AUROVILLE – INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PROMOTING HUMAN UNITY

I first heard of Auroville while attending another well known spiritual community – Findhorn Foundation in Scotland. The lady who told me about it said I should go there when visiting that area in India (it’s 14 kilometres north of Pondicherry).
Some describe it as Utopia. Some say it’s a New Age idealistic enclave. Whatever is said about it, there’s no denying the philosophy behind it is well intentioned.

The concept came from The Mother, a spiritual guru and follower of Sri Aurobindo a much revered philosopher and poet. She stated – “There should be somewhere upon earth a place no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of good will, sincere in their aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the supreme Truth; a place of peace, concord, harmony, where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his suffering and misery, to surmount his weakness and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the care for progress would get precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passions, the seeking for pleasures and material enjoyment.”

In short it’s about promoting human unity.

Started in 1968 it now is over 2500 acres. There are 2300 Aurovilians from 40 nations and many more who come to experience how this all works. The background and evolution make interesting reading. www.auroville.org

I met up with Betty who now lives within this town and her enthusiasm is catching. The Visitor Centre where we meet up provides an attractive courtyard setting and a good variety of Indian and European vegetarian food. An exhibition area explains the concept and there are a few Auroville shops and boutiques. Auroville has its own branded goods especially clothes manufactured within its boundaries. The nicest shops I´ve yet seen in India are here…and they provide work for local people with ethical ideals…using organic cotton is one example.

It´s a huge township and Sue and I hired a guide and tuktuk (autorickshaw) to take us around. In 3 hours we had only scratched the surface...there is so much to see. Signposts point to sectors such as Courage, Light, Sincerity, Discipline, Acceptance, Bliss etc. There are factories, creative art centres, libraries, education centres, organic farms, guest houses etc. etc.

At the heart of Auroville stands the magnificent Matrimandir, a huge golden sphere containing a white marble chamber in which sunlight pours down upon a crystal globe of 70 cm in diameter. This light beam then passes on down through the building to another large crystal outside in the centre of a water feature of white marble lotus leaved shaped steps.

Entry to Matrimandir is by pass only and there are certain procedures before we can get inside. This makes it impossible for the casually curious to gain easy access. The Mother wanted it to be for serious spiritually minded people.

No photos are allowed (personal belongings are left behind) so I tried to record within my memory what it looks like inside. Surreal. Beautiful. Stunning. All white (we are provided with white socks to protect the marble and white carpet).
Do you recall the part in the film Close Encounters where the volunteer earthlings silently and slowly climb up the ramp, leading in to the spaceship in single file? Well it looked and felt like that. We spiralled up and up till we arrived at the inner chamber….high domed ceiling, round, white cushions placed around the crystal, where around 80 of us sat in silent “concentration” for 15 minutes.
It was an intense and amazing spiritual experience.

The structure took 37 years to complete. Millions of tiny gold leaf (gold from donated jewellery) and glass bricks comprise the huge disks which cover it as a representation of the Sun. Viewing the outside surrounded by lovingly cared for gardens, does not prepare you for the inside. If you saw it in a futuristic SciFi movie you´d think it was done by a special effects team. But the Matrimandir is real. Awesome.

Auroville provides an astonishing array of events and activities to the locals and guests…most are FREE! Sue and I attended a Bollywood dance class (200 rupees). There was a trip to Sadhana Forest to learn about the sustainability and reforestation project there. This with organic vegan meal, film, guided tour around the forest and bus was free and around 100 of us went.
We went to the cinemas to see “In Transition” about sustainability. Of course Auroville featured in this excellent docufilm. We saw “John of God” about the respected Brazilian healer. Then there was the inauguration of a brand new arts and culture hall, Cripa. It has specially designed acoustics and sprung wooden floor. The Auroville Choir sang classical music from around the world for an hour. The organisers had decorated the paths leading to the hall with drawings on the red soil and flowers etc. It is surrounded by the lush greenery typical of Auroville. A magical experience being part of this innovation attended by a few hundred international people.
The following night there was another concert by French pianist, Marc Vella who travels around playing with local musicians and singers wherever he goes. What a talent and a beautiful soul. (he looks like Mr Bean with curly hair!)