift from big time CEO to less than small time potter had been a

challenging one, to say the least. Three years back, my gas guzzling, chauffeur drivencar would

have come to my rescue, but not today.

Where was the mechanic? The service unit people have always been punctual. Service unit-

Does that even mean anything outside of Auroville? It‟s like a taxpayers dream. I know that this

service that is being provided is being funded by at least some part of the money that I put in to

the common pot, the Central Fund. The rain is really getting heavy now. Maybe the mechanic

wasn‟t going to be able to make it. I surely wouldn‟t expect him to come. Poor guy hardly gets

any money. Just because they call it maintenance does not mean that they can reduce the regular

salaries of people. The commercial units have it easier. At least they can earn their own money

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based on their work, and there is always room for expansion. There is always the incentive to be

better since better means richer. The poor mechanic will not get a higher maintenance if he starts

fixing bikes better. Sure, he gets his basic necessities taken care of by the community, but it‟s not

quite the same is it? No one wants to live on charity, even if he is providing a service to the

community.

If only the damn phones worked in this place. You would think that for a place that depends

so much on the outside world, one would have invested in some good telephone connections

at least, right? I smiled. What am I talking about? Dependence and investment are words to the

Aurovillians like coins are to Bill Gates – completely useless. I came to Auroville trying to

convince the „Economy group‟ (the group that is in charge of Auroville‟s economic structure)

that partnership with the outside world was not a bad thing, that they should change their policies

a little bit, allow new blood into the system, propagate growth. But here I am today, alone on a

mushy road, with my fuel-less bike, and some clay in my bag.

Maybe I should write to my brother in Hyderabad (phones obviously do not seem to work). My

financial empire is waiting for me to come back and take charge. I have no worries like that you

know. I could merely step out of Auroville, take a flight back to Hyderabad, be picked up by my

chauffer driven sedan, and I would be back to being normal.

I don‟t know why I haven‟t done that so far. How on earth did I decide to become a potter? I

hated art class in school. How did this happen? Was it the energy? Was it the spiritual sensitivity

that I felt here? Or am I just trying to escape from reality? Was I just tired of that boring

corporate life, not feeling satisfied and content? Suddenly, I saw a light in the distance. Maybe

the mechanic did finally make it. The light became brighter and brighter. Strange. That did not

look like a headlight. Wonder what it could be.

Bang.

Dazzling lights. Brilliant colors. Golden warmth.

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Okay. That was not the mechanic. Suddenly, I saw her. She stood before me in the rain. She was

wearing white robes, kimono like. Her head was covered with a delicate thin white cloth. Her

eyes were bright and intense. She did not have to say anything. I knew why she was here.

Oh Mother. You say that this place will be a place for human evolution; a place where our

spiritual journey shall evolve. But all I see here is elitism and divide. This looks like a club for

the rich, for the governments of different countries are funding most of the activities. You

say you don’t want there to be any currency circulating in Auroville but ask for money from

them. How does this all make sense?

Economy

We sometimes tend to forget how we reached the state we are in now, what were the decision

that lead us here, and where would we like to go. Civilization is the awesome result of

convenience, profit and chance. We often wonder how to change, or edit what we already have,

but maybe we are asking the wrong question.

Auroville, during its conception, did not ask how they should edit or change the system that was

prevalent throughout India and most of the world. Auroville in a sense went back to

fundamentals, the foundations, a platform where assumptions were not yet made, a place where

habit and complacency had not yet set in – a blank slate.

Ideally speaking, Auroville aspires to become a place that is self-sustaining, a place where in

principle, there is no exchange of money. "For in this ideal place money would be no more the

sovereign lord. Work would not be the means of gaining one's livelihood, it would be the means

whereby one expresses oneself, developing one's capacities and possibilities, while doing at the

same time service to the whole group, which on its side would provide for each one's subsistence

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and for his field of work."2 In principle is the key phrase here. Auroville has certainly not

reached that state but has many facets that are precursors to it.

As an alternate for traditional currency, account numbers are given to Aurovillians that are

linked to the central account. Aurovillians are expected to give a monthly contribution to the

community. They can also help the community by working for it through various community

services. People who provide these services are given maintenance. It is just enough to sustain

oneself. It is can be considered a salary to some extent. The maintenance provided to people is

almost uniform through Auroville.

The statement above likely forms the crux of Auroville. It suggests that community actually has

a far more concrete and tangible meaning in Auroville than it probably has in other places.

Firstly, the community is something that reacts back to the individual. Auroville is willing to

take full responsibility of people who do not have any possessions or income. The community

provides them for so that they can live a spartan, yet dignified life. Hence, one will never see a

member of this community begging. The individuals on the other hand are willing to contribute

to the growth of the community. Take the Community shop Pour Tous in Auroville, for example.

Here, everyone deposits a pre-determined sum every month based on what they think their needs

are. Now, it is not that they will use this complete amount every month. They may probably use

two-thirds of it for the first month. The remaining money goes into the common pot. Now, the

next month, say they have some guests coming to their house and they need extra salt. They can

overshoot their monthly deposit. Maybe they spend two times it that month. All this works

because of a special condition, a condition that created Auroville and one that sustains it - choice.

Everyone who comes to Auroville wants to live in this manner. One who wants to can very

easily take advantage of the system, but no one does. Everyone believes in the system, a system

they all together agreed on, at least for most of the part. There is trust in the other.

This common pot that is being mentioned here is officially called The Central Fund. It was

started in 1989 to support Auroville‟s services and other collective responsibilities. The money in

this Central Fund comes from various sources. A large amount comes from Commercial units

2 Overview; Auroville, a universal city in the making

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(units which manufacture goods). The Commercial units have to contribute at least 33% of their

profits to the Central Fund. Apart from this, each Aurovillian must contribute Rs.1500 to the

„Central Fund.‟ Aurovillians who have money from other sources can, and in fact, do contribute

a lot more. Money that has been earned previously, fortunes that have been amassed, often go

into this fund. Guests and guesthouses provide another source of income for the Central Fund.

An interesting point is worth mentioning here. Even though the guesthouses are extremely cheap

and available to everyone, the transaction takes in paper currency. This just shows that when

there is any interaction with the outside world, The Mothers vision is tainted. This is probably

the main reason why she wanted Auroville to be completely self-sustaining, starting with basic

necessities like food, clothes and shelter. However, while food and clothes are provided for

(actually they are barely provided from within Auroville. They must be taken from outside as

Auroville is neither self- sustaining in food nor in clothing), land is not. Land must be bought,

and even then cannot be owned. We shall delve into this more at a later point.

Coming back to the Central Fund, it provides money to support community services like the

Solar Kitchen, Nandini (where all clothes are free for a monthly contribution of Rs.250), The

Free store and Mahasaraswati‟s Free Store (free exchange center), farms, Forest (maintains the

forest), Education, Roads and Traffic, Health care, Dental Centre Treatment, AV security,

Information Centre, News and Notes (publication), Pitanga (multipurpose Auditorium), Housing

repair Service, Vehicle repair service, Electricity, collective transport, Youth Centre (cultural

hub), Aurofilm (film society), etc. As one can observe, this Central Fund can be considered the

localized equivalent of taxes. However, the Central Funds scope is far beyond just taxation. As

mentioned before, it provides for people who cannot provide for themselves. It not only provides

essentials like electricity and Health care, but also encourages cultural and social activities such

the Youth Center and Aurofilm. This tells us something about the focus and purpose of this

Central Fund. It is not tax collection. Tax collection is used to better the city, generally in terms

of infrastructure and the like, but here, there is direct connection with the needy individual. This

only works because of the tiny size of Auroville, which leads to accountability and proper

allocation of resources. Basic necessities like food are provided. There is cultural enrichment.

Whether this will remain like this when 50,000 people come and live in Auroville as projected is

an important question that must be addressed. Nevertheless, at the present moment, this kind of

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communal economic system affects all spheres of one‟s life. This allows people who are trained

as dentists to follow their hearts passion and become chefs. This system allows for an

environment where competition does not mean opposition However, this can almost seem like a

sort of communistic regime, where everyone is put on the same level, may it be the westerner

from outside or the local from the neighboring villages. The only difference is that there is no

apparent restriction on how much one can earn. The commercial units can earn a substantial

amount more than the people who receive maintenance. Money still brings money here.

If you are rich when you come to Auroville, you can set up a commercial unit and become

richer. If you are poor when you come, then you simply cannot. Is this in accordance with

your philosophy, O mother?

Many people have other businesses outside Auroville, businesses that provide an income that one

could not possibly earn even through commercial units. Such people generally contribute a great

deal of this to the Central Fund. Although this would seem like a very benevolent gesture, the

feeling from inside Auroville is that such people are the „black-sheep of Auroville. The people

who are completely living in Auroville with no outside ties seem to have some kind of negative

judgment for these people; people who they believe have not fully understood the philosophy of

Auroville completely.

Auroville aims to home 50,000 people someday. This can prove to be hard as there is no private

ownership. The Auroville Trust owns all property. People who want to start something, or even

build a house, must put in their own money to buy it, but cannot own it. In one way, this is like

saying that if you are not a hundred percent sure that this is where you would like to live, and

this is what you would like to do, do not come. This too is against the basic spirit of Auroville

that claims to promote individualism an exploration. Because of such restrictions, outside

investors will never come to Auroville.

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This brings us to the most important point of all, a summation of all the economic problems that

Auroville faces now, and will face later. The age demographic that is growing the fastest is

between the ages of 60 and 70. That is not an optimistic sign for a young establishment such as

Auroville. This older population has been in Auroville almost since its conception. They already

have homes in Auroville. New people, on the other hand, find it very hard to come to Auroville.

Not only is the maintenance insufficient to allow anyone to start something new, but it is also

only given to Aurovillians.

Furthermore, there is an admission process to become an Aurovilian. One must stay in Auroville

for six months to just get a newcomer status. Only after this, will the entry group consider to

make one an Aurovilian. This will take another couple of years. Now, how is someone supposed

to sustain himself or herself for this period? If they have no previous money, and are young, they

have no way to buy a house in Auroville. It is simply too expensive, especially since you cannot

sell it later. Young people hence do not come to Auroville. The population is slowly becoming

more skewed towards the elderly. Only the rich can afford to come to Auroville. This is

primarily the reason why Auroville can be perceived as an elitist club, a club where membership

is not easily given, and a club where the poor cannot enter. “Auroville has only a small economic

base and newcomers often cannot find suitable work in the commercial units or in the services. If

they can, the levels of maintenance' paid – Rs 5,000 for those who work full-time for Auroville's

services, a bit more for those who work for commercial units – are just sufficient to cover basic

living costs, but not to pay for a house, or for paying-off a loan”3 said a report about the

Auroville economy.

The negative attitude that Auroville has towards business and commerce probably stems from

the popular notion that business and spirituality are mutually disjoint. Whatever the truth might

be in this opinion, there is absolutely no doubt that when a system is concerned, a system

involving a community, a group, there is the need to interact and exchange. Money is merely a

convenient way to measure this exchange. It does not have to be paper currency. A country in

Europe had once decided to use flowers instead of paper, but the underlying concept still

remained the same. Money represents (or ideally should represent) the return one is getting for

3 Flash News Today- Online News Magazine; Auroville

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the contribution he or she is making. How the contribution is measured is definitely a grey area,

something that needs to be addressed in the present day and age, but removing money all

together may not be the best solution. Creating a mutual credit clearing system (more mentioned

below) is one solution. The problem with this in pertinence to Auroville is that Auroville does

not manufacture everything it needs. They need to buy from outside Auroville. Hence currency

that is acceptable outside is required. This removes the possibility of having a special internal

currency.

There is a small community called „Sadhana forest‟ on the outskirts of Auroville. Even though is

technically a part of Auroville, it is a community in itself. Now this place has a no concept of

money. There is no exchange of money, either through accounts or with the outside world. They

are almost completely self-sustaining. This is what one might call a local, decentralized self-

sustaining community. Everybody must work there, may it be farming or cooking or cycling to

generate electricity. If the outside world would one-day disappears, this place would still

function in a very similar way it is functioning now. The only place where there is some

exchange of money is when there is a need to expand and grow. Sustenance is achieved but

growth requires outside help. This is a very interesting experiment too. They have managed to

create a system that is complete by itself, but for the system to grow, nourishment from the

outside is required, almost like a plant. Did Auroville start of like this? Through various

interviews we discovered that this was indeed the case. Many of the initial Aurovillians wanted

an economy like this. One reason they couldn‟t stick to it was Auroville had needs that could not

be met by Auroville alone.

The Auroville charter states that Auroville is supposed to be a place for spiritual and material

research. This means that there should be growth in both these segments. But it seems that while

spirituality is given great importance, the materialistic part is almost treated with disdain. It can

be debated that material research is a meant in a more scientific manner here, but that is just one

interpretation. Material research could possibly mean developing new ways in which a society

grows. New business models can be explored, ones possibly even without money, but commerce

cannot be ignored as it is being done presently.

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In conclusion, it is true that conventional money has its various problems, especially at the local

level. These problems lead to the lack of choice, the inability to work in what one likes, and most

importantly, create debt and dependence. Take for example the plight that small time traders,

businessmen or workers have to go through to lead a decent, respectable life. They often have to

borrow money from those that possess it (debt), and take huge risks to move to the next level in

the chain. If you succeed, well and good; you live to fight another day. But if you fail, you go

right at the bottom of the pyramid at which point the only way you have to get up again is to

borrow again. This may be the most skeptical view of present day capitalism, but the point is that

in today‟s national economy where you have a single producer of currency in the country (the

Reserve Bank), it is tough to deny that those who possess capital are not unduly favored right

from the beginning.

Auroville has understood that these problems are a consequence of a national currency. It has

tried to create a mutual credit clearing exchange system, where when one sells something (good

or service) his or her account is credited and when he or she buys something; his or her account

is debited. Statistics suggest that this system works well for Auroville. 66% of Auroville‟s total

revenue comes from commercial and service units, 14% comes from Aurovillians and

newcomers (people who are in the admission process and are staying in Auroville), 14% from

guesthouses and guests from outside and only 6% from external funds.4Auroville‟s unique

economic system is proving to be one that really needs further investigation to see if it is

replicable elsewhere. Maybe this kind of decentralized communal economy is just what the

world needs today. Also, initiatives like Pour Tous, the Free-store, Nandini, etc. help to reduce

any kind of economic polarities.

A thought worth considering is the fact that Auroville cannot manufacture everything it needs

within itself, such as a scooters and bikes, and so buys them from outside. The truth is that

Auroville will never be able to manufacture these things, as they require factories, and large-

scale industries. We did see some electrical cycles on the roads, but not many. Auroville should

work on producing all needs internally, and produce them in a way such that they do not have to

compromise on their ideals. This will probably only work within a small community like

4 City Services Yearly Financial Report; 1 April 2009 to 31

st March 2010

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Auroville is right now. With 50,000 people, it might be hard to mass-produce their needs (of

course, the simplest but harder solution would be to reduce ones needs). This is one option. The

other is to accept the fact that there is a need for them to transact with the outside world and

hence they must find ways to allow new blood into the system. Partnerships with the outside

world can prove to be useful.

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CHAPTER TWO

An Uncommon Supremacy

“Oh! Come on you guys. Let‟s be reasonable. We all can‟t have it our way.” I was amidst a

major debate, the outcome of which was going to leave a significant impact on the course of my

near future. We had been starving for hours together, now, and our unfed egos had consumed all

our values of consideration and mutual respect.

Since the past 40 minutes, we were fighting over a choice of restaurant for dinner and it suddenly

seemed like a millennium goal. We were 10 in number and descended from diverse regions of

our country. Every time we came close to selecting an option, someone from the group would

make a fuss.

We had limited fuel and cash in hand. I looked at the dark road, which had no streetlights and I

looked at my watch, “Damn!”

I remembered our professor instructing us “In Auroville, it gets real dark at 6. Get back in time

or else you shall lose your way back to the student hostel.”

Time was racing and we had a deadline to meet. On this occasion, I could repeal my religious

status from being an atheist to an agnostic if the Divine were to help us find a solution. I smirked

to myself, “We are in a situation just like Auroville”.

It happened a few days ago. While flipping through the Readers Digest, my eyes had stopped on

a golden body, circular in design, inscribed upon which were the words “Auroville- The City the

Earth needs”.

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It instantly caught my attention and I started reading further. At first glance, Auroville appeared

as the ultimate destination for mankind - a place that carries enlightenment and consciousness in

its air and where all the queries to the purpose of life, death and identity would be resolved. Then

I read the words “Divine Anarchy”, I immediately made a connection- It reminded me of Robert

Nozaic‟s “State, Anarchy and Utopia”.

I summated all these words in my head and what got created was a blue print of an egalitarian

political society, with a heaven-like aura. But yet, the fact that one could personify all these

attributes into a tangible arrangement was something that my incorrigibly cynical mind found

hard to believe. I had made up mind; I had to go to Auroville.

―An amusing definition occurs to me: a divine anarchy. But the world will not understand. Men

must become conscious of their psychic being and organize themselves spontaneously, without

fixed rules and laws – that is the ideal. For this one must be in contact with one's psychic being,

one must be guided by it and the ego's authority and influence must disappear‖5

– The Mother

After undergoing countless economical, psychological and physiological fractures, reaching

Auroville, quite literally, became a truly „liberating experience‟.

From whatever literature I had read on Auroville, I had gathered that it was a universal „city‟

and had attached a visual quality to the term city. It will probably be very high tech, modern,

cemented and structured place, I remember thinking to myself It will probably be very high tech,

modern, cemented and structured place. The milieu that I was faced with however, was that of a

dense forest, with dancing fireflies, where all I could hear apart from the chime of the insects,

was the resonating silence of humans. It was twilight when I had my first encounter with

Auroville. To my surprise, Auroville appealed to me in its physicality. After reaching the student

guesthouse, we dropped our luggage and set off on our bikes to explore our immediate vicinity.

We had decided our destination but parted ways along our journey and very soon we found

ourselves facing the same problems that this place did.

5 The Mother on Auroville

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‘The City of Dawn’ in the making

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Auroville as incepted by its Godfather and Godmother (Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa) was a

Universal township that followed no forms of dictatorship or hierarchy for its governance. It was

envisioned to be a place for a critical mass and not a critical class. There would be no bindings of

race, class, culture, nationality or economic prowess and the purpose of life was to gain eternal

consciousness. Power would be vested in the hands of all and would be but a tool to suspend

justice and maximize the welfare of the community.

Organizationally, Auroville was to remain a self-governed autonomous community that is not

regulated by any set of rules or regulations or any officiating body but by a higher psychic

consciousness that guides the Residents Assembly to perform their individual functions. For

issues that not just concern the individual but the whole, the decisions taken by the Resident‟s

Assembly, collectively, would become final and binding. As suggested by the Mother, Auroville

was to follow such a form of social governance.

6 Earth Pages

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7

Validating the Ideology

―The Mother said collective living but Mother also said ―great, Roger do the garden like this”.

Now but the collective is saying, ―oh, but we don’t quite like it”, so which one of the two are we

sticking on to? There are 60 people discussing issues and the discussing remains at the

discussion level and this methodology is not working. The youth see no implementation of these

discussions and hence they have no faith in the Council. Self-governance has not yet become

each one’s self-governance. If it had we didn’t have to be managed as a community”

– Anita, Member of L’Avenir d’Auroville

One of the humongous challenges that Auroville as a community faces is the actualization of the

Mother‟s vision into its tangible form whilst resisting the clash of interest between those who

view Auroville as an ultramodern township of the future and those who subscribe to Auroville as

a sustainable, eco-friendly and symphonic shrine of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. „Authority‟

7 Dream Catcher’s Presentation; Dr. Mona Pingel

22

and „decision-making‟ have always have been an issue of concern for Aurovillians. Sri

Aurobindo had handed over the charge of the smooth functioning of Auroville into the hands of

the Mother. Thus the all-knowing Mother through her intuitive intelligence would take major

decisions for Auroville and its future. However after the death of the Mother, the authority of

decision-making wasn‟t handed over to a particular successor nor was a formal committee

appointed to carry forward the Mother‟s role and responsibilities. Ideally, the Residents

Assembly should have taken upon them the task of developing Auroville‟s then nascent progress.

However Auroville‟s custody became an issue of concern for the planning committee, the

landowners and at a later point the Government of India. This alienated the Resident‟s Assembly

from its authority and their will and contribution towards the decision making process gradually

weakened.

This shift in the process of decision-making also made radical shifts in the very quintessence of

Auroville. Auroville for all its inhabitants became a mosaic of several imageries- a township, a

cult, a futuristic city, rich man‟s abode, a parasite on its surrounding areas, Mother‟s abode and

so on. Auroville thus has fragmented into multiple versions of its own reality- from that a sacred

city, to a place whose actions are monitored by the GOI to a spiritual resort for the bourgeoisies.

Even today, the process of decision making thereby suffers heavily as the vision of Auroville as

seen by its inhabitants does not hold a singular identity. The Residents Assembly is never easily

agreeable to the vision of Auroville as proposed by the planning committees. Over the years due

to the declined participation of the Residents Assembly in matters of decision making has lead to

the accumulation of power in the hands of the town planners who subscribe to a mechanical

rather than a spiritual version of Auroville.

The conflict between restoring the philosophy of the Mother and becoming the “city of the

future” is visible through the stagnancy of growth due to the laid back process of decision-

making. Auroville‟s identity from an eagle‟s perspective is that of a universal town in the

making, which is surrounded by multiple under developed villages in a state of south-India rather

than a city created towards the perseverance of human unity. There persists a need for

23

Aurovilians to manage and look beyond internal polarities between developing and remaining

nostalgic, and finally resonate as a whole as opposed to widespread disjointed versions.

―The freedom we want to realize in Auroville is not license — each one doing what he pleases

without concern for the well-being of the organization of the whole.‖8

–The Mother

Auroville has no laws of the Land. However it prescribes Aurovillians to maintain sufficient

levels of sanitation and strictly proscribes drug intake. Smoking is allowed at private spaces

while there is a strong recommendation to curb the practice at open community spaces.

Auroville does not have a formal system of punitive action. Depending on the degree of crime

committed Auroville in liaison with the Indian Police Force takes suggestive actions. Minor

infringements are resolved internally without interference from Indian Police while for major

infringements such as murder, robbery or misappropriation, Auroville, is accountable to

criterions of the Indian Law and hence the procedures of the Indian Penal Code are thereby

applicable to the offenders.

One could look at Auroville as having the most complex societal structure or the humblest of all.

The concept of a society at Auroville is palpably different than found anywhere else. Auroville

constitutes of residents from multiple nationalities and thus the idea of a society is the

amalgamation of all these multiple versions of the term. Aurovillians share common public

spaces like community housing, community kitchens, community toilets, community recreational

spaces and so on. There are no social norms and policies that Aurovillians are liable to. As

suggested by The Charter, Auroville promotes a liberal and self-governing life for its residents.

The focus here is more on the individual‟s spiritual growth through self- consciousness.

Individuals choose and create their own relationships rather than attesting to any form of social

institution. The idea of marriage at Auroville is a function of will, trust and companionship rather

8 Auroville: The future futureless

24

than bondages of legal ties. Auroville has no formal or informal mechanisms that promote

procedural marriages as elsewhere. No local bodies or priests are dispensed to commence or

conclude relationships that are based on will and desire. Similarly if individuals wish to

terminate ties with each other, no third party is entitled to interfere in such interactions. However

Auroville offers rebuilding mechanisms in the form of Resident‟s Welfare Service Groups to

individuals or groups who are unkind towards each other.

Finally, I thought it would be interesting to mention that children born at Auroville do not

become Aurovillians as a function of their birth. They too are expected to follow the entry

requirements as laid down by the Entry Groups. Individuals who aspire to become full time

Aurovillians have to undergo a series of admission prerequisites as laid down by the Auroville

Foundation Act 1988. This just says that Aurovillianism is not enforced upon anyone.

Everything boils down to choice. And the funny part it, it works. Everyone lives their own

individual lives but the community together still remains in harmony. There has been hardly any

crime in Auroville. Is this because of the spiritual environment that is omnipresent? in place? Is

it a function of the small size of Auroville? Is it both? Well, whatever the answer may be, it is a

self sustaining system in its very purest sense. It manages the individual and the community.

There is hardly any external enforcement required. Dialogue and discussion are its means of self-

repair and self-regulation. There will always be internal conflicts, but one must always remember

that if the cells of a body start fighting with each other, the body will not exist, and hence, neither

will they.

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CHAPTER THREE:

A Sucker for New Age ideas

I‟ve been working on my organic farm for a couple of years now. Don‟t know where it‟s headed,

and frankly it‟s not what I pictured it to be. My one dream though, has always been to travel

India. People talk about travelling the world, but my question to them always was, “Have you

ever been to the far ends of your own country?” The views I have heard of India abroad have

been, “wow it‟s a beautiful place” or “I am saving some money to make a trip to India” or “it‟s

so colorful, radiant, and culturally diverse.” So this year, I told myself I am going to set a project

for myself and named it DISCOVER INDIA! So here I am, leaving my little farm in the care of

my sister. “I have a whole year”, I thought to myself. My first stop in this journey will be

Auroville. What better place to start with - a supposedly completely self-sustained community,

along with the spiritual driving force of the Mother, this really was a colorful, radiant and

culturally diverse place! I was off, and after a long and tiresome, rickety bus ride, I reached my

destination.

The cyclone was closing in on this small piece of land, the air sultry but still damp, moisture

laden. The plush greenery and the smell of the neem and the gulmohar scented the fresh air.

Aaaaahh! I could breathe. I hired a scooter and set off on the mud roads. It was a lonely, lost

feeling at first. People were busy doing their own things around the place, people were very few

too, and people were never seen to be out on the roads or near buildings talking in small

gatherings. The loneliness sunk in me, and I began to feel comfort in just having myself with me.

Mother is this what ‘self-sustainability’ really means? I just have me, no one to tell me to go,

or show me around, no one to tell me where I can get some food or maybe tell me how to

get to the place I want to.

26

After this I lost track of days, and just ended up with a big bag full of experiences.

I stayed at the college guesthouse. Pretty thatched roofs and bamboo stilts that floored and held

my room up together, a little community kitchenette, where one could make their own food if

they ran out of options, with the basic requirements like bread, jam, salt and sugar that the

community could use for free.

I walked down to the solar kitchen – another large scale community kitchen where Aurovillians

met for their meals, all cooked only with the help of the massive solar dish that about a 100

people could sleep in, which was placed on the roof. I learned that the mirror that was attached to

a rod in the center of this dish had heat sensors that would move with the movement of the sun to

reflect the direct sunrays on to the dish. I thought that was pretty cool. And even better, it was

designed and constructed by the residents itself.

How does a service like the solar kitchen run? How does the Auroville bakery or any of the other

community services sustain themselves and the people they provide for? One elderly Aurovilian

told me, it‟s a symbiotic relationship. The community and they work together. For better

understanding, visit the visitor‟s center, she said.

So I set off. A store about Auroville and its history along with a small museum, and two

beautiful boutiques, it was like I stepped into the streets of Bangalore all of a sudden. Shiny

floors, sections for stationery, clothes, accessories, handmade paper, shoes, furniture, home

interiors – all made in Auroville, all sold there for a quite an exorbitant price, all very unique.

I walked up to the store manager and asked her if I could maybe visit these places where they

were made, and she gave me a bunch of names and numbers.

There I was next, in the middle of the „Industrial Zone’. What would you imagine that to be if

I told you it was actually called that? An area with clouds of smoke, a foul smell from the water

bodies, a whole lot of noise of clangs and bangs, vehicles, and people walking about looking

tired and weary, and a smell of chemicals that would have chased away any other life form other

27

than us wretched humans? Hey! But wait, where the „industries‟ here? Were I opened the map to

locate myself, and my whereabouts, and there it was: the industrial zone was the smallest of the

four zones of Auroville. It was there, in the north of Auroville on diverse topographical and

fertile land. The industrial area is located in and around the following regions: Kottakarai (one

out of the 13 villages in the green belt), Ganesh Bakery area (a famous spot for lunch for the

visitors run by a local), the Pony farm and Auroshilpam (an area where some of the cottage

industries have been set up). Can you imagine these small houses like structures in the midst of

forests, gardens, shops, and farms? I couldn‟t even identify a manufacturing unit from the rest, a

true „cottage industry‟ in the literal sense.

So, how exactly do people set up their industries, and what in the divine consciousness that fills

the space, are the parameters that they need to keep in mind. Say if I were to start making

earrings from unused malleable wire, a waste product of electrical wiring and carpentry, how

would I go about it? Questions whizzed through my head –

Where can business be located?

Is there any impact on the environment and what may it be?

Where is the source of water?

Can the electricity demands be met?

Is there any existing infrastructure in the same area? And if there is any can access be

provided?

Are the finances enough for a new infrastructure?

The same questions had to be answered to the town planning committee (L‟Avenir de

Auroville) before Upasana (textile manufacturers), Auroknit (makes bags and clothes by

knitting), Bijou (makes accessories out of beads), or Svaram (musical instrument manufacturers)

began. There were other factors that I observed that would have also been on my mind if I started

my very own, more obvious ones:

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Land – before one can set up an enterprise they must fill up a long form specifying the financial

interests, environmental characteristics and production process. After approval by L‟Avenir de

Auroville, the land is allocated in the plan of the industrial zone.

Labour – As there were no traditional arts and crafts that were native to the land, they availability

of skilled labour posed as a drawback, but on the other hand, labour was in abundance as there

were not much economic opportunities to the people around Auroville.

Training of labour was important, as the emphasis of these enterprises was more on hands-on

activities as compared to machinery.

Market – as Auroville is a small community, there is not much scope for a market in and around

Auroville, thus they venture out to market their products on a national and international level. On

the other hand, jam and other food processing units as well as the bakery had a huge demand

within the community and its visitors, thus increased production and supplies by supplying to

Pour Tous (a community food distribution point.)

So why were these industries set up? They could not be just for economic purposes because

otherwise the industrial sector would look very different. What else could it be? Some of the

reasons I observed were:

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People (foreigners specifically) did not want to travel up and down from their hometowns back

to Auroville in order to make money to sustain them in Auroville. Thus they started their own

small-scale outlets where they manufactured garments and other handicrafts.

The foreigners who came to Auroville who had different lifestyles and standards of living,

food-processing units were set up. For example the Auroville bakery that provided for the

community‟s consumption. It is really interesting here to note that, this is sort of analogous to the

colonial days of India, where we were invaded, conquered and captured, and the rules of the land

were set by them and not us, and the system was changed around to suit their convenience and

lifestyle. It was pretty much like that. Karthik a friend I made native to one of the villages eats

bread, jam, and peanut butter for breakfast than what his staple or local meal would be.

After the afforestation program had come to a considerable level, people started to indulge in

setting up small enterprises that included pottery and paper making

In the philosophy of Auroville, business is included as part of the Aurovilian experience,

working hands on to produce things that the community could benefit from as well as the

individual, thus developing simple techniques like flower pressing on greeting cards and other

gift items.

In some cases, people felt a strong need to make Auroville self sufficient that led to a groups of

people trying out their hands at creating technology to utilize the different sources of energy, to

provide electricity.

Some business started with the whole aim of helping and improving the lives of those who

lived in the small villages and settlements in and around Auroville. Some were even established

that were solely dedicated to a cause, for example restoring the green belt or the education of the

girl child, or female empowerment.

The personal interest of the entrepreneurs in Auroville, quality control and design development

lies within the philosophy of Auroville and is taken care of. But a major problem they faced was

that it contributes to only about 35% of the requirements of Auroville, whereas Auroville aims to

become completely self-sustaining. The deficit is made up through funds and donations. This

posed as a problem for the industrial sector, as the vision to make Auroville completely self

sustained still had some way to go to.

30

A bright notice in the solar kitchen notice board caught my eye – “A trip to the Sadhana

Forest – self sustained and a vegan settlement, Bus leaves from the solar kitchen gates on

Friday 5:00pm, the tour would be followed by an eco-movie come join us for a free vegan meal

after.” Sounds interesting, doesn‟t it? Of course it did to me, a sucker for new age philosophies

and ideas, as a friend‟s father had tagged me once.

Go Green!

Cycle powered generator Reforestation project (Acacia)

Sadhana Forest located slightly outside of the master plan of Auroville, started its ecological

revival and sustainable living work in December 2003. The aim and aspiration of this place is to

ecologically transform 70 acres of severely eroded land in Auroville, into a Tropical Dry

Evergreen Forest (TDEF). Yorit and Aviram who started this place had a vision to reforest the

land in a spirit of human unity, constant learning, a place of renewal and innovation, adventure;

they put their life's savings of $63000 (earned from their work as professionals in business and

architecture) into the land and buildings (sustainable). Their aim is to introduce a growing

number of people to sustainable living.

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A Friday in Sadhana forest gave us a glimpse into their livelihood. The tour around the forest,

conducted by one of the residents of Sadhana Forest, gave us an insight as to the activities they

practice and the lifestyle they have adopted. The tour began with a brief on the community

common room, where there is a little section for charging ones laptops or phones for a short

fixed period of time. Wi-Fi is also provided to those who wish to use it for a fixed period so as to

save on the use of electricity. Then we were shown the compost toilets where it was explained to

us as to how the feces is collected in trays and dumped in pits that is left to compost. The

kitchen, completely experimented on and an open room full of innovations with an eco-friendly

approach is used only to cook vegan food with the vegetables grown by the community as well,

some of which are also procured from elsewhere. Water that they drink is purified through a

process called dynamization, where a certain frequency of sound and a strong beam of light are

passed through the water after a process of reverse osmosis that energizes the water crystals and

thus enhances one‟s energy in turn when consumed. From there on, we went into the forest area,

to see huge expanses of land, covered with Acacia trees, being the plant that most easily grows in

that region. Around each plant and running as lines through the forest area were dug up trenches

and bunds to retain water as rainwater harvesting measures and to recharge ground water. The

evening was spent watching an interesting movie on water and its characteristics, qualities and

memories, followed by a vegan, simple dinner served to us by the volunteers and residents. It

ended well and was a warm visit. The experience was reviving and intriguing, and I left with a

feeling of wanting to go and experience life there for at least a couple of months if not more!

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The view that many Aurovillians have of Sadhana forest is a very positive one. They believe that

Sadhana Forest is practicing and living the lifestyle with the principle that Auroville began with.

They believe that Sadhana Forest is the way Auroville used to be, completely self-sustained and

a simple way of living.

I finally had some hope for my farm now, and new ideas as to how to go about harvesting and

recycling my way through my farming. It‟s easy to tag yourself as a self sustained person you

know, it even seems to have a cool new age idea sound to it, but here in front of me was a live

and working model, striving for the same and even reached stages where they could be proud of

it. Maybe if we all decided to live like this, even a little, there wouldn‟t be a hole in the ozone

layer, or the ice in the caps wouldn‟t be melting to submerge the islands in the Pacific.

Getting Started

Auroville was founded by an act of parliament in 1988. The entrepreneurs setting up enterprises

would be appointed as the trustee and he or she could autonomously take the decisions required

to run the unit within specified limits. Thus there does not exist in relationship or interference by

the Government as the Auroville Foundation as a whole is the only legal entity deciding what

can and cannot be done.`

To run an enterprise in Auroville, the unit is classified under a trust, and the individual starting

the unit must hand it over to the trust. Thus it would belong to the Auroville Foundation and not

the individual alone. Being a part of the Foundation, the unit can enjoy the same exemptions and

benefits that the Foundation receives. The entrepreneurs behind them are automatically made

into trustees, and some become the executive. There could be other executives as well, but a

trustee can only be a senior member of Auroville who is responsible in safeguarding the vision of

Auroville. The executive has the freedom to take decisions in terms of expansion and production

to a certain limit. Restrictions are regarding the units‟ immovability as the land to set it up is

fixed and given by the Auroville foundation. Also, even if the initial investment is put in by the

33

executive the unit belongs to the Foundation and the enterprise cannot claim any of the assets of

the unit.

Executives enjoy their freedom by making plans of expansion and productivity, however in case

of expansion the enterprise must submit a detailed report to the ABC (Auroville Board of

Commerce) and get it approved. The ABC does not help in funding the expansion in anyway; the

costs must be entirely borne by the individual.

Though the values of Auroville are based on community ideals and cooperation, there does not

exist a single cooperative in Auroville. Every enterprise is set up and run by an individual who

can hold the vision that is in relation to the spiritual consciousness and not personal interest or

personal consciousness.

Most executives express that freedom to make decisions by themselves is good for their working,

But if the unit was to suffer a loss, then the individual would have to bear the burden alone,

which was unfair, because if one made a profit, he or she has to share the profit with the

community. This is where I see clashing of ideas, visions and principles in the entire philosophy

behind Auroville. I feel that the people behind these enterprises, most of them, run it to make a

profit in their own interest. The problem arises when the percentage of this has to be shared with

the community. Of course there are the ideas of “Its going for the betterment of place where we

live” and “the betterment of the infrastructure and amenities in Auroville”. But at the end of the

day I strongly think that human tendency is to possess something that he or she creates, whether

the idea and the principles are thought of and kept in mind or not.

What are the different products produced and where do they source their raw materials?

Leather industry – they use soft leather (terra-cotta leather) from Chennai, which is a

regional market for leather in the state. Other centers are Ambore and Vellore.

Pigments and metal accessories are sourced from Chennai as well.

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Food processing industry- for fruit based products like jams and jelly the Auroville orchards is

used. In times where the orchards do not meet the requirements they are sourced from

Pondicherry along with wheat and maida for the bakery.

Wood based industry – they source their raw materials from Acacia and other local timber

within Auroville. The planned afforestation programs help this industry in procuring raw

materials.

Garment industry – some units procure fabric from all over the country – states such as,

Banaras, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

of course. Some garments that are solely for export and for the international market

source silk from china and dyes from Switzerland e.g.: Auromode.

Clay based industry – this industry apart from sourcing clay locally from Auroville also

procures it from Gujarat. Fuel required by this industry is from wood that is used within

Auroville itself.

35

Auroville has improved in over their years in their strive to achieve self sustainability. The

numbers of units have increased from 25 units to about 80 units in 30 years. One of the most

significant achievements is that an individual is able to support himself and in turn has helped

Auroville as a community one step closer towards self-sustenance of the economy. One evidence

is that just with export goods the units have been able to gain a foreign exchange of about Rs. 6.5

crores of which of a large portion is given back to the Auroville Foundation.

As one of the underlying principles of Auroville is to strive towards self-sustenance, the

manufacturing units have put this into effect in a major way. The focus of the units is to

maximize the usage of raw materials and minimize on waste. Waste is also reused as raw

material or recycled in almost all cases. Even small changes have been made in the pottery

industry where they fire the furnace at a lower temperature than required to reduce the amount of

toxic carbon released from the kilns. The Eco-service unit in Auroville also takes care of all the

non-recyclable wastes that the units produce such as glass and plastic.

Auroville has still not been able to achieve self-sufficiency completely in spite of all the

precautions and ideas used and practiced by the units. One of the major reasons is that the

36

population of Auroville is too small to achieve self-sufficiency completely, thus a major part of

goods and raw materials are sourced from Pondicherry and elsewhere.

The basic philosophies that are included and practiced in the units are of human spirit, creativity

and innovation, and quality control and maintenance, good will and support from the villages,

and employees, regional linkages, need to be self sustained, production of goods primarily what

the community needs and from what is directly available from the region and the idea of working

for the community and not solely for the individual. These have been the primary reasons for the

success and development of the Industrial sector over the years. All of these philosophies root

from the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the idea of Auroville that the Mother had.

Differences between businesses in Auroville and elsewhere:

Business does not belong to the people

33-35% of profits flow back into Auroville

Development of villages in and around Auroville being one of the points of focus

Aspiration for quality and high standards of perfection of product is an underlying strong drive.

Attitude of the community focuses on Karma Yoga intertwined with aspirations and

dedications

Not for profit

Money is considered to be consequence of work

Double Dilemma

The expansion of the industrial sector has been a continuous process over the years. The greater

the number of units set up the greater the inflow of money. But by principle the units are forced

not look for ways to make it money making for profit. The general views of the enterprise heads

were that the community should be more open towards the concept of making money. “The

community is too rigid and they have a hazy attitude towards money, almost like it was

37

something unclean” said one. Another, the CEO of Maroma (a company that manufactures

incense sticks) - Paul aptly quoted that ―The attitude of dedication and hard work of

dedication and hard work and surrender to the unknown allows the sense of possession of money

to disappear while retaining the sense of responsibility towards money”. This was quite apt as in

Auroville the majority of the inflow of money and funds are from the industrial sector apart from

the grants and donations that provide for the running of the services sectors and fund the

planning committees, in turn it also the empowerment of the locals and improves their standard

of living by giving them job opportunities, thus the attitude towards money by the community at

large towards money is quite contradictory to the aim and use of it in Auroville. Another view of

the community is that working for commercial units is not laudable but working for the service

sector is more worthy. The view of the entrepreneurs is that they strongly would like to change

the negative attitude towards business and money making must change, as the service sector runs

largely on the 31 commercial units that put in money towards it.

So mother, my week is over, I hope my plants and dogs are doing just fine, but I am here in

this white walled, white carpeted, white lit room, in front of you, left with just more

questions.

Do you even like the word utopian? Is that your plan? Was Auroville a plan to be Utopian? Or

is it debated and scrutinized and questioned because it’s just different, it’s just a new way, a

new idea, a new consciousness in your words? It’s funny, it’s like that with people as well,

someone is slightly different from the rest, do things differently, and they suddenly become

interesting or scrutinized

My view is that, yes it does seem like an experiment, a pretty successful one so far. One week,

can just introduce me to a new consciousness, but it would take time for it to sink in me, just like

it would take Auroville too.

38

I walk around sometimes in the malls, trying to look for things to do up the house and to buy

someone, and the Auroville products do catch my eyes. And now I actually went to see how and

where they are made, it‟s unbelievable with what simplicity all this is carried out in.

39

CHAPTER FOUR

Love thy Neighbors

The three buzzwords that instantly come to mind when a layman hears of Auroville are spiritual,

foreigners and Pondicherry. While I was captivated by the entire idea of Auroville, I was always

a little skeptical about the notion that it was simply a nice place for foreigners to retire. For better

or worse, whenever Auroville was talked about in mass media, it would be followed with

pictures of foreigners in loose fitting floral print clothes. A hippie culture! I knew from my own

little reading that this was not true, but contesting this misconception, albeit for the reason of

self-pacification, provided enough drive for me to explore this space further.

Secondly, during my pre-research, I came across the following statement-“Auroville, and its

immediate vicinity house close to 40 small to mid size villages.” And I thought to myself, how

do a bunch of villages in Tamil Nadu, considered to be a conservative state by many, adopt and

integrate, if at all, with such a radical, and progressive way of life. Consider this- urban India and

rural India have such a large divide and that is despite of urban India still consisting Indians.

Here in Auroville, you have a majority of foreigners, from different parts of the world, and they

are to be integrated into this system. How?

It was clear from the very outset that the Mother‟s guiding philosophy would have an

overbearing presence on all the activities of Auroville. As is clear from earlier reports, the

architecture of the town and the design of the Matramandir were products more of Mother‟s

inspiration than conventional decision-making. It was no different when it came to the notions of

human unity, economic integration and higher collective consciousness. However, the question

that arises is what does the philosophy translate to in reality? How is it communicated, or is it

possible, that in true spiritual fashion, it is better understood than explicitly said?

40

This is the core of my research into the relation of Auroville and her neighbors. In the course of

finding reasonable arguments for the same, I will touch upon personal accounts of relations

between villagers and Auroville. I will also present some historical context of the nature of

relations between the two entities (the villages and Auroville) and how it has evolved to the

present day.

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

Economic integration was bound to happen at some point given the proximity of the villages to

Auroville. For the long-term peace and sustainability of the region, it was essential that their

economic livelihoods co exist.

According to Meenakshi, poet and noted educationist in Auroville, the region where Auroville

now resides was a barren, dry, parched piece of land where nothing grew and the people suffered

from widespread leprosy. Post-independence, it was an ignored piece of land- no one seemed to

care about it and it merely existed- lifeless and sick. They were in need for work, but more

importantly they were in need of economic guidance. They had fallen into such a death trap of

41

poverty and famine that even the most ambitious person in the village would simply be looking

to get some food on the plate.

Auroville, and the people from the around the world coming here, were able to provide that extra

guidance that the region needed so badly. It took a foreign outlook, at the time, to identify what

was rich about the region, in terms of labour, culture, customs and so on. From an ignored piece

of topography, the region suddenly saw hoards of volunteer workers growing trees, running

medical camps and working towards rehabilitation of the land. All this with no apparent interest

or motive; just on the words of a spiritual force? Thus, right from the beginning of the interaction

between Auroville and her neighbors, in the early 1970‟s, there was a sense of gratitude that the

villagers had for Auroville.

However, there were distinct differences in cultural upbringing, and there was no denying the

need to address these. The Mother saw integration at a spiritual level, but the path to that

objective necessitated that the preliminary barriers be broken down.

In the initial years, the interactions between villages and Auroville were more exploratory. The

people from Auroville were intrigued by the lifestyles of the villagers and vice versa. Slowly,

people started seeing the potential of helping each other. The idea of a commercial unit emerged,

which could only achieve the required manpower if the people from the villages could be taken

in. It was not necessary for all the villagers to become a part of Auroville itself to have a

productive and healthy relationship with Auroville. Such economic activity was meant to benefit

both Auroville and the villagers in equal measure.

O Mother, talk to us

Conflicted follower: O Mother, I feel that Auroville, in embracing a world philosophy, a

worldview, is losing out on the very context it is situated in – rural Tamil Nadu. There is no

doubt Auroville is doing things to integrate people around them with their idea and

philosophy. But I feel not enough is done inside Auroville for the global citizens to embrace

the local culture fully. What do you think about that?

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Mother: The advent of Auroville in Tamil Nadu has given a new hope and cheer to the

people. The first citizens of Auroville are those Tamil people who live on the soil of Auroville.

The Tamil culture, which is one of the oldest in the world, has a unique role to play in the city

of Auroville, which is coming up with cooperation of various nations of the world and

various states of India.

Through the initial years, commercial units began to work with the villagers through a lot of their

own initiative. There was no real structure to training the villagers or bridging the cultural divide

between the two sides. It was taken up at a very person-to-person level, and the few enterprising

and eager ones from the village were able to benefit from these activities.

As a result it was seen that some people from the village were getting more involved with

Auroville than others. These individuals were seen to be getting respect from others in Auroville,

and they started earning more than others in the village. One of the positives of working in

Auroville is that it also gave rise to an upward social mobility- something that the village-folk

were not very used to. This often led to conflict within villages. People were less accepting of the

prosperity of these people. It led to negative vibes in the city not only towards these individuals,

but also towards Auroville for they felt Auroville was being favorable to some, and not to others.

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9

Exhibit 110

is but one example of an agitation that took place in Kullapalayam. It is a complaint

case of a few Tamil Aurovillians not being able to maintain peaceful sentiments within the

village. There were many such cases of individual unrest among villages littered across the

villages situated in the green belt. There was a need to have a more structured effort to bring the

villages closer to Auroville; a move that would bring community wide integration with the

surrounding villages, not just individual stray cases.

For this purpose, in the year 1983, the Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG) was founded.

Auroville Village Action Group has been working over the last few decades to bridge this gap.

Mr. Morris, one of the founding members of the organization, explains that that does not

necessarily mean that they work only with villagers and make them aware of European and/or

foreign customs. The idea is to find a middle ground, and therefore includes engaging

Aurovillians about the traditional customs of the villages as well. They also help the Europeans

understand the cultural and socio-political structure that the villagers come from.

True to the Aurovilian way of doing things, this middle ground is found by conducting

interesting and interactive activities. The AVAG facilitates activities that would foster group and

team building spirit, punctuality, fostering gender equality- activities that promote well being as

well as improve the general level of employability of the villagers in commercial units. The

9 Dream Catcher’s Presentation; Dr. Mona Pingel

10 Refer to Primary Data CD1

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AVAG has conducted sports day, provide weaving centers for the women of the villages,

education (reading and writing camps) and other family oriented activations.

There is no denying that the AVAG has brought the villages and Auroville closer. The conflicts

have reduced in number ever since its inception and the villagers have a strong medium to

communicate with Auroville. There is still the question of social change yet. Social life is made

up of the interaction of individual social units, and social change is incumbent when a certain

generation is tuned to a different way of being from their immediate forefathers. With the

activities of AVAG, there seems to be a shift of the village aspirations to be more attuned to the

Auroville way of life. Sure this may be a more productive way of going about it instead of the

consumerist version that would come with proximity to a large metropolis, but it is still a cultural

imposition nonetheless.

Feel Auroville for the spirituality. Live in a nearby village for the freedom.

Another very interesting part of my research was when we persuaded the caretaker at our

guesthouse, Karthik, to take us to a nearby village so that we get a taste of life there. He

recommended that we go to this quaint fisherman village close by called Kottakuppam.

So the next morning, we set off to this village in order to gain some firsthand perspective about

villages and their interaction with Auroville. As soon as we enter Kottakuppam, we see this

distinct change in the setting. Although it is as quiet, and non-commercial as Auroville itself,

there is a sense of poverty around - kids playing barefoot on tar roads, and the odd hawker on the

roadside who looked neither happy nor too healthy. But we resisted to make conclusions right

away, and headed to meet with one of Karthik‟s friends.

We were surprised to find that Kathik‟s friend was an old British retired banker! Here was a

local Tamil boy, albeit a well educated one, going over to the house of an old British person for a

cup of chai with his guests. For me, this in itself seemed like something that would rarely happen

anywhere other than Auroville- it possessed this undeniable sense of equality and brotherhood,

and it spread over to neighboring villages.

45

As we sat with John, the Englishman, we discussed life in Kottakuppam and what brought him

here. It isn‟t usual to find a foreigner living in a rented little apartment in a village in rural India.

The obvious first question was, why here when Auroville was so close. It did seem more inviting

to foreign nationals and provide an environment that they are more used to. The answer that we

got was something that we had not heard from anyone yet. He told us that he had no intention of

becoming an Aurovillian. That is not the intention with which he had come to India in any case.

The reason he was living in Kottakuppam was because it was convenient; he had friends living

close in the village and he had made some friends in Auroville. After he retired, he was looking

for a calm place by the beach to settle down and lead a comfortable life. He felt that Auroville

placed way too many restrictions for his liking. He explained that while he thought the idea and

philosophy behind Auroville was absolutely admirable, he was more comfortable appreciating it

from a distance than being a part of it.

During the course of our conversation, one of his friends, Mark, returned from the beach. He was

even more stoic in his opinion that Auroville asked for too much of individuals. While he was a

little apprehensive of being quoted, he qualified that he held this entirely as a personal opinion as

businessman. For a businessman who has financial assets/obligations outside, it seemed to him

that it was unreasonable for Auroville to ask for all of it. Thus, he enjoys the feel of Auroville,

and revels in its extraordinary philosophy by living on the outskirts of Auroville in this

fisherman village of Kottakoppam. He truly believed that there was a special energy to Auroville

and it could be felt in villages just outside of it and thus he gets the best of both worlds. One

could argue that this was the thinking of a true businessman, in terms of a transaction, and that in

itself would be against the thinking behind Auroville. We thanked the two of them for sparing

their time and moved outside to find some local Tamilian villagers.

46

Fishy Village

We made our way down to the beach with Karthik in search for some local villagers. We saw the

hoards of fish neatly laid out, and Karthik spent a couple of minutes to explain to me how the

fish are caught and sorted. In the meanwhile, a villager came up and started a conversation with

Karthik in Tamil. I could not understand what they were saying, but there were no signs of

animosity.

I mention that because I had gathered a sense, from stories that Karthik had relayed to me in our

numerous informal talks that sometimes villagers become cold to the villagers who go and

become a part of Auroville completely. They feel cheated, and are often not well received by

their former friends. But this was not on display here, so I ask Karthik if we could ask him a few

questions. He agrees, and Karthik was going to be the translator.

As was expected from his warm reception of us to begin with, the fisherman had good things to

say about Auroville. I gathered that at some level Auroville simply provides a market. Sure there

is a great philosophy behind the place that drives the very energy of the place itself, but what is

that to the fisherman who is trying to make two square meals a day. Close to nothing.

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Auroville may project an outwardly approach to the villages around it. And undoubtedly, this is

true for the majority of their approach. But at some level it is just an economic market

independent of the spiritual angle. If viewed from a purely economic, opportunity cost point of

view- wouldn‟t the fisherman get a larger faster growing market if there was an economic SEZ

instead of the Auroville. Sentimentally, I feel disgust towards myself for suggesting it for I

would much rather have an Auroville that grows greenery and positive energy instead of smoke

and pollution. But the point of relevancy is for the former. What‟s the best for him? You take out

the spiritual understanding out of Auroville, and her case for the villagers around Auroville

becomes surprisingly weak.

Through the eyes of Ramesh Macha

Auroville is a fantastic place. Where else would you find so many foreigners being so kind and

gentle towards the local people? Whenever I have interacted with anyone from Auroville, or

gone to Auroville for business, I have been treated with respect. More respect than what other

wealthy Indians show to me.

I live in the nearby village of Irumbai, and come to Auroville for work every day. I work in the

commercial unit called Wellpapers. The work is good. We make products out of recycled

newspaper. I learnt early as a youth from one of my friends at Auroville, that life‟s greatest

meditation is done through work. I treat my work just like that. I treat my work as spiritual. Most

of my village friends do not understand this part of me, but some do. Th