Auroville City in India
Auroville, India
“Auroville: the city the earth needs ‐ a successful case of changing the climate for holistic sustainable development.” Lalit Bhati
Source: L′Avenir d′Auroville, Department of urban Planning, Tamil nadu, India
I was in a state of trance and had a hangover for almost a month after visiting and living in Auroville for ten days. It’s a total exploration of your senses and surroundings. It will change you as it did me. A country on its own and where the natives are called ‘Aurovilians’, Auroville teaches you to live from the outside as well as from within. Auroville will influence and change your perspective on India if you’re a foreigner. Though of course most likely you will meet a lot of your country folks who have made Auroville their home. Oh yes, let me tell you, please do not ask the people living there which country they are from, they take great offence. They are proud to be Aurovilians and your guess would be as good as mine as to where they originally came from.
In 1954 The Mother, a French woman, the founder of Auroville, had envisioned that ‘there should be somewhere upon, earth a place that no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of goodwill, sincere in their aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the supreme Truth’.
Established in 1968 Auroville is a Universal Township near Pondicherry, South India. It is a man‐made creation and a miniature sample of what our world should be like. Unfortunately you will find people even in or from India who haven’t heard of Auroville. They don’t want tourism hence they do not promote it. In Auroville they want people who come seeking human unity and divine truth. The place is almost unreal, an inspiration based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, a Cambridge‐educated independent activist.
This township is made for a capacity of approximately 50,000 people and today it has almost 2000 Aurovilian residents from over 40 countries, all over the world. It is surrounded by trees which are planted by the Aurovilians, who take part and help in all the activities around and, within the town.
Primarily Auroville doesn’t follow any particular religion, it encourages a multi‐cultural environment.
Primarily Auroville doesn’t follow any particular religion, it encourages a multi‐cultural environment. The concept of Auroville is an unanimous resolution towards the future of humanity. It promotes cultural equality and condemns rascism. Though we all come from different backgrounds, cultures or countries, we all speak the same language of feelings and emotions.
Auroville lets you walk around hand in hand with nature. There are trees everywhere and it gives you a feeling of being in the countryside, until you reach the spectacular architecture and mixed residential complexes. There are also beautiful tree‐houses built by a group of Australians who wanted to be reminded of their habitat, back home.
A must see is also the pedicure centre, which got its name from the flesh eating fish in the pond! Here you can dip your feet in and spend a while away a delightfully relaxed day, as the little fishies nibble away the dead skin on your feet.
The most impressive thing in town has to be the Savitri Bhavan mantra ‐ specially designed by Sri‐Aurobindo, the freedom fighter and poet so that it might carry on his revolutionary and spiritual vision. His mother said of this: “Savitri ‐ the supreme revelation of Sri Aurobindo’s vision. I believe that it is his message. All his other writings are preparations, but Savitri is the message. Savitri is the mantra for the transformation of the world. The vibration of the Savitri will help manifest a better tomorrow.”
The banyan tree planted right in the centre of Auroville is the foundation and base of Auroville. You have to see it to believe it. There is a strange air of silence and peace around it. The Matrimandir however is the soul of Auroville and is shaped around a white Urn in the form of a lotus bud. Each country of the world played a role in the construction of this, placing a handful of soil from their respective countries in the urn as a contribution to this symbolic monument.
With its impeccable eco‐credentials, the vast area of nearly 200,000 trees, the healing centres and the breathtaking architecture, Auroville really is a place you must visit.
With its impeccable eco‐credentials, the vast area of nearly 200,000 trees, the healing centres and the breathtaking architecture, Auroville really is a place you must visit. Alcohol is prohibited within Auroville, but who needs alcohol when the magic of this place is so very intoxicating.
There are even specially designed meditation centres for people looking for peace, quiet, learning and knowledge. The Matrimandir for example is a massive hall, devoid of any furniture and stark empty! There is just one vertical ray of light which falls directly on a translucent crystal globe, placed at the centre of the hall. There is only white space all around you and complete silence. The primary symbolic attraction of this place is the way the sunlight plays on the centre, symbolising Future Realization. The Martimandir isn’t a religious place, but rather a receptacle in where you can receive the supramental force of consciousness. The chief architect Roger Anger ‐ collaborated with Piero Ciccionesi and the Mother’s vision, to build this supreme structure.
Auroville is where the future of human unity lies. Promoting Auroville is promoting tolerance and multi‐culturalism. Living in harmony with nature and being a part of a future vision makes Auroville a place to visit at least once in your life.
‐ Hichal Shah
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Dear Hichal, I must congratulate you on writing this piece. I do belive it will encourage like minded people to visit Auroville. It opens your eyes to what our world can be and all of us should try to work for that.