Auroville
Auroville (City of Dawn) is an experimental
township in Viluppuram district in the state
of Tamil Nadu, India, near Puducherry in South
India. It was founded in 1968
by Mirra Alfassa (known as "The Mother") and designed by
architect Roger Anger. As stated in Alfassa's first public message about
the township, "Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and
women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above
all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to
realize human unity."
Auroville was born on 28 February 1968. Its
founder, the Mother, created the Auroville Charter consisting of four main
ideas which underpinned her vision for Auroville. When Auroville came into
being, All India Radio (AIR) broadcast the Charter, live, in 16 languages.
Aurovilians apply the ideas of the Auroville Charter in their daily life, in
policy-development, and decisions, big and small. The Charter thus forms an
omnipresent referent that silently guides the people who choose to live and
work for Auroville.
The concept of Auroville - an ideal township devoted to
an experiment in human unity - came to the
Mother as early as the
1930s. In the mid 1960s the Sri Aurobindo Society in Pondicherry proposed to
her that such a township should be started. She gave her blessings. The concept
was then put before the Govt.
of India, who gave their backing and
took it to the General Assembly of UNESCO. In 1966 UNESCO passed a unanimous resolution commending it as a
project of importance to the future of humanity, thereby giving their full
encouragement.
The purpose of Auroville is to realize human
unity – in diversity.
Today Auroville is recognised as the first and only internationally endorsed
ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation
of consciousness, also concerned with -
and practically researching into -sustainable
living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of mankind.
Auroville is located
in south India, mostly in the State of
Tamil Nadu (some parts are in the State of Puducherry), a few kilometres inland
from the Coromandel Coast, approx 150 kms south of Chennai (previously Madras)
and 10 kms north of the town of Puducherry.
They come from some 49 nations, from all age groups
(from infancy to over eighty, averaging around 30), from all social classes,
backgrounds and cultures, representing humanity as a whole. The population
of the township is constantly
growing, but currently stands at around 2,400 people, of whom approx one-third
are Indian.
History
Auroville was founded as a project of the Sri
Aurobindo Society on Wednesday
28 February 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, "The Mother". She was
spiritual collaborator of Sri
Aurobindo, who believed that
"man is a transitional being". Mother expected that this experimental
"universal township" would contribute significantly in the
"progress of humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together
people of goodwill and aspiration for a better world." Mother also
believed that such a universal township will contribute decisively to the
Indian renaissance.
In the inauguration ceremony attended by delegates of
124 nations on 28 February 1968, Mother gave Auroville its 4-point Charter setting forth her vision of Integral living:
·
Auroville belongs to
nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in
Auroville, one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
·
Auroville will be the
place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never
ages.
·
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.
· Auroville will be a site
of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human
Unity.
The Galaxy concept of the city
In terms of physical development, Auroville aims at
becoming a model of the 'city of the future' or 'the city the earth needs'. 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.
In her 1965 sketch of Auroville, the Mother laid
down the basic concept for the city. This sketch delineated all the important
activity areas that would fulfill the vision of making it a universal city. For
other things she gave a free hand to Roger Anger, the French architect she had
appointed to oversee the city's physical development.
One of the most remarkable concepts of Auroville is its
master plan, laid out in form of a galaxy - a galaxy in which several 'arms' or
Lines of Force seem to unwind from a central region.
At the centre stands the Matrimandir, the “soul of
Auroville”, a place for individual silent concentration.
Radiating out beyond the Matrimandir Gardens are four
Zones, each focusing on an important aspect of the township’s life:
·
Industrial (north)
·
Cultural (north east),
·
Residential (south/south
west) and
·
International (west)
Surrounding the city area is a Green Belt consisting of
forested areas, farms and sanctuaries with scattered settlements for those
involved in green work.
In interviews with Auroville Today in 1988 and
in 1992, Roger
Anger explained how this plan came into existence.
"Mother had given a couple of parameters: the
division of the city into four areas, or zones, and the number of people for
whom the city is envisaged (50.000). The division into those four zones
(industrial, residential, international and cultural) is unique, and has no
precedent in town planning. On the basis of this scheme, we, the architects and
town planners, started to make suggestions to her. This was done in several
stages, and finally the Galaxy came out and was presented as a model to Mother,
and accepted by her as a plan that answered to her parameters. She inspired and
guided the work. When I talked to Mother one day about Auroville, she said that
the city already exists in a subtle level, that it is already constructed, that
it is only necessary to pull it down, to make it descend on earth."
The galaxy plan shows the four zones, which are
interconnected through the 'Crown', the second circular road around the
Matrimandir. From the Crown, twelve roads radiate outwards as part of the infrastructure.
Some of them are accompanied by a succession of high-rise buildings, which
constitute the so-called 'Lines of Force', essential for the framework of the
city and for the integration of all access to the city center. But the plan is
not finished. On the contrary, the city is still to be invented; everything has
still to be done through the daily experience and rhythm of the Aurovilians.
Apart from these lines of force, everything is flexible, nothing is
fixed."
The Matrimandir
In the middle of the town is the Matrimandir, which was conceived by "The Mother" as
"a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection".
Silence is maintained inside the Matrimandir to ensure the tranquility of the
space and entire area surrounding the Matrimandir is called Peace area. Inside
the Matrimandir, a spiraling ramp leads upwards to an air-conditioned chamber
of polished white marble referred to as "a place to find one's consciousness".
Matrimandir is equipped with a solar power plant and is
surrounded by manicured gardens. When there is no sun or after the sunset, the
sunray on the globe is replaced by a beam from a solar powered light.
Radiating from this center are four "zones" of
the City Area: the "Residential Zone", "Industrial Zone",
"Cultural (& Educational) Zone" and "International
Zone". Around the City or the urban area, lies a Green Belt which is an
environment research and resource area and includes farms and forestries, a
botanical garden, seed bank, medicinal and herbal plants, water catchment
bunds, and some communities.
The Matrimandir can be viewed as a large golden sphere
which seems to be emerging out of the earth, symbolizing the birth of a new
consciousness. Since the past 45 years, Matrimandir's slow and steady progress
towards completion has been followed by many.
While walking through the lovely green Matrimandir
Gardens (divided into 12 individually named parks such as "Harmony",
"Bliss", Perfection" each with their variety of flowers, shrubs
and trees, one's attention is greatly drawn by this important and powerful
feature at the heart of the city which was seen by the Mother as the
"symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection"
and as "the central cohesive force" for the growth of Auroville.
Literally in Sanskrit ‘Temple of the Mother’ (though it
is not in fact a temple), the Matrimandir (MM) is the “Soul of Auroville” and
symbol of Auroville’s aspiration for the Divine. It is a huge gold-disc-clad
slightly flattened globe 29m high x 36m wide, supported on four double-pillars
facing approx N, E, S & W named after the four aspects/personalities of
the Supreme Mother, located close to the Banyan Tree and Amphitheatre at the
centre of the township. Its all-white 12-sided marble-clad Inner Chamber –
where a shaft of sunlight, or artificial light at night, focuses down onto a 70
cms diameter optical-quality glass sphere surrounded by 12 white columns – is a
place for silent concentration.
The Chamber is normally open to Aurovilians
and Newcomers at fixed times in the morning and late afternoon/evening.
Guests and visitors wanting to make a first-time visit are required to first go
to the Visitors Centre, where they can see an introductory video on the MM and
obtain a Pass to see the outer structure, Banyan Tree and Amphitheatre from a
Viewing Point overlooking the Gardens. Following that, they can make a booking
any day except Tuesdays at the Visitors Centre 10-11am or 2-3pm if they want
the experience of silent concentration inside. Meanwhile, it should be noted
that arrangements may change at any time without prior notice. All visits are
subject to weather conditions (there is no access to the MM or Gardens in the
event of rain), the number of people wishing to enter, and the availability of
attendants.
Surrounding the central globe are 12 sloping stone-clad
structures called Petals, each containing a meditation room lit/designed to
convey atmospheres representative of the 12 virtues/qualities of the Universal
Mother. Beyond the Petals, 12 beautiful gardens named sequentially after
the 12 powers of the Universal Mother, forming the Park of Unity will radiate
outwards, with a water body/lake at their outer perimeter containing the whole
Park area.
Matrimandir
Information:
A Matrimandir Information Hall at the Visitors Centre
provides basic information relating to the Matrimandir structure and gardens,
plus viewing and/or access arrangements. The Hall is open daily 9.45am-12.30pm
and 1.45-5pm for viewing of a 10-minute introductory film and exhibition panels
on the Matrimandir, plus issuing of Passes (Mon-Sat 9.45am-12.30pm &
1.45-4.30pm; Sundays 9.45am-12.30pm only) to see the outer structure and
Amphitheatre from a Viewing Point overlooking the Gardens.
Evolutionary
Principle:
The name 'Matrimandir' means literally 'Temple of the
Mother'. According to Sri Aurobindo teaching, the 'Mother' concept stands for
the great evolutionary, conscious and intelligent principle of Life, the
Universal Mother, - which seeks to help humanity move beyond its present
limitations into the next stage of its evolutionary adventure, the supramental
consciousness.
Inner
Chamber:
The spacious Inner Chamber in the upper hemisphere of
the Matrimandir is completely white, with white marble walls and deep, white
carpeting. In the centre sits a pure crystal-glass globe which suffuses a ray
of electronically guided sunlight that falls on it through an opening at the
apex of the sphere. This luminescent globe radiates natural lighting in the
Inner Chamber.
The Inner Chamber is devoid of images, organized
meditations, flowers, incense, religion or religious forms.
The main guest season in Auroville is from December to
March, when the climate is cool and pleasant. A second, shorter season runs
from July to September. Anyone wishing to stay in a guest house during these
periods is advised to book well in advance.
Visiting
the Matrimandir:
Visitors and guests should bear in mind that the
Matrimandir is not a ‘tourist’ site; it is a place for individual silent
concentration. It is a place which should be visited in an appropriate physical
and mental state.
Visits to Matrimandir are free of cost. Bookings
for passes to Matrimandir cannot be done by agents, guides or tour operators.
General information on the Matrimandir can be obtained
every day at the Information Desk at the Visitors Centre, 9.00 am-1.00 pm and
1.30 pm–5.00 pm. This includes an introductory video on the Matrimandir
offered in various languages.
To see
Matrimandir from the outside:
The Matrimandir Viewing Point, south of the Park of
Unity, is a raised garden area which offers visitors a beautiful view of the
Matrimandir and its surroundings.
Passes for the Matrimandir Viewing Point can be
obtained for free at Auroville's Visitors' Centre, after watching a short
introductory video on the Matrimandir.
Timing
for issuing of Passes at the Visitors' Centre:
·
Monday to Saturday
- 9 am to 1:00 pm and 1:30 pm to 4.30 pm
·
Sunday - 9.30 am to 1 pm
only, afternoon closed.
·
Monday to Saturday
- 9.30 am to 5.00 pm
·
Sunday - 9.30 to 1.30 pm
only, afternoon closed.
Way to
the Matrimandir Viewing Point:
A shaded 10-12 minute walk leads from the Visitors'
Centre to the Viewing Point. A free electric shuttle service is available for
those who may find it difficult to walk the approx. 1 km distance each
way. Free bus service is available for the return journey from the Viewing
Point to the Visitors Centre for all those who wish to avail of it.
If you have some more time available for exploring other
aspects of Auroville, on the way back a small diversion is possible through the
International Zone, with interesting locations like Savitri Bhavan, Unity
Pavilion, Bharat Nivas, Tibetan Pavilion, Inuksuk, and then back to Visitors
Centre. (Duration around 2 hours)
First
visit to the Matrimandir Inner Chamber:
Prior booking is required to access the Matrimandir for
concentration at least a day in advance. All bookings are accepted on an individual
basis and only in person; (e-mail or telephone booking are
not available for first-time visitors for concentration). There are no
group bookings available. Bookings are always made for the following or
first free day, and are accepted only up to a week in advance.
An introduction to Matrimandir is provided for all
first-time visitors who book for a concentration. An explanation is given on
the Matrimandir and its significance, followed by a concentration in the Inner
Chamber for 10 to 15 minutes. Booking must be made in person at
the Visitors Centre, any day except Tuesday between 10 and 11 am or 2 and 3 pm,
after seeing the 10 minute introductory video called "Matrimandir".
Visitors
who have previously concentrated in the Matrimandir:
The following conditions apply to regular visitors for
concentration and to those who have already attended the introductory visit for
concentration in the Matrimandir (see above).
Advance booking is required for every concentration in
the Inner Chamber or Petal Meditation Rooms. A booking may be made: by
calling (0413) 2622204 between 10
and 11.30 am any day except Tuesday or by email to mmconcentration@auroville.org.in from 3 days in advance up to 7 days in
advance. Confirmation of such bookings will be done by return
mail with booking numbers and other details.
Concentration time in the Inner Chamber:
·
9.35 - 10.05 am.
·
Last entry allowed into
the Inner Chamber: 9.45 am.
Concentration
time in one of the Petal Meditation Rooms:
·
9.30 to 10.45 am
·
The 12 meditation rooms
are normally open all at the same time, but occasionally only a few may be open
on a particular day.
·
Passes are issued for only
one room per visit.
General
conditions:
The Matrimandir Access Policy is based on the Mother's
guidelines.
Permission is granted to those who have seen the videos
and exhibitions on Auroville and the Matrimandir in order to have an
understanding of the project and the Mother's vision of it. This may be done by
making an initial visit to the Visitors Centre of Auroville.
Requests are attended to in the order of receiving them,
and can be made up to seven days in advance. The number of places is limited. On
the day of appointment, those with a booking have to reach the Visitors Centre
no later than 9 am, from where they will be transported to the Matrimandir by
one of the Auroville electric shuttles.
Passes for concentration will be issued at the Visitors
Centre on the day of appointment, and shortly before the departure to
Matrimandir with the shuttle.
Bags, cameras and cell phones
etc., are not allowed within the Park of Unity (the Matrimandir Gardens) Visitors may either make their own arrangement for
leaving their belongings behind, or can deposit them at the Access Office
of the Matrimandir. However, Matrimandir Management will not be responsible for
damage to or loss of items deposited at the Access
Office. Cell phones have to be switched off before depositing.
Visitors are advised not to bring valuables with them. Photographs
may be taken only from a designated area outside the Park of Unity. Media persons wanting to take
photos/films must obtain advance permission from: outreachmedia@auroville.org.in
Cleanliness: The cooperation of all is requested to keep
the Matrimandir and its twelve Petal rooms in immaculate condition. Touching
any surface inside the structures is to be avoided. Cleanliness of body and
garments is indispensable.
Children below 10 are not allowed inside the Park of
Unity and the Matrimandir and will be asked to stay back at the Visitors Centre
with a family member.
Absolute silence is
required inside the Matrimandir and
the 12 meditation rooms in the Petals, around the ‘Lotus Pond' below the
Matrimandir, and in the area under the Banyan Tree. Kindly help us maintain the
atmosphere at the highest level.
In case of rain or if the
pathways and Garden areas are too muddy, the
Matrimandir will be closed and all bookings for the day will be cancelled. All
those who have booked their visit for concentration are expected to reach the
Auroville Visitors' Centre gate no later than 9 am on the day of appointment.
Visitors are expected to park their vehicles at the
Visitors' Centre Parking and avail themselves of the free shuttle service
provided. The last shuttle back from the Matrimandir to the Visitors' Centre is
at about 11.30 am. Please note that it is not possible to accommodate late
comers.
Matrimandir reserves the right to refuse entry, cancel a
visit or request a person to leave the Park of Unity on account of being under
the influence of alcohol, bringing a person under age, making unauthorized
audio, video or photographic recordings, or behaving in a manner which does not
correspond with the above guidelines or is incompatible with the ideals and
spirit of Matrimandir and Auroville.
Matrimandir management may modify the above timing and
procedures without prior notice. For up to date information on Auroville and
the Matrimandir, kindly visit this website.
The Auroville Charter
The Charter rests sealed in the Urn, as a powerful
message and promise.
·
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.
·
Auroville will be the
place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never
ages.
·
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.
· Auroville will be a site
of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human
unity.
During the Auroville inauguration in 1968, youth from
124 different nations and 23 Indian states, deposited a handful of their native
soil into the Urn, a marble clad structure in the form of a symbolic lotus bud,
located in the centre of the Amphitheatre (see photo). The Auroville Charter -
handwritten in French by the Mother - rests along with this soil, sealed in the
Urn, as a powerful message and promise.
Overview of the city plan
Peace
Area:
At the centre of the township lies the Peace Area,
comprising the Matrimandir and its gardens, the amphitheatre with the Urn of
Human Unity that contains the soil of 121 nations and 23 Indian states, and a
lake to help create an atmosphere of calm and serenity and to serve as a
groundwater recharge area.
Industrial
Zone:
A 109-hectare area to the north of the Peace Area, the
Industrial Zone, a zone for "green" industries, is focused on
Auroville's efforts towards a self-supporting township. It will contain small
and medium-scale industries, training centres, arts and crafts, and the city's
administration.
Residential
Zone:
The largest of the four city zones, comprising of 189
hectares, the Residential Zone is bordered by parks on the north, south and
west. Main access to the zone will be through the crown road with further
traffic distribution via five radial roads that divide the zone into sectors of
increasing densities. This zone wants to provide a well-adjusted habitat
between individual and collective living. 55% of the area will be green and
only 45% built surface, thereby creating an urban density balanced by nature.
International
Zone:
The International
Zone, a zone of 74 hectares to the west of the Peace Area,
will host national and cultural pavilions, grouped by continents. Its central
focus is to create a living demonstration of human unity in diversity through
the expression of the genius and contribution of each nation to humanity
Cultural
Zone:
Planned on a 93-hectare area, situated to the east of
the Peace Area, the Cultural
Zone will be a site for applied research in education
and artistic expression. Facilities for cultural, educational, art and sports
activities will be located in this zone.
Green
Belt:
The city area with a radius of 1.25 km. will be
surrounded by a Green
Belt of 1.25 km width. As a zone for organic
farms, dairies, orchards,
forests, and wildlife areas, this belt will act as a barrier against
urban encroachment, provide a variety of habitats for wildlife, and serve as a
source for food, timber, medicines etc. and as a place for recreation.
Presently an area of 405 hectares, the Green Belt -
though incomplete - stands as an example of successful transformation
of wasteland into a vibrant eco-system. Its
further planned extension with an additional 800 hectares will make it into a
remarkable demonstration site for soil and water conservation, ground water
recharge, and environmental restoration. As lungs for the entire township, it
will complete the healing process that Auroville started several decades ago.
Other Interesting Areas
Multimedia
Centre (MMC):
The MMC is a media/communications/admin centre adjacent
to the Town Hall, which houses an air-conditioned auditorium (also called the
‘Cinema Paradiso’) for 110 people, plus offices/space for Auro-Traductions,
Entry Service, AV Design, Human Resource Team, Intranet and website
administration, News & Notes, Outreach Media, Residents Service, a
photocopying facility and the Audio and Video/DVD Libraries.
Museums:
There is a small museum collection of excavated
artifacts from the Auroville area at Bharat Nivas, which can be seen by
arrangement, and also a collection of over 350 different local plant, shrub and
tree seeds – together with a collection of now-rarely-seen agricultural and
village artefacts – at Pitchandikulam Bio-Resource Centre.
National
/ Cultural Pavilions:
Auroville’s International Zone will be the site of
Cultural Pavilions representing all the major nations and cultures of the
world. The Pavilion of Tibetan Culture is already completed and was inaugurated
by H.H. The Dalai Lama in 2009. India’s Bharat Nivas is well advanced, but has
yet to be completed. Other pavilions for which foundation stones have been laid
or which are under study by their respective pavilion group are the African,
British, Canadian, French, German, Italian, Kazakh, Korean, Russian,
Scandinavian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swiss and USA-American.
Meanwhile, a number of the pavilion groups, most of
which are closely involved with the Auroville International group in their
country, have already taken the initiative to present a range of cultural
activities in Auroville. See also “Unity Pavilion”.
Plant Nurseries:
There are a number of plant nurseries in Auroville
supplying tree saplings, shrubs and other plants, including a specialist
nursery for medicinal plants in Pitchandikulam.
Organic
agriculture:
Auroville tries to grow all its food organically. It
also encourages the same practice among local farmers, strongly discouraging
the use of chemical pesticides, especially on cashew crops.
Parks
& Gardens:
The Master Plan for Auroville incorporates a number of
parks, some reaching in from the periphery to the central Matrimandir Gardens,
which provide wildlife corridors across the city area. Most communal buildings
and residences have surrounding gardens, though these are generally limited by
availability of water and space.
Sanctuaries:
There are plans to incorporate wildlife sanctuaries in
the Green Belt surrounding the township. The first such area to be identified
lies to the south of the township in the area of Success settlement.
Savitri
Bhavan:
Savitri
Bhavan, is an important
research and educational centre near Bharat Nivas which
houses all kinds of materials and activities relating to Sri Aurobindo
revelatory epic poem ‘Savitri’, plus other teachings and writings of Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother. It offers a reading room with books and
journals to be read on the spot, a Digital Library which offers individual
computer access to films, audio recordings and all kinds of texts and documents
relating to Savitri, the lives, work and teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the
Mother, and the aims and ideals of Auroville.
There is also a gallery displaying Savitri paintings
plus space for other works of art, an office and archive facility, an open – air
amphitheatre, and classrooms for workshops, daily talks and classes, all of
which are open to the general public 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday. The House of
Mother’s Agenda as well as Sri Aurobindo statue (donated to Auroville
by the Auroville Foundation in 2008) are also located there.
Shops
& Boutiques:
Auroville’s main shopping facility, the PT Purchasing
Service outlet near Aspiration settlement, provides a wide range of fresh
fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs together with dry goods (payment via
Aurocard or Financial Service account only; no cash). A smaller store
(H.E.R.S.) at Kottakarai sells a reduced range of foodstuffs and some dry goods
(payment by Financial Service account or cash).
More externally-oriented shops in and around Auroville
are the Auroville Boutique, Kalki Boutique, Mira Boutique, Auroville Papers
Bookshop and the ‘Kiosk’ located at the Visitors Centre (the first two with
branches in Pondicherry), Farm Fresh near Kuilapalayam, the Freeland Bookshop
(by the road between Edyanchavadi village and the Visitors Centre), and The
Outpost / Janaki Boutique on the ECR, all taking cash.
A number of other Auroville-owned or related shops are
situated on the approach roads to Auroville and in Pondicherry or Chennai.
(Note: there are a few outlets in the Pondicherry and Auroville area which use
the “Auro” prefix to their name but are not connected with Auroville.)
Sports Facilities:
There is a wide range of sports facilities spread around
Auroville, some connected with the schools (all of which have active sports
programmes), and some of a more open/generally accessible nature.
Town
Hall:
The Auroville Town Hall (officially the Auroville Centre
for Urban Research, or ACUR), sited just north of the Matrimandir, houses a
variety of service units and facilities related to Auroville’s administration
and development, such as L’Avenir d ‘Auroville town planning unit, Land
Consolidation Committee, Housing Service, Auroma Accounting Service, offices
for the Auroville Council and Working Committee, the Financial Service and
Unity Fund office, Auroville Radio and Auroville Security.
Unity
Pavilion:
The Unity Pavilion located in the International Zone
next to Savitri Bhavan, acts as a coordination centre for overall
development of the zone, and is meanwhile seen as a transitional space, focal
point and experimental ground for the emergence of the individual cultural pavilions
of the various nations.
Presently it hosts a range of activities related to the
IZ and research on Human Unity and Unity in Diversity; provides office space
for the IZ Development Group, the African, Russian, Korean, Spanish,
Scandinavian and Swiss Pavilions, plus the Auroville International Association;
and hosts various collective meetings and events – such as book launches – on a
regular basis. It also houses the Asian Peace Table.
Worldwide support
Since the very beginning, Auroville has received the
unanimous endorsement of the General Conference of UNESCO in 1966, 1968, 1970, 1983, 2007. Governmental and
Non-Governmental Organisations in India and abroad have funded various
development programmes, and donations have been received from foundations in Europe and the USA, from Auroville
International Centres, and from private donors
around the world. The residents themselves have also made, and continue to make,
a major contribution of their resources and energy to the project.
Multifarious activities
Auroville is intended as a city for up to 50,000
inhabitants from around the world. Today its inhabitants number around 2000
people, drawn from some thirty countries. They live in 100 settlements of
varying size, separated by village and temple lands and surrounded by Tamil
villages with a total population of over 35,000 people. Their activities are
multifarious, and include Afforestaion, organic agriculture, educational
research, health care, village development, appropriate technology, and
building construction, information technology, small and medium scale
businesses, town planning, water table management, cultural activities and
community services.
Independent legal body
In 1988, the Government of India passed the Auroville
Foundation Act to safeguard the
development of Auroville according to its Charter. This Act established three
constituent bodies: the Governing Board, which would oversee the development of
the township in collaboration with its inhabitants, the Residents Assembly and
the International Advisory Council, which can provide international support and
advice, when required, to the Governing Board.
Faith in humanity's future
As the world is rapidly changing and groping for new
paradigms to re-model itself, so Auroville stands poised at the start of a new
millennium, ready to enter a new phase of its development and growth, and aware
of a new flowering of the faith in humanity's future that it represents.
Land and Nature
Auroville, as does India, hosts an abundance of natural
contrasts. Details of land work and reforestation already done here abound in
Auroville literature. But any visitor to this land can see for him/herself the
fruits of those labours, and someone visiting for the first time may be struck
by a few salient physical features.
Ever-present
red laterite earth:
Auroville is located on a plateau some 50 mts above sea
level. Ignoring the gentle slope up from the sea all the way to the
Matrimandir, and a number of erosion features, the land is essentially flat in
the sense that it is without any hills or escarpments. Rainwater running in
streams across the ground betrays otherwise unnoticeable subtle grades. Over
time these streams have cut deep grooves into the earth on their journey to the
Bay of Bengal. Carrying topsoil away, they have left several canyons within Auroville.
Multihued in whites, reds and browns, comprised of sand, pebbles and the
ever-present red laterite earth, it is home to many birds and small animals,
reptiles and insects, these heavily eroded areas are slowly being reclaimed by
the forests; many trees can now be found growing in Fore comers and Utility
canyons.
Auroville
woods:
From the insistent and repetitive cry of the 'brain
fever' bird (common hawk cuckoo, Cucilus varius Vahl) to the milder chirping of
varied small songbirds, forests across Auroville resound with clear melody.
Occasional thickets of mature green and yellow bamboo reach toward the sky and
sway in the ocean breeze.
Bamboo stalks with their fine leaves have inspired many
master artists; they breathe elegance and grace of form.
The 'work' tree (Mother's name for Acacia
auriculiformis), native to Australia but introduced in Auroville in the early
years, has made a bold attempt to dominate the local habitat. It has been
widely used in carpentry and construction. I sit writing at a work tree desk,
its figured grain shining under varnish in golden and mahogany hues.
Giant banyan trees, found in tropical climes, form vast,
arching tents; aerial roots descend from upper branches seeking earth. Thick,
twisting limbs support sturdy green leaves. Stippling their vermilion canopies,
red cherry-like seeds grow, and attract flocks of crows, parrots and mynahs by
day, followed by huge flying fox fruit bats at night.
Fences of thorn branches and a local cactus resembling
ferocious aloe Vera work to ward off encroaching goats, cows and firewood
gatherers from nearby villages.
Thriving
villages:
Kottakarai, Edyanchavadi and Kuilapalayam are the main
villages which thrive within the perimeter of Auroville. Kuilapalayam, situated
on the main road heading toward the beach and Pondy, has become quite affluent
through daily trade with Aurovilians. It boasts a row of prospering shops
lining the road, and several newly built or renovated little temples, colourful
with brightly painted icons of Kali, Ganesh and Durga. With the lifting of
restrictions on foreign trade, western goods are found in increasing abundance
in India, including in Kuilapalayam. Although rumour has it that Chennai taxi
drivers speak of Kuilapalayam the way we speak of 'Timbuktoo', it is not truly
such an outpost of civilization. Leatherman multi-tools, blank CDs, Marlboro
cigarettes and cell phones can be had not far from a local idli/vadai
restaurant and fruit vendors are displaying colourful piles of coconuts,
pineapples, papayas, bananas and varied vegetables.
Roads &
Traffic:
The local roads have either improved or deteriorated,
depending on how you see it. Change seems inevitable. While they used to
consist of dusty dirt tracks, today a prominent tar road winds through a major
section of Auroville. Flanked by cashew topes, cyclists on this road are
subjected to the hazards of increasing motorized traffic, especially of the
four-wheeled variety. Although the roads of urban India are incomparably worse
in terms of danger and population density, in Auroville a growing number of Lorries,
buses, taxis and vans, as well as private cars, bear down on smaller traffic.
Horns blaring, exhaust and dust combining in mini-storms, often they race by,
local labourers staring from the backs of trucks, film music pumping forth from
car interiors. The omnipresent motorcyclists, inhabitants of Auroville,
sun-glassed and mostly well-dressed, edge impatiently around these larger
vehicles and vanish, leaving only the echoing scream of engine sound, and
perhaps the memory of an acknowledging nod or smile. One may also notice
bullock carts and tractors on these roads, some trailing noxious loads.
Compounding the health threat posed by dust and exhaust,
the habit of yearly pesticide spraying of the cashew trees by the local
villagers leaves many an Aurovilian and Tamil villager sick with cough, running
nose, sore throat or burning eyes.
Other roads have retained their rustic qualities, dirt
tracks still, wending through shady forested areas replete with crystalline
birdsong.
Life at
the beach:
Auroville lies on the 'Coromandel Coast'. Here the Bay
of Bengal hosts regular swimmers, avid surfers, and weekly sunbathers. Coconut
palms are separated at Repos, a beach community, from the water's edge by a
large expanse of sand, too hot to walk on in the midday sun. Auroville beach
access points lie between local fishing villages. Fishermen rise well before
dawn, and can be seen offshore standing on their palm tree canoes. In the
distance against the sunrise they appear to walk on the water. Dawn at the
seaside also witnesses the morning ablutions of these fishing communities,
which conveniently get washed into the sea.
Located at walking distance from the Auroville Bus stop
on ECR (East Coast Road), Auro Beach is considered one of the best beaches on
India's Eastern Coastline although it is still much polluted. Most of the
people found on the beach are either Europeans or Tamils
Lakes
and Kulams:
There are a few lakes around Auroville, Kaliveli Tank
and the lake at Lake Estate being the main ones. Freshwater bodies within
Auroville are found in kulams, and in the small dam in Aurodam. Large craters,
kulams fill during the monsoons, and serve as watering holes for animals,
bathing and washing places for villagers, and containments to hold water until
it can seep back into the aquifer.
Kulams present differing faces: from a Green Belt kulam
rise the stark, branchless black trunks of Palmyra trees, while, when the water
level has sunk, the Kuilapalayam tank clothes itself in hundreds of exquisite
lotuses growing from its muddy depths.
Government, Belief system
The Auroville Foundation is an autonomous body under the
Ministry of Human Resource Development through an act of the Indian
Parliament. The Foundation is composed of three entities: the Residents of
Auroville (Residents Assembly), the Governing Board and the International
Advisory Council. The HRD ministry appoints the seven members of the Governing
Board and the five members of the International Advisory Council. There is also
a Secretary to the Foundation, appointed by the Government of India, who
resides and has an office with supporting staff in Auroville.
The Foundation currently owns about half of the total
land required for the township. The remaining lands are being purchased
whenever funds are available. Auroville should be at the service of Truth,
beyond all social, political and religious conviction. Auroville is the effort
towards peace, in sincerity and Truth.
Society and population
Although originally intended to house 50,000, as of May
2014, the actual population today is 2,345 (1,804 adults and 541 minors),
coming from 50 nationalities. The community is divided up into
neighborhoods with English, Sanskrit, French and Tamil names
like Aspiration, Arati, La Ferme, Auromodel and Isaiambalam.
Demographics
Nationality
|
Number
|
Indian
|
1005
|
French
|
336
|
Germans
|
213
|
Italians
|
142
|
Dutch
|
87
|
Americans
|
86
|
Russians
|
65
|
Spaniards
|
47
|
Britons
|
44
|
Swiss
|
40
|
Koreans
|
33
|
Israelis
|
31
|
Belgians
|
28
|
Swedes
|
24
|
Canadians
|
20
|
Ukrainians
|
17
|
Australian
|
17
|
Chinese
|
11
|
Argentinean
|
9
|
Japanese
|
9
|
Austrians
|
8
|
South African
|
8
|
Slovenes
|
6
|
Hungarians
|
5
|
Uzbeks
|
5
|
Brazilians
|
4
|
Danes
|
4
|
Latvians
|
4
|
Mexicans
|
4
|
Belarusians
|
3
|
Gurkhas
|
3
|
Portuguese
|
3
|
Tibetans
|
3
|
Bulgarians
|
2
|
Colombians
|
2
|
Ethiopians
|
2
|
Sri Lankans
|
2
|
Moldovans
|
2
|
Czech
|
1
|
Egyptians
|
1
|
Finn
|
1
|
Irish
|
1
|
Kazakhs
|
1
|
Lithuanians
|
1
|
Filipino
|
1
|
Economy
Instead of paper and coin currency, residents are given
account numbers to connect to their central account. Visitors, however, are
requested to get a temporary account and an Aurocard (a debit card).
Residents of Auroville are expected to contribute a
monthly contribution to the community. They are asked to help the community
whenever possible by work, money, or kind. "Guest contribution", or a
daily fee payable by the guests of Auroville, constitutes a part of Auroville's
budget. There is a system of "maintenance", whereby those Aurovilians
who need can receive from the community a monthly maintenance which covers
simple basic needs of life. Auroville's economy and its overall life are of an
evolving nature and there are ongoing experiments to reach closer to the
vision.
Although the Government of India owns and manages the
Auroville Foundation, it only finances a small part of Auroville's budget,
which is mainly formed by contributions from Auroville's commercial units which
contribute 33% of their profits to Auroville's Central Fund, and by donations.
There are guest houses, building construction units, information technology,
small and medium scale businesses, producing and re-selling items such as
handmade paper for stationery items, as well as producing its well-known incense sticks, which can be bought in Auroville's own
shop in Puducherry, or are sold around India and abroad.
Each of these units contributes a considerable part of
their profits to the township. Over 5,000 people, mostly from the nearby
localities, are employed in various sections and units of Auroville.
Other activities include Afforestaion, organic
agriculture, basic educational research, health
care, village development, appropriate technology, town planning, water table management, cultural
activities and community services.
Arts & Culture
Over the past decade, Auroville has developed a
multifarious cultural scene that is quite remarkable for a population of just
over 2,000 people.
Many outstanding music performers, both from within
India and abroad, perform regularly in Auroville. Eminent musicians such as
Zakir Hussain, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Jasraj and Marcus Stockhausen have
been giving concerts. Live performances by Auroville residents of western and
eastern classical music, as well as of jazz and popular music, and blends of
Indian and western music occur frequently. Music education is given for a
variety of western and eastern instruments, such as vocals, violin, piano,
flute, guitar, tabla and harmonium. Also, an adult's and a children's choir is
regularly rehearsing and giving performances.
Resident theater artists have created several theater
groups who perform in English or Tamil. A wide range of theater classes, such
as acting, improvisation and mime are being offered to adult Aurovilians and
children alike. Teachers in the Auroville schools use original theater, music
and dance to explore body expression and induce concentration and imagination.
Auroville has been fortunate to host many visiting
dancers of national and international repute, while the background of the
dancers residing in Auroville is diverse. Predominant is the influence of
western contemporary dance and of Bharat Natyam, the traditional dance form of
the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Dance education follows naturally the
intense dance activities and is part of the curriculum of the Auroville
schools. Today classes are offered in improvisation, modern dance, Indian
classical dance and African dance.
Besides local productions, international publishing
companies such as Amity House, Banyans Books, Writers Workshop and Penguin have
published poems from Auroville poets. One of Auroville's Tamil poets has been
officially laureated as one of the great modern poets of India.
Numerous artists resident in Auroville have studied in
art institutions all over the world. They are exhibiting their works in
Auroville as well as in India and in major galleries in Europe. The preferred
media are oil, acrylic and watercolors, pastels, pencil and chalk. For
sculpture and bas relief works a variety of materials such as terra-cotta,
ceramics, plaster, wood, metal, marble and granite are being used.
Auroville is an affiliate member of RES ARTIS, an
international network which promotes residential exchange programmes for
artists world-wide to do research, work with other artists, and to strengthen
international ties and understanding of the diverse cultural heritages that
invigorate the human society.
Educational Research
Auroville's Charter speaks about Auroville as "a
place of unending education", thus introducing the concept of a life-long
process of development towards a person balanced in body, mind and spirit.
Auroville's educational research endeavors to nurture
the child's potential to its highest possible level, and is based on a
child-centered approach. A free choice system, allowing the student to
increasingly choose his/her own subjects for study, is gradually being
introduced, in particular in the more advanced courses. Also, sports and physical
education are strongly emphasized for a balanced and healthy growth of the
children. Artistic training is an intrinsic part of Auroville's system of
education, which encourages the child to develop his/her artistic faculties and
sense of beauty.
At present, there are crèches, kindergartens, primary
schools and one high school in Auroville, next to 4 day schools and over 15
part-time evening schools for the children of the nearby villages. About 1000
children from the neighbouring villages and from Auroville are benefiting from
Auroville's educational programme.
Research papers on Auroville's educational work are
regularly published and two major publications "The Aim of Life" and
"The Good Teacher and the Good Pupil" have been produced to help
invigorate a new, integral approach to education.
Education in Auroville is administered under the
umbrella of the Sri Aurobindo International Institute for Educational Research
(SAIIER), an organisation established in 1984 to focus on Auroville's
multi-faceted educational and cultural activities for both children and adults.
Environmental Regeneration
Auroville has gained national and international acclaim
for its wasteland reclamation and reforestation work. More than 2,500 acres of
near barren and visibly dying land have been transformed into a lush green
area. Comprehensive contour bunding and the building of small check dams for
soil and water conservation have significantly enhanced the life-support
potential of the whole area. Over 2 million forest trees, hedge trees, fruit,
and fuel wood trees have been planted.
The Auroville Centre for Ecological Land Use and Rural
Development, "Palmyra", has been carrying out soil and water
conservation, and reforestation programmes over the last decade on almost 3,000
acres of village land with a total of more than 1.2 million trees having been
planted. Palmyra also offers training programmes for farmers, NGOs, and
government officers in the field of ecological and sustainable land use.
Handicrafts and Small-Scale Industries
There are more than 100 commercial units, large and
small, operated by Auroville at present. Their activities are diverse and
include handicrafts (such as ready-made garments for adults and children,
candle and incense products, embroidery, crochet, quilts, hand painted silk,
beadwork, jewellery, postcards, leather work, pottery, paper lampshades,
woodwork, etc.), printing and graphic design, food processing, electronics and
engineering, computer software, windmill manufacturing, and construction and
architectural services.
In terms of its own maintenance, Auroville wishes to
become increasingly self-sufficient. Auroville's commercial units have an
important role to play in achieving this objective. Besides generating funds to
assist the community in maintaining its basic services and infrastructure, the
units provide employment and training for the local villagers, enabling them to
improve their standard of living and acquire valuable skills. At present, about
5,000 villagers are employed in Auroville.
Health & Healing
Many systems of primary health care are in use in
Auroville, including allopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropody, podology,
massage, chromato-therapy, and others.
The Auroville Health Centre, recognised as a Mini Health
Centre by the Tamil Nadu State Government, is equipped with basic medical
facilities and staffed by an international team. It serves the Auroville
community as well as about 200 patients daily from the villages at its
headquarters in Kuilapalayam and its sub-centres. A team of 30 local women
trained as village health workers serve in 17 villages, giving first aid, home
cures and basic health education. The Auroville Health Centre also runs a
dental care unit, a children's home for pediatric treatment, a medical lab, a
pharmacy and a small medicinal plant garden, and offers several preventive
health programmes to village women and children.
Under the aegis of The Indian Foundation for
Revitalization of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), Auroville hosts one of the
15 Medicinal Plants Conservation Parks which are being set up in the three
South-Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The aim of these
centres is to revive the local health traditions and the ancient medical
systems of India as described in the Ayurveda and its Tamil equivalent, the
Siddha.
For this purpose, Auroville has established an
ethno-medicinal forest area to conserve medicinal plant diversity, an outreach
nursery focusing on medicinal plant propagation and distribution, and a
Bio-Resources Centre dedicated to education, training and research in the use
of locally available medicinal plants in primary health care.
In 1997, a new healing centre complex,
"Quiet", near the beach was inaugurated to focus on providing
alternative healing therapies. An international homeopathic seminar, led by
world-renowned homeopaths from India and UK, marked the beginning of a new
chapter in Auroville's Endeavour to combine new therapies with conventional
health care.
Since July 2008 Kailash Clinic is operating, right in
the middle of Auroville. It is a pilot project of the Integral health Services
(IHS), based on an interdisciplinary approach to medicine.
It is providing doctor's consultations, first aid and
wound dressing in the morning and complementary therapies in the afternoons.
Innovative Building Technologies
Auroville has gained a considerable knowledge and
expertise in the field of innovative, appropriate and cost-effective building
technologies, especially earth construction and ferro-cement.
Earth construction uses compressed earth blocks, made
with a manual press from local earth mixed with 3-5% cement. The blocks are
usually produced on the building site, without polluting the environment or
depleting the forests, as no kiln firing is required.
Ferro-cement is a thin cement mortar laid over
reinforcing wire mesh, thus employing steel and cement in a highly efficient
and cost-effective manner. It is cheap, strong, versatile and long lasting, and
the basic techniques are easily acquired, making this building technology
readily accessible to the neighbouring villagers. Ferro-cement doors, roofing
channels, water tanks, biogas systems, latrines and other building components
are being manufactured in Auroville.
The Auroville Building Centre, which is part of a
national network of more than 500 building centres all over India initiated by
the Housing and Urban Development Corporation of India (HUDCO), provides
regular training programmes for masons, master masons, site supervisors,
contractors, engineers, and architects. It also offers consultancy, designs
buildings and supervises construction sites using these appropriate,
cost-effective building technologies. In 1995 and in 1996, the Auroville
Building Centre received via HUDCO the yearly Outstanding Performance Award
from the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation for its
activities in this field.
Integrated Urban Planning
Auroville is located on a low-lying plateau on the
south-eastern coast of India, 160 km. south of Madras. At the centre, both
physically and spiritually, stands the nearly completed Matrimandir, "the
soul of Auroville". Started on 21st February 1971, construction work on
this structure has continued uninterruptedly ever since. The inner chamber of
Matrimandir, a place for silence and concentration, has been completed and, at
present, the work focuses on finishing the outer structure and creating the
surrounding gardens.
Four zones will radiate out from the Matrimandir
gardens: International, Cultural, Residential and Industrial. The Green Belt,
an area for promoting biodiversity, environmental restoration and organic
farming, will eventually surround the entire city area. While much of the land
still has to be purchased, Auroville presently manages about three-quarters of the
total acreage within the future city area, and about 25% within the Green Belt.
The present community of Auroville consists of some 100
settlements of varying sizes. Auroville has created a basic infrastructure of
roads, water and electricity supply, and telecommunications, including an
electronic communications network. Accommodation has been constructed for 1,500
people, and municipal services for food production, purchase and distribution,
electricity and water supply, waste disposal and recycling, education, health
care, financial transactions, and town planning have been established.
The Auroville Township Master Plan 2000 - 2025, which
has been recently endorsed by the Government of India, is dedicated to the
challenge of creating an environment-friendly, sustainable urban settlement
that, at the same time, integrates and cares for the neighbouring rural area.
Auroville's concept is therefore to build a city that
will economise on land needs by introducing development approaches with an
optimum mix of densities and appealing urban forms and amenities, while the
surrounding Green Belt will be a fertile zone for applied research in the
sectors of food production, forestry, soil conservation, water management,
waste management and other areas which assist sustainable development. The
results of such innovative methods would be available for application in both
rural and urban areas in India and the world.
Organic Farming
The development of an ecologically sound agriculture,
which excludes the use of pesticides and detrimental chemicals, and the
application of agro-forestry techniques are being actively pursued in
Auroville. Efforts are being made with the surrounding village farmers to
reverse the process of growing cash crops using chemical inputs in the form of fertilizers
and poisonous pesticides such as DDT. Alternative biodegradable pesticides are
being developed and marketed as part of an overall attempt to re-introduce
sustainable agricultural practices throughout the bioregion.
Training programmes are regularly organized for farmers
from the surrounding area. On the national level, Auroville has participated in
many Indian conferences on organic farming, and hosted in April 1995 an
All-India seminar on organic farming under the name "ARISE: Agricultural
Renewal in India for a Sustainable Environment".
Renewable Energy
Concerned with the ecological implications of energy
consumption, Aurovilians have been experimenting with the use of renewable
energy sources from the beginning. The major forms of renewable energy utilized
in Auroville are solar, wind and biomass. At present, more than 1,200
photovoltaic (PV) panels are in use for electricity and water supply. Some 30
windmills of various designs are in operation for pumping water, and specially
designed ferro-cement biogas systems process animal and vegetable waste to
produce methane gas and organic fertilizers. Today, Auroville has become a
major testing ground for renewable energy sources in India.
The Auroville Centre for Scientific Research (CSR), a research
institution approved by the Government of India in 1984, is the focal point for
many of these activities. It also runs "Awareness Workshops towards a
Sustainable Future" for NGO's, government officials, students and
professionals on the sustainable techniques applied in Auroville.
Rural Development
Rural development has been a major activity of Auroville
since its inception. There are 13 villages in the immediate neighbourhood,
comprising about 40,000 people, and altogether 40 villages in the bioregional
area. At present, ten Auroville working groups have dedicated themselves to
fostering sustainable programmes in these 40 villages.
With funding from a number of national and international
organisations, Auroville's rural development programme aims at:
·
Raising the standard of
living of the local population through vocational training and self-employment;
·
Involving the villagers in
a cooperative effort of wasteland reclamation and organic farming;
·
Improving the health
situation through education, preventive care and treatment;
·
Empowering women and
providing education to the village children;
·
Encouraging in each
village the growth of community spirit and a sense of self-confidence through
social initiatives, micro-projects and awareness campaigns.
Location
Auroville is composed of a cluster of properties some
12 km (7.5 mi) north of Pondicherry. It can be easily reached via the East
Coast Road (ECR) which
connects Chennai and Pondicherry.
The visitor centre and Matrimandir can be reached by
travelling 6 km (3.7 mi) westwards from the sign posted turnoff at
the ECR. Turning east leads directly to Auroville's private beach called Repos,
several hundred metres away.
Climate
It is included in the sub-humid tropics and situated on
a plateau region with its maximum elevation of 32 m (105 ft) above
sea level located in the Matrimandir area. The annual rainfall average is
1,200 mm (47 in) mainly from the SW monsoon (June to Sept.) and NE
monsoon (Nov to Dec) with a dry period of approx 6 months. The average maximum
temperature is 32.2 °C (90.0 °F), average minimum 20 °C
(68 °F).
Visas (for non-Indians)
As visa requirements vary by nationality, non-Indians
need to check in their country of origin well before coming to India. Normally
a Tourist Visa is issued for and remains valid for 6 months. Anyone thinking of
coming to Auroville for a longer period needs an Entry
Visa. Advice of a general nature on visa
requirements for non-Indians can be obtained in Auroville from the Residents
Service at the Town hall.
Arrival forms for non-Indians
Any non-Indian person staying in Auroville needs to fill
in an Arrival Form within 24 hours of arrival, as per requirement of the Indian
Government. Most major guest houses will provide these forms, which can
otherwise be obtained from and filled in at the AV Guest Service office at the
Solar Kitchen, the Guest Service desk at the AV Financial Service office, or
the Residents Service at the Town hall. Aurovilians are reminded that it is the
responsibility of the host to see that people visiting Auroville fill in their
Arrival Forms, whether the visitors are personal guests or whether the host
runs a guest facility.
Indian and local culture
Foreigners coming to stay in Auroville are strongly
encouraged to acquaint themselves with the culture and traditions of Tamil
Nadu and India. It is especially important to respect local customs which can
be quite different from that elsewhere, and include aspects like communication,
dress code, and much more. Politeness and correctness in dealing with the local
people is paramount, and it is good to remember at all times that one is a
guest of the country.
Caution
Along the roads leading into Auroville, one encounters
many guesthouses, restaurants; massage centers, art studios, handicraft
showrooms etc, bearing ‘Auro’ in their names. Most of these
are not associated with the city
Caution is advised while driving on the local roads, as
road conditions and traffic habits can be challenging, while extra care is
recommended at night, especially for single women, children, and the elderly.
Accommodation
It is highly advisable, in all seasons, before planning
a visit to Auroville, to visit the http://www.aurovilleguesthouses.org/ website. It offers a vast overview on
different possibilities of accommodation in Auroville, at different levels of
price, location, and comfort. They are all units of Auroville; their stewards
are Aurovilians and can help you with all formalities and basic information and
support in your early days in Auroville.
If you have not booked before, the Guest Accommodation
Service, located at the Visitors
Centre, can help you to search
among possibilities of accommodation available at the moment.
It should be remembered that Auroville is a non-profit,
evolving community that lays stress on a quiet lifestyle that is close to
nature. Although the quality of accommodation and service provided may be simple
in comparison with, say, a fancy hotel outside, guests tend to enjoy the green,
clean surroundings that facilitate space for oneness and inner
reflection.
Website: http://www.aurovilleguesthouses.org
Timings: 9:30 – 12:30 / 2
– 5 pm.
Phone: 0413-2622704 or
3449
E-mail: guestaccommodation@auroville.org.in
Accommodation in AV can be broadly divided into 4
categories depending on your space and budget needs:
A - Basic: Accommodation
with thatched roof (capsules and simple rooms). Shared bathroom. Suitable for
student volunteers.
B - Standard: Simple rooms in
brick with concrete or tiled roof. Shared bathroom. Rooms may have a fan. Some
include access to a shared kitchen.
C - Good: Comfortable rooms
with fans, mosquito protection, attached bathroom. A few have air conditioning.
Some include access to a shared kitchen or include breakfast and dinner
facilities.
D - Self-contained: Nicely furnished
cottage or studio with attached bathroom and kitchen/kitchenette. Often with a
veranda, balcony or garden. All rooms have fans and protective mesh on windows.
A few have air conditioning. Daily rate may include breakfast, and laundry.
Communications & Media
The Auroville website provides open as well as
restricted forums for various projects, interests, organizations and outreach
which make up the life of the community. The opinions expressed in these
publications are not necessarily those of the community at large. Auroville
radio website provides a lot of recordings and daily news covering events in
Auroville. Auroville has a small 'Outreach Media' team to regulate visits of
journalists and film/video makers. Their aim is to ensure that all journalists
and filmmakers get official, up-to-date information and representative footage
from reliable sources.
Auroville Marathon
The Auroville Marathon is an annual marathon (42.195 km or 26.219 mi) event that
courses through the city of Dawn Auroville in Tamil
Nadu state of India. They also have Half Marathon (21.0975 km or 13.1094
mi) and 10k runs added. It is one of the largest and most popular running events
in India, with participants from different parts of India. The
event is largely publicized by word of mouth and through blogs and other social
networks by runners who have run the race before.
The event is organized by Auroville Runners in
association with Auroville community since
2008. Originally started to celebrate the 40 years of Auroville, the
enthusiastic participation attracted many runners from other cities and it was
decided to make it an annual affair. The event is non-commercial and organized
purely for the joy of running. It considers all the finishers as winners and
does not award any prize money for the early finishers. That is precisely why
this is not a timed run.
Films about Auroville
At present, any filming within and about Auroville
requires permission from the Government of India. Many filmmakers visit
Auroville and there is a wide range of films available. To name a few:
·
City of the Dawn, full
length, 80 min version, 2010
·
Auroville, the outline of
a world, full length, 25 minutes, 2009
· Auroville - A Dream of the
Divine (part 1 and 2), full length, 20 min in two parts, 2003.
·
There are six 30 min
videos on Auroville by Russian filmmakers.
Interesting Auroville topics can also be seen on
Auroville TV, and the films about Auroville screened at the biennial
Auroville Film Festival.
Controversy
In May 2008, the BBC produced a 10-minute News night film about
Auroville, which was aired on TV. A short version was aired on Radio
4's "From Our Own Correspondent". It also
appeared on BBC On-line. The reports contrasted the idealism of its
founders with allegations by some people that the community tolerates pedophiles, especially in a school that Auroville has established
for local village children. Auroville filed an official complaint to the BBC
that the report was biased, untrue and contravened BBC editorial ethical
guidelines - after investigations, although a few inaccuracies were identified,
Ofcom did not uphold the complaint. In order to protect children in the
Auroville area from child abuse, the city instituted an Auroville Child
Protection Service which is in action ever since. At the time the BBC report
somewhat damaged Auroville's reputation.
Connectivity
Auroville, is a small town 6 km north of Pondicherry. It is well connected from Pondicherry. Nearest Railway
Station & Airport are located in Pondicherry.
By Rickshaw (Rs 150-200) or Taxi (Rs 240) from
Pondicherry. Many buses between Chennai and Pondicherry pass the turn off to Auroville - you can get down
here and into one of the waiting rickshaws at the junction.
You can also take a taxi from Chennai Airport. It costs
Rs. 2500. You can also rent scooters in Pondicherry and drive yourself for a
day trip or arrange to keep the scooter for a few days or more.
Get
around:
It will be best by motorbike, also possible by bicycle.
Rickshaws and taxis can be ordered for trips out of the town. If you have a
guest card than you can use the community's bus to Pondicherry (for free).
You can hire motorbikes for Rs 50-100 per day and in
some guesthouses you'll get a bicycle for free or a small daily fee with your
rent.
Auroville is very spread out and large, so if you want
to get around freely, rent a scooter or motorbike.
The challenging part is navigating the busier roads in
around the village of Kuyilapalayam, the largest Tamil village in or near
Auroville. In addition to other motorbikes, you will encounter pedestrians,
bicycles, cows, dogs, small tour buses, and the occasional ox cart loaded with
hay. Traffic can be heavy at dusk, when the herds of cows head home and
everybody else seems trying to get some place else.
Remember to stay on the left and look both ways before
turning or crossing a road. If you make a right turn, be sure to end up on the
left side of your new road.
The nearest petrol station is on the sea front road (aka
the Beach Road) just north of the Auroville turnoff. If you find yourself low
while in Kuyilapalayam village, a few of the shops have 1 liter water bottles
filled with petrol for sale. Petrol goes a long way, but keep an eye on the
level because running out can be very inconvenient and possibly unsafe.
Always travel with a charged cellphone, and know how to
use it to call your moped supplier, your guest house, and your fellow
travellers. Motorbikes have a way of breaking down or not starting, so it's
better to travel in pairs or groups. That way you can always catch a ride on
the back some someone else's bike.