Auroville is a unique community that emphasizes collective decision-making, shared resources, and mutual respect for each other’s rights. However, the community has faced challenges in recent years as some individuals have encroached upon Auroville’s assets, including positions and rights that were intended to be shared. This has led to a sense of inequality and resentment among some members of the community.
Continue readingCritique of Auroville’s Citizens’ Assembly
In my humble opinion, Auroville is not a democracy project, and it does not have ‘Citizens’. Somehow, I think, democracies are about dumbing it down, flattening it out. Look at our political leaders. Auroville is a dream of elevation, evolution, and embodiment. I do feel the need in Auroville for Extraordinary participation, Educated deliberations, & Equal opportunities. Perhaps, we already have enough groups and assemblies. Our job is to better the existing bodies, instead of boycotting and participating selectively.
Continue readingAbsurdities in Auroville RADs
I’m no expert on political democracies, electoral methodologies, or psephology. I am merely pointing out as a layman, the glaring gaps in the ongoing RAD. I understand that we need some systems to organise ourselves, and the voting system is a stepping stone. I am only trying to point out the blatant absurdities inherent in the ongoing process. The ongoing RAD is flawed at multiple levels and I’ve thus publicly posted my statement, announcing my abstination.
Continue readingLet’s move on
Now that there is sufficient evidence and testimony of eyewitnesses that there was a concerted and planned conspiracy of a few people to block the master plan of the Auroville Township, now that the obstructions placed by the small group of people have been removed I believe the root cause of the cancerous division within Auroville is now no longer there and therefore as I see it –ITS TIME TO MOVE ON.
It’s time to move on from the self-destructive course that we find ourselves in. It’s time to move on from the division that we find ourselves in between those who support the work of the secretary and those who find in her a challenge to their own authority and power play.
It’s time to stop vilifying Auroville in the social media and with all well-wishers of Auroville. It hurts nobody except ourselves, it hurts the goodwill which is very necessary to the existence of Auroville.
It’s time to realize that while we may have many different ideas on any topic, and that such diversity of ideas can be encouraged, but when it comes to action there can be only one action .
It is time to understand that if we have differences of opinion on which course of action to follow then such differences can be resolved as things stand under the provisions of the Auroville Foundation Act which empowers the governing board to have a final say. The GB have made it amply clear that they want to implement the master plan in collaboration with the Aurovilians. Let us not treat the governing board as a foreign entity but rather as a support system created by the government for Auroville. To try to exert our own power as superior to the power of the governing board is to engage in a wrong and losing battle. It seems to me that such a battle serves only the power instincts of our local politicians.
It is time for our politicians to see the change of wind, to see that the Mother wants a shift of gear in the course of the development of Auroville and to learn to change with changing times. It is time for our politicians to acknowledge the power of the MOTHER.
The 2 politicians engaged in fighting with the secretary were also in the forefront of the fight with the SAS. They have experience of what such fighting entails. Even at that time they have seen many Aurovilians leave Auroville. They have seen children of Auroville being traumatised. They have seen Aurovilians being barred from entering one place or another on account of their allegiances to a particular group. The symptoms of similar actions are showing up again in Auroville. It is important and vital for us to stop this course of action. I appeal to our politicians to review the course of confrontation taken by them and change.
Auroville: Setting the Record Straight
Auroville, the Universal Town in the making, is founded on the work and vision of the Indian sage and philosopher, Sri Aurobindo, and his spiritual partner, Mirra Alfassa, from France, known as the Mother. This visionary world experiment was endorsed by UNESCO for the future and unity of humankind through a change of Consciousness.
Auroville was inaugurated on February 28, 1968 with a City plan and a Charter before 5000 guests that included ambassadors, UNESCO directors and people and youth from India and around the world. The City plan and the Charter form the twin basis of Auroville as a unified and unique experiment which combines material development with the spiritual.
Foreseeing the crisis of humanity and the plight of cities worldwide, Auroville was planned as a model of spiritual urbanism for which the Mother commissioned the architect Roger Anger ro make a city plan which came to be known as the Galaxy. This integrates social, cultural, educational, economic and environmental factors needed to create the conditions of change for the world’s future. We aspire to see this unique city experiment realized in the best possible way, without further delay, and hope to have your support in its manifestation.
Once the Auroville Foundation came into being with the Auroville Foundation Act and started functioning with the appointment of a Governing Board, the process of creating a master plan based on the Galaxy plan model, was done, approved and published in the Gazette of the Government of India. This model will be exhibited at the MOMA, New York, from February to July 2022 as a part of an exhibition on Modern Indian Architecture that will feature the work of Charles Correa, B V Doshi, Joseph Stein, Le Corbusier, Laurie Baker and Roger Anger.
On December 4, 2021, after months of sustained discussions, Auroville’s Town Development Council issued a work order to commence work on clearing the path known as the Crown. This circular path which unifies all parts of the city is a largely pedestrian artery that is to form Auroville’s main urban life centre and clearly indicated in the Master plan. Unfortunately, the anti-city and environmental hardliners soon gathered to aggressively stop the work by putting small children in front of JCBs that had been called to do the work of clearing. Police were called at night to protect the area from protestors and to allow the work to continue. However work was again blocked as the protestors returned and refused to back down.
Since then, misleading and destructive reports about Auroville and the events have been circulating in the media, social media, and petitions both via external and internal media. They challenge the master plan and speak in the name of all Aurovilians. This is absolutely incorrect and, a matter of great concern, as even RA decisions are now flouted on change.org with provocative statements against the government at the cost of Auroville. We want to take this opportunity to dispel the misinformation that is being spread and offer some clarity.
The Crown, an essential artery, has been blocked for over two decades by deliberately planting trees and thorns over it, effectively making large sections out of bounds, instead of taking care to keep the passage of this collective zone of Auroville clear. Additionally, ‘temporary’ buildings had been placed deliberately on the Crown, without permission and by defying agreements made. Anywhere else in the world, whether in India, Europe, America or elsewhere, the clearing of essential roads that are to serve everyone cannot be blocked or obstructed in such a manner, for so long.
Clearly, it is not an issue of saving a few hundred trees or sustainability. In the context of three million trees that already exist, serving only 3500 people occupying 3000 acres of land, we cannot proclaim to be sustainable. It is more a case, as it has become clear, of those who refuse the city as consciously planned. JCBs and police have been declared as prime villains in all this but the fact is that the foresters and some architects protesting, remain the most regular users of JCBs in Auroville. With a little goodwill and collaboration all the drama that ensued and continues could have been avoided. There is also the record of a JCB being driven into a community by foresters and youth, without warning, to dig a 2m wide and 2m deep trench to block access. Continued passivity towards such actions has led to a culture of entitlement and impunity that we witness today.
Auroville is planned as a very green and sustainable city with ample areas designated for green corridors and parks in the city area alone plus a greenbelt that will surround it. The fabricated ‘controversy’ around the master plan has been a recurring ploy to delay and obstruct Auroville from growing. Most shocking of all has been the NGT Stay Order to stop the work with a few members taking the rest of Auroville to court. No process was followed, no consultation sought and no respect given to the wishes of the rest of Auroville.
The how of it, now being decried, shows no acknowledgement or respect for the work done and expertise attained over the last 25 years. A master plan agreed upon and approved cannot change into a forest at the whims of some, altering the very direction of Auroville. Nor can it be challenged each time work finally gets ready to start.
Previous Governing Boards of the Auroville Foundation who helped initiate and get the needed approvals for Auroville’s master plan, also urged us to take the work forward several times without success. The current Governing Board has fortunately taken a very proactive stand which is appreciated by a large section of the community.
We must also remember that the people of the surrounding villages, here in Tamil Nadu, offered their land to the Mother to see Her dream realized. There is an open frustration that even after 50 years, their land holds only about 3500 people and not 50,000 as intended. There is a great support amongst the local population who want to contribute towards Auroville’s development with their skills, dedication and goodwill. Many have joined Auroville to see it realized but face the risk of being fired or not accepted, should they openly claim to support the city.
The provocative misinformation and media hype that continues has harmed Auroville’s image in the immediate bio region, and before India which hosts this unique experiment for the rest of the world. It has also confused our associates and well wishers who have collaborated with us and supported our growth and aspirations for decades.
Auroville is not about the personal dreams of the residents. It is a vision and a hope that each Aurovilian holds in trust for humanity. That all this occurs during Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary has also come as a shock for many around the world.
Please be assured that we are neither in danger nor in any enforced situation despite the actions and abusive behaviour of some residents of Auroville and no one has been hurt so far, as it is being falsely insinuated in media reports and via anonymous websites and outreach.
In their meeting of 18th January, 2022, the Governing Board unanimously reaffirmed its stand of continuing with the expeditious implementation of the Auroville township as per the Auroville master plan and invited all to collaborate harmoniously.
India, by carrying the Mother’s invitation to the world to build Auroville based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo, recognizes the aims and objectives of this visionary project, a place of unending learning. This ‘crisis’ is a moment of truth for all who have joined Auroville of their own free-will, to participate in its realization and to live up to their commitment.
Concerned Residents of Auroville
RAD: What is this win worth?
Let me begin this article by congratulating the ‘Be Here Now’ team for pulling off a stupendous victory. In the recently concluded Residents’ Assembly Decision-making referendum, they won by a landslide margin. Out of 899 votes cast, 803 were in favour of the motion – “To pause all clearing, infrastructure laying and permanent construction work on the Right of Ways of Crown, Radials and Outer Ring in order to enable the community to define a way forward for Auroville’s development…”. Only 90 went against the tide. The number of people participating in the exercise is, by the way, the record in Auroville’s history. Altogether an incredible win, indeed!
Though, this did not come as a surprise to me, personally. I never doubted the outcome of the RAD, I always knew the BHN team would win. The narrative of ‘saving the trees’, ‘standing up against violence’, ‘fighting for freedom’, etc. looks luscious, romantic, heroic even. If I did not have the all-around information, I’d have myself rooted for it. After all, who doesn’t like to be a hero warrior? But, here I’m, risking the wrath of the community, sticking my neck out once again, saying what I think needs to be said. What is this win worth?
The numbers do not say everything
Even though the numbers seem the highest ever, it does not mean, we as a community are unanimous about the notion around progressing or pausing. I, for one, do not equate everyone who did not exercise their voting rights to be against the RAD topic. In the same breath, I wouldn’t also draw conclusions that only 90 are in opposition. It is a reality that many abstained from voting, me including, and I request the community to not overlook this fact, under the influence of the winning high. Out of 2427 eligible residents (above age 18 and confirmed Aurovilians) 899 have explicitly made their opinion known, the remaining 1528 residents also have a viewpoint and cannot be easily discarded. Many refer to them as the silent majority and both sides claim they are with them. We do not yet know their version for a fact and in future actions, their role, depending on where they swing, can be crucial.
The smokescreen of consensus is cleared now
Until now, there was an unwritten understanding within the community that a brash show of numbers to make a point was considered unacceptable. The tyranny of numbers may not always present an amicable solution. At times, mere numbers can prove to be cruel for conscious decision-making. Thus, we as a community have always relied on a semblance of consensus rather than the brute force of the numbers. We have trusted the quality of the arguments more than the quantity of arguers. With the present victory, without worrying about listening to – forget including – the other side of the argument seems unprecedented and unfortunate. All the claims and calls for collaboration seem an eyewash and posturing for an audience. Most of the effort during the lead-up to the RAD seems to have been on booing & demonizing the residents who presently hold offices, instead of genuinely listening to their side of the story. Most of the effort has been towards proving the madness and little to no effort towards understanding the methods behind that ‘madness’. At least, we’ve been true this time to act as we believe, and the chimera of courteousness has lost its sheen.
The crisis is the glue, not the purpose
If one looks closely at the occasions, in which we as a community have participated in relatively high numbers, we find they have been moments of crisis. May it be for Highway or Crownway. We do not come together with such enthusiasm when the matter is not of controversial nature. Moreover, coming together and finding consensus to do anything new in Auroville is usually an uphill task, given the number of personal opinions and perspectives on the subject. So, rather than doing anything boldly for the future, we as a community seem to find solace in maintaining the status quo of the past. Doing anything new requires debates, discussions, dialogues, and the synthesising of opposing views, which is far more difficult than mediocre continuity of the same and familiar old. The state of our economy, organization, education, social interactions, living standards, town development, and even environment-related activities, etc. in the last 20 – 30 years stand as a testimony against courage for change. We as a community claim to strive for actual human unity, however, we continue to cling to our personal point of view. We need to find purpose in various fields of Auroville and see how we can translate our newly found unity into something positive, not merely against a bogeyman.
The actual meaning of the RAD
The Residents’ Assembly will (may have already) present the results to the Working Committee, which, in turn, shall present the ‘Decision’ to the Governing Board. Here’s where the difference of perceptions creeps in. The residents who voted for the motion may expect the GB to honour their ‘Decision’ and order Auroville entities to ‘Pause’ all work. Whereas the GB may look at the ‘Decision’ as a request or advice only. The working group of Auroville – ATDC – has already requested the GB for support and resources to carry forward their long-pending work, which the GB has already agreed (refer to the Minutes of the Meetings published on 3rd Dec 21) and declared. Given their prior commitment to the ATDC and their recent focus on development – on the occasion of Sri Aurobindo’s 150th Anniversary – they may continue to support ATDC and decline the recent RAD request to pause.
How would the community respond then? This may rile up a few residents and many more may rally around the riled. Will it matter? For us, residents, yes! Will it matter to the Government of India? Perhaps not. From their perspective, they’re only supporting Auroville’s progress and helping the community finish long-pending – community-approved, gazetted by previous governments – work. The Government of India may see few emotionally charged residents as rabble-rousers, hellbent on obstruction of work. Long story short, consequences for us residents may be quite unpleasant & then, what will have been then the purpose of the RAD? Make the GB listen to the requests of some residents? Fair purpose but perhaps too crude and blunt an instrument.
I have been vocally against this particular call for a RAD all along, for it posits the community against the GB. The RAD then presents itself as confrontational rather than collaborative. Even if we believe few individuals are misusing the Government system, it is juvenile of us to be assuming this antagonistic posture. Multiply the RAD with political name-calling, embarrassing narrative placed in the international media, etc. leading up to what? A little attention and outrage? I believe we could have found an ear and solutions through other means. I am afraid this RAD victory may not mean much, apart from it being used to dial up the temperature a notch higher.
I request the BHN team to show magnanimity in the moment of victory – Be Humble Now! Please do not push the boundaries, we’ve already gone far enough. I request them to find solutions within the community and allow the ATDC to do its work. If possible, partake in their participatory actions. But, by all means, come back to the table, dialogue, discuss, debate, and find a way forward, with each other.
– Lakshay Dharan
Much Ado About Nothing
Just heard the interview by Sam Daniel of NDTV of Suhasini first and then Joel and Sindhuja.His conclusion after hearing both parties—Much Ado About Nothing.
It is clear that the more we go outside the more ridiculous we appear to the world outside and the more ridicule we bring upon The Mother and Sri Aurobindo who are highly respected and revered in India and who are known as the founders of Auroville…
I appeal to all to stop running to the Media.And to stop making a spectacle of ourselves and our Gurus..
On Why a Big No to the Proposed RAD
On why a big no to the proposed RAD
The resident assembly is a creation of the Auroville Foundation Act and needs to be governed by the provisions of the act. The distribution of powers between the 3 authorities named in the act– a governing board, the resident assembly and the International advisory Council are well defined in the act. The governing board in its recent meeting has laid out detailed provisions for the implementation of the master plan. The proposed RAD wants to stop all work on the implementation of the master plan. Such an action is in clear defiance of the governing board and its role in the affairs of Auroville.
Auroville has demonstrated its ability to take on any administration that does not do what it wants. The same tactics that were used against the SAS are now being used against the office of the Auroville foundation. It consists of blocking any action on the lands of Auroville by gathering a crowd of people.The spreading of lies with half truths on the social media is a new weapon used this time. The ATDS were effectively blocked do a survey even before the new secretary took office. It is clear and obvious that there are a few people behind these actions who have no intention of allowing Mothers project to be built although they keep giving lip service to the idea that they are not against building the city but only want to take care of environmental considerations. Almost 30 years have passed since Auroville was taken away from the society and handed over to the Aurovilians. There is very little to show by the Aurovilians by way of land protection or building the township of Auroville.
I have no idea of how to deal with the hooliganism displayed at the site of the clearing of the Crown ways or in the corridors of the Town Hall. I also have no idea of how to deal with the onslaught on the social media. I have no idea how to deal with the idea that Auroville is not the Mothers project and it is for the community of those who live there to decide everything. Since in my view Auroville is Mother’s project I have faith that she knows how to deal with what is going on.
So far as this RAD event is concerned I request all Aurovilians to have a look at the Auroville foundation act and educate themselves about the limits of the powers of the resident assembly.
The Issue, Part II
There are 2 more issues that I wish to highlight These are:
Decision making – the Mother, the Governing board, Aurovilians
1. For many of us the project of Auroville belongs to the Mother. She has initiated the project. She has given it a Charter. She has worked on the plan for the township with Roger the architect and chosen the galaxy plan for the township. She has given detailed instructions for the construction of Matrimandir which has been completed as per her instructions. She has given names to the 12 Gardens around the Matrimandir and these gardens are being created as per the significance of the names she has given. In various conversations and messages she has given indications of the organisation of Auroville, the economy of the township, its relations with the neighbouring villages et cetera et cetera.
It is strange for us therefore to constantly hear the argument that it is for the resident assembly to decide on everything pertaining to Auroville. In the same way the Sri Aurobindo society(SAS) claimed ownership of Auroville and therefore final decision making powers pertaining to Auroville which was then challenged resulting in the Auroville foundation act, 1988. The organisation of Auroville is now determined by this act of Parliament.
The Auroville foundation act tries to ensure a harmonious development of the township of Auroville along the lines envisaged by the Mother. I will not go into the details of the act but suffice it to say that the act envisages that the residents of Auroville would organise the day-to-day activities of Auroville and assist the governing board in carrying out its functions under the act. The act makes it amply clear that it is the governing board that is empowered to take final decisions. This has also been made clear in various opinions sought by Aurovilians from very senior advocates.
In the circumstances there should be no issue at all of who is the author of Auroville and who is the final authority in the affairs of Auroville as per the provisions of the Auroville foundation act
Freedom
2. Freedom is a basic necessity for any true creative work. I believe Auroville is attractive to people who come here because they find a freedom over here – a freedom to be who they truly are – which they are unable to find elsewhere. This freedom however is not of the ordinary kind related to outer expression of one’s being but on the other hand is a deeper inner freedom that is offered here. An example that happened during Mother’s life will suffice to explain the difference:
Someone from Auroville wrote to me that he thought he had come here to obey no one but himself(or words to that effect) but he noticed there are rules and laws. And he said,”I am not going to do any of this; I am a free man and refuse to do this.”This was reported to me, naturally so I wrote to him(I don’t remember):”one is free only when one is conscious of the Divine and conscious that it is the Divine who makes decisions in every one, otherwise one is the slave of one’s desires, one’s habits, of all conventions……” I sent him that and he kept quiet.
Mother’s Agenda volume 11 page 74
The freedom we want to realise in Auroville is not license – each one doing what he pleases without concern for the well-being of the organisation of the whole.
As for the principal that everyone should be allowed to do according to his nature, you can apply only where people do independent work by themselves; where many have to work together, it cannot always be done – regularity and discipline are there the 1st rule. Shri Aurobindo 1937.
The Issue Part I
This is an attempt to step back from the current scenarios in Auroville and try to understand the deeper roots of where our differences lie and where we are still united in our aspiration.
I am using the frame used by the Mother in the play she has written called The Ascent to Truth. This play is a short story of about 7 different types of people—a philanthropist,a pessimist,a scientist,an artist,3 students,2 lovers,an ascetic,and 2 aspirants– who all agree to discover the Truth and who agree that the Truth lies at the summit of a mountain that is nearby. They all agree to climb the mountain to discover the truth. As they climb the mountain each one of them stops the ascent at different stages of the climb till only 2 aspirants are left who reach the summit. Using this frame I see that we are all at different stages of our climb to reach our aspiration. I also see that there are a few clusters or groups of people who are at similar stages and who have at least temporarily reached a plateau and are in a state of rest where they have reached. These groups have come into conflict with those who are still in a state of movement in their aspiration and want to continue to move forward and upward in their journey to realise their aspiration. Let me straight away identify the groups that I see who have paused and are quite happy with the way things are and have joined with each other to resist change and the efforts of those who want to continue the building of the Township as per Mothers plan.
The 1st group that I see is one led by the Genius brothers. In this group Johnny is the iconic figure who represents a way of life that appeals to the idealism of many. As an observer from the outside what I see is a lifestyle that is simple, close to nature, hands-on and self-reliant, adventurous in exploring nature and probably many other qualities that I do not see. Johnny has had a strong impact as an educationist on the youth of Auroville in the late seventies onwards. Other members of the Genius brothers like Paul Blanchflower have also involved the youth in theatre productions which they all fondly remember. The annual play by the Genius brothers, the Christmas fair and the weekly pizza gathering at the YC, the Sunday dosa mornings with Johnny at Fertile are some of the elements that create a culture that unites the followers of this group. This group so far as I can see also has the Forest group as its supporters or sympathisers. This group has made it amply clear that they oppose the Galaxy plan given by the Mother for the township of Auroville. The placing of the YC kitchen on the crown road and the blocking of the development of the Crown road over the last 10 years has given this clear signal.
The 2nd group of people who I see have also reached a plateau and have settled down to a lifestyle that contributes to Auroville in some form of work which is important for Auroville and according to them that is sufficient expression of their aspiration. Most of them are now well off and outwardly follow a kind of bourgeois existence. To this group belong ex-followers of Satprem, of Kireet Joshi, and all those who have read and studied to some measure the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and tried to practice the yoga but have now reached a plateau and do not have the drive or the energy to take on the task of building the Auroville Township.They include unit holders,school teachers and I too identify myself with this group though I cannot say that I am satisfied with my very comfortable life and want to do all I can to take the building of Auroville forward.. Members of this group also run most of the administrative machinery of Auroville and thereby create an administration that is conducive to maintaining the status quo rather than working to manifest in a progressive manner the higher ideals enshrined in the Charter of Auroville.
The 3rd very identifiable group of Aurovilians are those from the neighbouring villages. Their life in Auroville is particularly difficult as the culture to which they belong is right next door and the pull of this culture on them is strong contradicting the pull of the Auroville culture on them. By and large I believe they are committed to the creation of the township as Mother wanted.
While these 3 groupings are visible there are also a large number of individuals who do not fall into any of these groups but may have sympathies with one or the other of them. The need for the use of JCB’s and the police for clearing the crown has shifted significantly the sympathies of this group of individuals towards those opposing the clearing of the Crown ways. In spite of trying to see the matter from different angles I am unable to decide how we could have dealt with the situation where a small group of Aurovilians have been obstructing the clearance of the Crown Way in spite of so many discussions and in spite of so many years having been passed in this delay. The methodology used by the Aurovilians to block the work amounts to moral violence. According to the Mother this kind of violence is even worse than physical violence. If anybody has a suggestion of how we can continue together without such moral aggression I would really like to hear that. I have not been able to come up with any other way, knowing well of other instances of deliberate aggression by Aurovilians on other Aurovilians based on their belief system,again a plateau.
It may be mentioned here that all those who are blocking the clearing of the Crown ways never admit that that is their intention. Their statements always are,” we are for the galaxy concept BUT…….”,We are for the master plan BUT……” .This BUT is an invitation to endless talk and no action.
I would like to come back to the larger issue that is thrown up by this conflict. If one uses the frame that I have used then the issue simply is whether those who have reached some sort of a plateau in the pursuit of their aspiration can hold back those who want to continue the journey and work towards the manifestation of the project of Auroville as defined by the Mother. At my own level of consciousness I would say that certainly we cannot block the energies of those who want to continue on the path simply because some have decided not to continue. It is possible that the Mother has a different intention. I cannot say anything about that but have faith that she will do what needs to be done.