The Good, Bad & Ugly
A candid reflection on Auroville today
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of Auroville is a clear-eyed look at our living experiment — its triumphs, its trials, and its truths. It’s not about blame or praise, but about honesty. We’ve planted forests, built futures, and inspired thousands — that’s the Good. We’ve also stumbled, stagnated, and struggled — that’s the Bad. And yes, there are shadows we must name and confront — that’s the Ugly. To grow, we must see ourselves whole. This page is a mirror. Not for shame. Not for pride. But for clarity — because only when we face what is, can we build what could be.
This is not about blame. It’s about responsibility.
We must look clearly — with courage, not condemnation. The wise ones warned us once: “No one can build Auroville unless they have overcome the desire to be important.” That includes all of us.
The dream still lives. But it can only breathe in the open — where honesty burns through illusion, and where our shadows, once faced, can become our teachers.
Auroville’s living gifts to the world.
Auroville didn’t just dream — it did. In a world starved for sincerity and sustainability, it became proof that ideals, when rooted in action, can blossom into living realities. Here’s what we’ve done right — not perfectly, but with perseverance, heart, and hope.
Reforesting the Arid Land
What was once a dry and flat plateau with seasonal crops is now a thriving all-year green land. Through decades of collective-driven afforestation, Auroville has regenerated thousands of acres, transforming red earth into resilient ecosystems — a model of ecological restoration studied worldwide.
Architecture with Soul
Auroville pioneered sustainable, context-sensitive architecture. From ferrocement domes to earthbag structures and wind corridors, these designs blend function with spirit. Today, they’re featured in Indian architecture curricula and visited by design students from around the world.
Education that Frees
Rejecting rote and rigid systems, Auroville nurtures curiosity and self-discovery. Open classrooms, child-led learning, and the absence of exams in many schools have sparked dialogue on “free progress” education far beyond our borders.
Living Auroville: Work as Yoga
Here, work is not just livelihood — it’s a path. Artists, farmers, engineers, masons, philosophers — all are invited to align their outer craft with their inner calling. This synthesis of spirit and service is uniquely Auroville.
Volunteer Magnet
Tens of thousands have passed through Auroville — as volunteers, students, or seekers. Many return transformed, carrying with them the seeds of conscious living and community thinking.
Infrastructure Built by Us
There was no blueprint — just a vision. From water systems to roads, schools, clinics, farms, and businesses, Aurovilians built everything from scratch, often with no money but deep resolve.
Bioregional Ripple Effect
Auroville hasn’t just worked within its boundary — it’s worked beyond. Through reforestation, water conservation, education, and social enterprises, it has impacted dozens of nearby villages and partnered with local communities for mutual growth.
Spiritual Heart
At its centre lies the Matrimandir — not a temple, but a symbol of inner awakening. It draws thousands not just to marvel, but to sit in silence — anchoring the community’s soul and offering a space for deep contemplation.
Global Recognition
From the UN to ecological institutes, Auroville is recognised as a model for sustainable living, spiritual exploration, and human unity. It is on maps, in curriculums, and in conversations — a quiet yet influential presence.
We’ve stumbled. But we can still rise.
We’ve lost time. Lost sight. At moments, even lost each other. The dream still breathes — but not without strain. Here’s where we’ve faltered, and what we must face without flinching.
The City Remains Unbuilt
After nearly six decades, the envisioned galaxy-shaped city for 50,000 remains mostly on paper. Despite brilliant plans and impassioned debates, actual development has been minimal — a dream stalled by red tape, resistance, and inertia.
Low Population, High Stagnation
We are still just a few thousand. Growth is slow. The dream of a vibrant, diverse, 50,000-strong collective feels remote — sometimes romanticized, sometimes ridiculed. Without scale, some of Auroville’s core ideals — like economic self-sufficiency and cultural richness — remain out of reach.
Fragile Economy
Many services, schools, and farms rely on donations or overstretched units. Despite the rhetoric of self-sustainability, the community’s financial ecosystem remains wobbly — with few scalable models of economic resilience.
Spiritual Aspiration, Lost in Translation
Work was meant to be yoga. Life, a collective sadhana. But bureaucracy often overwhelms the spiritual core. The Matrimandir remains a beacon — yet for many, the inner work has been eclipsed by outer squabbles.
Paralysis of Governance
Consensus decision-making, once a noble experiment, has at times led to indecision, delays, and diluted action. Important initiatives have stalled for years, trapped in endless circles of meetings, objections, and ego conflicts.
Factionalism and Fear
What was meant to be a unified community of seekers has splintered into ideological camps. Old-timers vs newcomers. Residents vs administration. Idealists vs pragmatists. This divide corrodes the trust needed for true collaboration.
Drift from the Dream
In some eyes, Auroville has become more brand than beacon — a place that talks evolution but sometimes walks in circles. Without conscious renewal, there’s a risk of Auroville becoming a comfortable bubble, not a courageous experiment.
Let’s not look away.
Let’s not flinch. Let’s not sugarcoat. Auroville’s shadows must be faced — not to tear it down, but to rebuild it with truth. These are the hard, human failures that threaten the soul of this sacred experiment.
Colonial Echoes, Cloaked in Idealism
Entitlement. Superiority. Subtle racism. Some long-time stewards treat Auroville as inherited property, not a shared trust. Land, houses, and spaces meant for the collective have been hoarded, fenced, and even monetized — betraying the spirit of non-ownership.
Visa System Exploited
The visa framework, once a bridge for global contribution, has been misused. Some come not to serve, but to escape. Auroville has, at times, become a refuge for the disillusioned — but not always the dedicated.
Addiction and Escapism
Drugs. Alcohol. Numbing behaviors. These are not myths. They exist — in corners unseen and sometimes in plain sight. The quest for inner growth is, for some, replaced by outer avoidance.
Power Hijacked by Ego
The founding spirit — of humility, of service — has sometimes been displaced by control and gatekeeping. Elders become enforcers. Young voices get drowned. Bureaucracy masquerades as dharma.
Abuse Happens Here Too
Yes, even here. Emotional manipulation. Physical harm. Systemic exploitation. Auroville is not immune. And silence — whether from fear, denial, or misplaced loyalty — protects the abuser, not the truth.
Forest Grab, Policy Breach, Narrative Spin
There have been covert land moves. Forests cleared overnight. Funds misused. Rules bent. Narratives twisted into propaganda to serve agendas — not evolution.
