Auroville
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Auroville
Tamil Nadu • India |
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| District(s) | Villupuram |
| Coordinates | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Population | 1,880 (2006) |
| Codes • Postal • Telephone |
• 605101 • +0413 |
Auroville is a universal "township", near Pondicherry in South India, whose stated purpose is to realize human unity in diversity.
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[edit] History
Mirra Alfassa, known as 'The Mother', had organized the followers of Sri Aurobindo into the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, and originated the idea of the universal township. Later on, with her blessings, the idea was taken up by the Sri Aurobindo Society and along with the Indian government, the concept was presented to the United Nations. In 1966, UNESCO passed a resolution giving their acceptance and support to this unique project. The community was founded in February 1968 in order to create a bridgehead for a new consciousness which was seeking to manifest in the world, according to the vision of Sri Aurobindo, and was under the direct guidance of The Mother. The project's name is a combination of two French words, aurore for "dawn" and ville for "city". It is also a reference to Sri Aurobindo.
Photo by Santosh Namby Chandran
After the death of The Mother in 1973, problems arose through disagreements with some sections of the Ashram in Pondicherry and a period of turmoil followed.
The township itself consists of areas in Tamil Nadu. Presently, the Auroville project is governed by the Auroville Foundation through an act of Parliament called the Auroville Foundation Act (1988). The Foundation, fully controlled by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, currently owns about half of the total land required for the township. Additional lands are being acquired through consistent fundraising activities by the Aurovilian residents for which endeavour they are considerably helped by Auroville InternationalCenters throughout the world.
The city was planned by The Mother with some rudimentary sketches, leaving the details for future generations. The shape of the town is fashioned after a spiral galaxy, symbolising life and humankind's evolving existence. In the middle of the town is the Matrimandir, the "Soul" of the city, symbolizing the birth of a new consciousness, of a new era where human unity, conscious living and inter-cultural collaboration are to prevail. The Matrimandir is the "cohesive force" of the township, a place "to find one's consciousness". Radiating from this centre are four "zones" as indicated by The Mother: the "Residential Zone", "Industrial Zone", "Cultural Zone" and "International Zone". Around the city area proper a so-called "Green Belt" has formed through rigorous and steady rehabilitation of the land. Here one finds Auroville's farms, forestries and a large botanical garden-in-the-making. In the future it will act as a buffer-zone and an area for recreation.
[edit] Charter
In the inauguration ceremony attended by delegates of 124 nations on 28th February 1968 , the Mother gave Auroville its 4-point Charter setting forth her vision of Integral living.
- 1. 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.
- 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 realisations.
- 4. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.
[edit] Ideals
The community is not based upon adherence to any specific religion, but a shared humanitarian goal, as such, the community does not represent any specific religious sect or cult. Auroville's politial sitation is ever-changing, and for the most part a liberal democracy, the aim being to become a sustainable and self-governing township. The goal of Aurovilian society is to work out differences of culture and class in a new and higher way; a synthesis of East and West in hopes of realising the ideal of human unity in diversity. While Aurovilians are not supposed to engage in any political activities inside or outside of the township, creative and pro-active individuals are drawn to the Auroville project since it is a place where each one can make a difference.
Auroville also emphasises living in harmony with nature and the environment. It is a thriving community in many areas and a site for research and experimentation in architecture, alternative energy and a site of workshops in various self-growth and cultural realms of activity. Auroville is supposed to adhere to a life free of violence, acting as a model community which embodies and celebreates cultural prosperity, international understanding, and the unity of human beings living together with progressive aims. The Mother wanted Auroville to be a drug-free society, with no internal circulation of money, and no institutionalized marriage.
What Auroville is attempting to achieve is accepting and allowing the full, rich and wonderful diversity of human beings to flourish in complete freedom, while yet achieving an inner unity and experiencing a unified and harmonious society. Inspired by The Dream, this is the ideal Auroville aspires to realise. The Arts, education, business, meetings for community well-being, organic farming, tourism and yoga/self-growth activities all thrive in this little but remarkably authentic community.
[edit] Society and Population
Represented within the project are virtually all the major polarities found in global society, plus the inevitable subtle tensions that exist as a result of them. For example, there are men, women and children here representing the East-West divide, the North-South gap, all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds, the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate, the sophisticated and the unsophisticated, people of different races and colour, from villages, towns and cities, from democracies and socialist societies, from first, second and third world countries, some easy to relate to, some not so easy, some hard workers and some more lazy, all with different preferences and priorities as they go about their daily lives - as smokers/non-smokers, drinkers/teetotalers, vegetarians/non-vegetarians, meditators/non-meditators, office workers/foresters and so on.
The one thing that all these people have in common, however, is that they have ALL voluntarily placed themselves in the melting pot which is Auroville, and have accepted to work out their differences in a new and, supposedly, higher way, changing themselves instead of trying to change others as they seek to realise the ideal of human unity in diversity.
The population of Auroville is around 1800 people. The number of guests and visitors staying in Auroville during the winter is substantial. As of the latest official census of May 16, 2006, it is a community of 1,829 people (1,398 adults and 431 minors), 752 of whom are of Indian origin. The Auroville community has members from around 40 countries in the world. The 3 biggest communities in Auroville are the Tamilians, the French and the Germans. The Mother planned Auroville become a universal city.
[edit] Environment
The community has carried out an extensive reforestation programme, that was shaped through its experience of working the land and rehabilitation projects during the last 38 years. The area around Auroville used to be a tropical forest centuries ago, due to local population growth and overfarming, these forests slowly vanished. The exploited earth became very dry, which in turn led to decreased rainfall in the area. Auroville is reversing that process through its persistent sapling-planting and other erosion control programmes, which have been quite successful.
A large number of the self-constructed houses are either made out of recycled material, or natural materials such as compressed mud bricks, or made out of materials that are least burdening to nature. The Housing Service oversees the allotments of the buildings, endeavouring to have these built in sustainably responsible ways. Sustainability is an important cornerstone, therefore a lot of the energy produced at Auroville comes from solar panels and other renewable sources.
[edit] Education
Auroville emphasises a non-authoritarian learning free of any dogma, a consequence of which is that children living in Auroville have a fairly large freedom in choosing the topics of their study. There are a good number of schools in the vicinity, ranging from creche to high school education. Extensive sports programmes are also organised for them. Auroville offers a variety of classes (yoga, martial arts, music, dance, etc.) for both adults and children.
At present, Auroville does not offer any education on the college level and higher. No formal certificates or diplomas are issued in Auroville.
[edit] Economy
According to Auroville Today, one has to be "able to save the substantial amount required – of the order of Rs 15 lakhs (approximately US $ 35,000) upwards – to start a life in Auroville".
Residents of Auroville are expected to pay a monthly contribution, and are asked to help the community whenever possible, by work, money or kind according to the guidelines laid down by The Mother. "Guest contribution", or a daily fee payable by the visitors of Auroville, constitutes a part of Auroville's budget. There is a system of “maintenance” (salaries), whereby some Aurovilians are supported by the community. Other Aurovilians who have their own financial means work for the community without any financial reward.
As states Auroville Today, "there are two more obstacles the lack of work opportunities and the low levels of ‘maintenance'. 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, either as rent or by paying-off a loan.
Auroville finances itself mainly by receiving donations, and by its commercial units who contribute 33% of their profits to Auroville's Central Fund. There are hotels, building construction units, real estate companies, 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 Pondicherry, or are sold around India and abroad. Each of these units contributes a considerable part of their profits to the township. Over 5000 Tamil villagers are employed in Auroville.
Other activities include afforestation, organic agriculture, basic educational research, health care, village development, appropriate technology, town planning, water table management, cultural activities and community services.
[edit] Location
Auroville is composed of a cluster of properties some 12km 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 eight kilometres westwards from the signposted turnoff at the ECR. Turning east leads directly to Auroville Beach, several hundred metres away.
[edit] Communication and Media
The Auroville website accesses journals and newsletters providing open as well as restricted forums for various projects, interests, organizations and outreach which make up the life of the community. Note: The opinions expressed in these publications are not necessarily shared by the community at large.
Auroville has a small but dedicated 'OutreachMedia' team who regulate visits of journalists and film/video makers. Their particular aim is to ensure that all journalists and filmmakers get the official, up-to-date information or relevant/representative footage from the correct sources so that generally their visit is a fruitful and constructive one.
[edit] Free Speech Forum
In reference to some obscure issues mentioned in this and other sections of this article, an Auroville resident has explained that, a "quit notice" is issued by the Government of India immigration ministry to any non-Indian who has allegedly violated Indian law or behaved inappropriately. Although several hundred quit notices have been issued in Auroville's 38 year existence, all but 2 were cancelled after explanation by the incriminated parties.
[edit] References and Readings
- Abundance Publications. The Auroville Handbook.Pondicherry: All-India Press, 2003.
- Auroville Today. The Auroville Adventure: Selections from ten years of Auroville Today. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, 1998.
[edit] External links
- Official site of Auroville
- Free Auroville Network, the online network for visitors, volunteers and friends.
- Auroville Radio Community broadcasting service
- Commercial units
- New Creation Transport Service
- Auroville Cultural Exchange
- Communities Directory Fellowship for Intentional Community listing for Auroville.
- Auroville travel guide from Wikitravel
