Auroville

Auroville
town

Town Hall of Auroville.jpg

Inuksuit at Auroville
Auroville
Coordinates: 12°0′25″N 79°48′38″E / 12.00694°N 79.81056°E / 12.00694; 79.81056Coordinates: 12°0′25″N 79°48′38″E / 12.00694°N 79.81056°E / 12.00694; 79.81056
Country India
State Tamil Nadu
District Viluppuram
Population (2014)
 • Total 2,345
Languages
 • Official Tamil
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 605101
Telephone code 0413
Vehicle registration TN-16,PY-01
Website http://www.auroville.org/

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.[1][2][3] 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."

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 (Ref. Mother's Agenda, Vol. 9, dt.3.02.68).

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:

  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.

The Matrimandir

The Matrimandir, a golden metallic sphere in the center of town.

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.

Government, belief system

The Auroville Foundation is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Human Resource Development through an act of the Indian Parliament.[4][5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

Society and population

General evolution of aurovilian population.[8]

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.[9] The community is divided up into neighborhoods with English, Sanskrit, French and Tamil names like Aspiration, Arati, La Ferme, Auromodel and Isaiambalam.[10]

Courtyard of the Tibetan Centre, Auroville
Dalai Lama's seat, Tibetan Centre, Auroville

Demographics

NationalityNumber
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
Argentinian 9
Japanese 9
Austrians 8
South African 8
Slovenes 6
Hungarians 5
Uzbeks 5
Brazilians 4
Danes 4
Latvians 4
Mexicans 4
Belorussians 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

Population graphs

Evolution of Aurovilian population.[11]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Census - Auroville population". www.auroville.org. Auroville. Retrieved 25 December 2014. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Data table about Auroville residets and new comer + graph". https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/. Lionel Scheepmans. Retrieved 25 December 2014.  External link in |website= (help)

Surrounding villages

Auroville works closely together with the surrounding villages, where mainly Tamil people reside, via the Auroville Village Action Trust under which many different projects including the villages fall. The biggest one under the trust is the Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG), which has programs for women empowerment, education and financial support mainly and is also selling its own products in the name of AVAL, Surya and Kudumbam as social enterprise work.[12] Other activities falling under the trust are the Life Education Centre, the Auroville Industrial School, Mohanam cultural centre, Auroville Health Services, Deepam school for handicapped children, Thamarai community centre, Martuvam Healing forest, and the Reach for the Stars! program enabling higher education for village youth.[13]

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 cover 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.[14]

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 afforestation, organic agriculture, basic educational research, health care, village development, appropriate technology, town planning, water table management, cultural activities and community services.

Location

Auroville Main Road
Auro Beach

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 signposted 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).

Communications and 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.[15] 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 'OutreachMedia' 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.

Films about Auroville

At present, any filming within and about Auroville requires permission from the Government of India.[16][17] Many filmmakers visit Auroville and there is a wide range of films available. To name a few:

Controversy

In May 2008, the BBC produced a 10-minute Newsnight film about Auroville, which was aired on TV.[25] A short version was aired on Radio 4's "From Our Own Correspondent". It also appeared on BBC On-line.[26] 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.[27] 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.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Roger Anger as architect". Boloji.com. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  2. ↑ "Auroville founded by Mira Richards". Architectureweek.com. 2005-11-16. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  3. ↑ "Mirra Alfassa as other name". Auroville.info. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  4. ↑ "The Auroville Foundation Act (1988)". Education.nic.in. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  5. ↑ "Auroville News & Notes No.251". Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  6. ↑ The Auroville Handbook 2013 page 14
  7. ↑ The Mother on Auroville, page 2, published 1999 Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Official census of April, 2008". Auroville.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  10. ↑ List of neighbourhoods.
  11. ↑ "Census - Auroville population November 2014". www.auroville.org. Auroville. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  12. ↑ . Auroville http://www.auroville.org/contents/805. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ . Auroville http://www.auroville.org/contents/1635. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ "Forbes India". Business.in.com. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  15. ↑ Auroville Journals & newsletters
  16. ↑ News & Notes 10 March 2012 [438]
  17. ↑ "Information for the Press and Media". auroville.org.
  18. ↑ "City of the Dawn - Watch Documentaries Online - Promote Documentary Film". cultureunplugged.com.
  19. ↑ Auroville, the outline of a world (India, Documentary). Vimeo.
  20. ↑ AUROVILLE - A Dream of the Divine (part 1of2). YouTube. 24 July 2009.
  21. ↑ AUROVILLE - A Dream of the Divine (part 2of2). YouTube. 24 July 2009.
  22. ↑ Jenya & Anya Vashuk’s Videos. vimeo.com.
  23. ↑ "Videos from Auroville". AurovilleTV.
  24. ↑ "films 2013 – about AV". aurovillefilmfestival.org.
  25. ↑ BBC Two (22 May 2008). Indian town's sex abuse claims. Retrieved on: 21 June 2008.
  26. ↑ BBC News (24 May 2008). Local concerns over Indian utopia. Retrieved on: 21 June 2008.
  27. ↑ http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/enforcement/broadcast-bulletins/obb157/Issue157.pdf

Bibliography

    English Titles:

    German titles:

    External links

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