Sitting here in sad mood seeing the first steps of Governing Board exercising their right to give direct orders and taking over administration.
Reflecting upon why is has come to this point – our governing structure in The Foundation Act is a beautiful construction, where a respectful “dance” between the partners should have created the future. Now the dance is stopping and we are back to legal points.
Been going through the vast pile of documents from the last 10 years of “dance” between Governing Board and Auroville. It has been a bit hard, I thought I knew it as I have lived it, but seeing it all in chronological order, it is difficult not to see it as the same story repeating over and over again.
The comprehensive list of issues from Governing Board last meeting, is nothing new, it has been part of meetings for a very long time. There are many beautiful things in Auroville, but our governance systems and compliances are low, and we have not been able to improve them. Each year we have been giving the same excuses, community processes, selection processes, working on it, putting down a study group etc. It is quite embarrassing to see the flow of excuses. And the Governing Board have been patient, very patient. And they have tried many things – putting in experts, we all remember Bankim, Aromar Revi, Doshi amongst other, and tried with workshops and retreats.
Governing Board have been so patient that we have come to see their non-interference as a “Law of Nature” – that we were the small masters of this micro universe. Maybe this long patience have actually been a disservice to us, as the changes coming now will be much deeper than 5 years ago. The current situation we are in, we only have ourselves to blame.
So finally the Governing Board have lost their patience and are starting exercising their power in accordance with the Foundation Act. And don’t blame the Governing Board or Secretary, I am sure that most of us, if we had been in their seats, would have lost our patience long ago.
How deep this intervention will go all depend on all of us, and how we act as a community. If we come forward in a collaboratory manner, work and change all the issues which we know are there, then the intervention will not go deep.
But if we protest, sabotage or obstruct the intervention will go much deeper.
I really hope we all take this an opportunity to move forward and collaborate. In reality The Foundation is The Governing Board, the International Advisory Committee and RA. Without the 3 columns working together we cannot progress. We aurovilians can not work alone, the last 10 years have clearly shown that, and the others can not work without aurovilians. We all need each other – unity in The Foundation!
Time for some humble introspection for all.
It takes two dance a Tango.
The Dance is not about rules and regulations, but are an act of creation.
For many years we have been dancing the same solo dance, and our partner have been trying to get our attention and into the dance.
Now he lost the patience, and stopped the music.
Now we have to decide upon we will dance together, or we will be standing angry on the side line, while the partner will perform his solo dance for the years to come.
