It feels daunting to write a blog post on Auroville, so unusual and revolutionary a place it is.
Major disclaimer is warranted right off the start. We do not even begin to claim an understanding of Auroville, for that would require one to live here, for an extended period of time ~ months, years perhaps, to get to the core. That said, with an understanding that ours is but a superficial glance at a unique world experiment in social reinvention, let’s give it a go.
Auroville is a social experiment. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Auroville was launched as an intentional community in India (in the vicinity of Pondichery, Tamil Nadu).
Auroville feels part spiritual guru-filled land, part old hippie intellectual haven, part new-age idealistic discovery channel, part kibbutz, part rural Indian farming community. And the sum is infinitely greater than its parts.
It is perhaps best to give historic intentions by citing the words of one of its two founders:
“Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity”.
The two founders were Mirra Alfassa, a.k.a. “the mother”, and her philosophical twin, Aurobindo, a revered Indian philosopher/activist who was one of the early agitators in favor of sending the British colonialists packing.
The site for Auroville was selected after years of looking for “the right place”, and started to take shape with the acquisition of 20 square kms of dusty totally barren land. Just as post war settlers in Israel achieved, when desert gave way through ingenious engineering and tireless commitment by a highly motivated and determined group of people, Auroville over the years became an oasis of fertility. Not just fertility of trees and farm land, but also of socially adventurous and explorative thinking. There are about forty organic farms and about 20 reforestation projects in Auroville.
A bold vision was set for a future community that would have a masterpiece of philosophical / architectural innovation at its center.
This center would radiate through twelve petals into four quadrants, equally spaced for residence, creative endeavors, knowledge development and industrial / productive activities.
The achievement of this early vision , 50 years later, remains impressive. The founders had a vision and were able to orchestrate so grand a scheme that, 50 years on, it remains essentially true to its original intention.
A unique and unusual “community”, comprised roughly of 50% Indians and 50% global citizens, from over 60 countries, living essentially (but not flawlessly of course) along the trajectory set by “the Mother”.
The inauguration ceremony attended by delegates of 124 nations was held on Wednesday 28 February 1968. “The Mother” and Sri Aurobindo set forth a vision of integral living:
- Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville, one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
- Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.
- Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realizations.
- Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.
If some readers are turned off by the references to “the Divine” ~ read on, as this is not our focus. Our intent is not (obviously) to proselytize, but rather to observe what we encounter, as we would, traveling anywhere,
On a personal note, having conceptualized high impact projects in Nicaragua (successfully) and in Haiti (unsuccessfully), we really appreciate just how very difficult it is to create something from nothing. We are impressed by the longevity and the foresight in establishing a community with a core belief in sustainability, and the achievements of clean drinking water, free renewable energy, and an organic food supply chain.
With this introduction on the philosophy of Auroville as backdrop, let’s explore what Auroville is today…
Our digs: “Gaia’s Garden” ~ Our hosts: pioneers themselves
The transformation from dust to lush gardens is the life work of a Dutchman who, some 20 years ago, bought (and per the charters of non-ownership donated to the Aurovillian community) his land, a patch of dust some 10mn from the Bay of Bengal sea front. He built a large multi-story guesthouse to allow international guests to discover what Auroville has to offer.
To this day, every morning, he takes clippers to his trees and bushes and lovingly tends to his gardens. When he is not gardening, he contributes his time and engineering knowledge to build dams throughout Auroville, in order to safeguard the precious water resource and help rebuild the aquifer. .
The money generated from the guesthouse goes almost entirely back to the Auroville community, as his is not a business, but rather a service. This is the core social and economic model of Auroville.
Beyond the white and fuschia bougainvillea at the entrance, paths wind past a large tree and lush gardens to the guesthouse.
Our favorite resident dog Odin, a 12 year old skinny but affectionate grey hound enjoying the last chapter of his life.
Indian sculptures blend in seamlessly with colorful foliage. The guesthouse has several large balconies which you can see here behind the trees.
This is the lovely view from our bedroom, which has large windows all around.
“There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.” Said Buddha.
Breakfast in the garden with Odin ~ very eager to share our croissant (a specialty of the Auroville bakery). Papaya he is less interested in.
Ben sharing the love with the Pyrenees puppy Cesar. Smiles all around..
A successful garden is a work of art which never ends. (Twenty years ago, this area was desert.)
A large pond, below our room attracts birds and creates a tranquil spot.
Every day flower petals are picked and arranged in a geometric design under the sculpture of Ganesh (the elephant god).
The larger cultural context of Auroville ~ A rural Indian community
On the road which leads to our guesthouse, we see women going about their daily work.
Tractor loads of hay make their way through the narrow dusty streets, going from farm to farm.
Cows in India are sacred and omnipresent. They move at a languid pace and we encounter many of them as we make our way around Auroville on our motorscooter.
Ben has a penchant for cows, especially calves, and this one is quite happy for the morning attention in front of a shrine on the side of the road.
Shrines in India come in all sizes. From tiny window or street nooks to small one room structures like this one, to larger rooms within temples.
Auroville has a few cheese making farms and that means lots of cute goats along the side of the roads.
Looking like a strange colorful playground on the side of the dusty road, these large sculptures are a quirky visual in amongst the small restaurants.
A human incarnation of ancient Hindu gods is part of a small procession announced by drum beating, and followed by Indian shopkeepers who drop to their knees to kiss the feet of this local priest. This was the first thing we saw, on arrival to Auroville from Pondicherry.
A boulangerie set up by French pioneers in 1985, still today cranks out a wide selection of breads and pastries, all of which sell out by mid day. French,Tamil and Hindi writing on the wall. Fresh raw honey still in the honeycomb, in a large metal bowl on a motor bike, is drained into plastic bottles of fresh honey for sale.
As we ride through town, we see groups of women in their saris, collecting sticks and leaves, cleaning up the sides of the road.
Peta goes to chat with the workers to see if she can take some of their portraits.
This strong and striking woman, was happy to pose for a photo. She was one of the younger ones in the group. There were quite a few women that appeared to be quite elderly.
These women were glad to stop working for a few moments to have their photo taken. It is a hard day’s work clearing weeds under the hot sun. Only in India… do road workers dress so colorfully!
Some of the villagers live in mud houses with thatched roofs almost to the ground, no doubt to keep the heat out and the rooms cool during the heat of the day.
We both notice this woman in her bright green sari outside her pastel green house, as we drive by on the motorbike. We stop to say hi and another woman comes to the door with her young son to see who is stopping by. They are sisters, do not speak English, only Hindi, but we manage to communicate nonetheless.
This little guy has great presence. I love his gaze, the dot on his third eye and his ankle bracelets. After I showed him this photo, he had a huge surprising smile.
An alluring little street side shrine well cared for and maintained with flowers and metal cups of water for the deities.
Siddhartha sat in a meditative state for months and when it started to rain, the serpent flared up to protect him from the elements.
We have seen these black stone religious sculptures / deities in Sri Lanka’s northern Tamil community temples. Hindu idols in the temple are made of granite stone which is black in color. The granite stone is the only stone which has a balanced 5 elements ie earth, water, heat/fire, air and space. This calf idol bears the white paste third eye that we see on so many Tamil Nadu residents.
This little girl is learning from her mother, to care for the shrine. Every day they lovingly sweep the area of leaves, refresh the flowers, the water and here they are filling compressed oil for prayer candles.
We stop at a pottery to see this huge mound of clay lanterns being fired in the kiln for use in temples. The sheer mass of these, give a hint at how widely used these are and used only once before being replaced with new ones.
Kolam is a form of drawing that is drawn by using rice flour/chalk often using naturally colored powders in Tamil Nadu. A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. In South India, it is widely practiced by female Hindu family members in front of their houses. Kolams are thought to bring prosperity to homes. Every morning in Tamil Nadu, millions of women draw kolams on the ground with white rice flour. Through the day, the drawings get walked on, washed out in the rain, or blown around in the wind; new ones are made the next day.
At its core, Auroville is a spiritual vortex
Many books have been written about Auroville. Many documentaries have been filmed here. Trying to capture the social experiment in a few words is futile. Let’s just say this: the physical incarnation of the community, the buildings, the roads, are the visible part of the iceberg.
The hidden part of the iceberg is the philosophical, spiritual, socially redistributive underlying building blocks on which the physical building blocks of structure and concrete rest. Even so, the architectural feat of Matrimandir, is highly creative, visionary and impressive.
At the heart of the Auroville community, seen at the center of the map below, is the Matrimandir, a unique masterpiece of construction that defies the timeline of its construction. Futuristic in its appearance even today, 50 years on, it is easy to imagine how far out the UFO-like structure must have appeared then.
From this core, a galaxy-shaped swirl of almost concentric circle of community buildings and Indian villages and farms emanate.
Map of Auroville, with Matrimandir at its center.
Matrimandir viewed from afar.
Fifty years ago a community of volunteers from 124 nations came together to launch the construction and then inaugurate the Matrimandir in the midst of the desert.
A huge crystal is at the center of the structure which captures the suns rays and reflects its energy throughout.
From the Matrandir core, a circle of 12 petals, calling out 12 human character traits or qualities (gratitude, humility, sincerity…), 12 colors… The geometry of architecture and philosophy is extensive.
The two founders of Auroville: The Mother (originally from France) and Sri Aurobindo, a local from Pondicherry. Auroville is but one of their achievements. Aurobindo was a prolific thinker and writer who left behind dozens of books and was the creater of the famed ashram Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry. He was also an early activist to push for the forced removal of British colonialist control over India.
Beyond the center
Away from the core of the Matrandir, the town of Auroville extends and breathes new life into the evolving community. Initially visualized as a community of 50,000, the dream has not yet materialized, capped so far at about 2500 or so “Aurovillians.” But the number may be arbitrarily low by the definition of who is an Aurovillian, namely a fully contributive person who shares all assets with the community, who contributes to the community through all sorts of community service etc.
There are plenty of options for activities, along the line of self improvement workshops, yoga, meditation. This is just one bulletin board, in one cafe, of many.
Daily options offered at one of the communities, namely “Joy”.
Out of the plethora of activities, we watched a Japanese, a French and Indian really good movies at the small film viewing center, took a yoga class, had ayurvedic massages, participated in OM chanting, and meditation to music at the Matrimindir ampitheater. The original intent of the founders to create a center for intellectual and cultural exploration, seems to be thriving and there is a whole lot more to do here than there is in Sri Lanka, or most other places, other than big cities.
Auroville’s core administration
The draw of Auroville for international travelers is inescapable, because there is no place like this anywhere else. There are throngs of foreign visitors, alternative types, and older hippies riding motorbikes through the dusty communities, and on the week ends, there are even greater groups of well heeled Indian visitors who come here to visit, with a mixture of pride and curiosity. This is not some little commune on the edge of nowhere. This is an extremely high visibility, high PR enterprise to show the world one vision of what community can be like.
To host this constant flow of curious observers and part time partakers, an administrative center runs, rigidly to schedule visits to the Matrimandir, a non-stop set of photo and art exhibits, a massive portfolio of volunteer opportunities etc.
There is also the more fundamental work of running the town for the 2500 Aurovilians who live here. So for instance, the town runs “off the grid” and has its own wind turbine. Energy is free to all Aurovillians as the wind turbine generates enough electricity to cover the community’s needs.
Behind the information center, one can see just above the green hill, the top of the windmill which generates the electricity.
There is also great attention to providing high quality potable drinking water for all its inhabitants and water delivery points can be seen throughout the community.
Great care is given to create revenue for the surrounding villages, through the organization of weekly arts and craft fairs for goods to be displayed and sold.
Ceramics, textiles, food, clothes… a little bit of everything being sold at the weekly craft fair.
A girl making Tibetan style dumplings “momos” to sell at the fair.
There is also a well developed fashion cottage industry, due to the fact that India has high quality cotton and silk and natural dyes combined with handprinting techniques that have been used for centuries. The quality and design of garments, sold at the large shop inside the Auroville administrative center is extremely high.
OK, let’s talk about the food in Auroville. The vegetarian/vegan lifestyle is well served here. Much of the food is organic and there are many restaurants to choose from. Some 40 organic farms support the community. One of the most impressive places is “Solar Kitchen” a community run and community centric kitchen which serves about 400 meals per day every day and as well, provides food for the schools of Auroville. Everything is cooked using solar energy and it is very conscious of not wasting food
We ate here twice for lunch. Both times it was a delicious and satisfying meal, all for about $3. A good combination of fresh organic greens with Indian traditional foods.
And then, there are plenty of delicious baked goods, but none as incredible as the amazing croissant from “Bread and Chocolate” restaurant. Catering to a 40% French community, means you have to know your croissant. (Ben says “this is the BEST croissant I have ever had. And I have had a LOT of croissant!!) This photo almost made it to the “featured photo” of the blog post… 🙂
During our two week stay, there was quite a nice offering of good international films. We saw a Japanese movie, a French movie and a few top notch Indian ones. All free. It is a strange experience driving our motorbike through the roads, trying to find an elusive movie showing. All of sudden it seems, out of nowhere, large modern buildings with strong designs, seem to pop up and lo and behold they are almost always full to capacity. One would expect this level of attendance at an art festival in New York or Paris, but seemingly in the middle of nowhere, in the Tamil Nadu countryside of India, this offering is very much supported and appreciated.
JR is a well known artist who does a form of political photography. In this documentary he teamed up with French film maker Anne Varda, and the two of them went on a road trip through French villages taking photos of locals and enlarging them to larger than life size, in order to make a point, and them paste them on a surface such as a water tower, trains, shipping containers stacked 5 storys high and in this case, the side of a factory. This movie really captures creativity and imagination, much like Auroville does.
After leaving the ultra modern movie theater building, we navigate our way back to our guest house through dusty dark roads and forest paths. Motorbikes and bicycles find their way around sleeping cows. From the roads one would never know that there are so many well designed architectural buildings that house libraries, auditoriums, music halls, etc nestled in the countryside.
This group of cows is hanging out for the night, right outside the theater.
Our personal experience with Matrimandir, was in all respects richer than we had anticipated.
The outside of the sphere is covered in copper disks (which has some unique energy transference attributes), the inner core is a large spherical chamber of white. Everything is white. White marble floors, white carpet, white walls, white columns… Walking inside this space feels like being in a futuristic science fiction movie.
At the center of the inner sanctum, a perfect large crystal “ball” receives a beam of light from way above, where another crystal captures the suns rays.
Sitting in silent mediation, with the external world completely blocked out, other than the beam of ever changing sunlight, caught by the crystal, is an experience like no other.
All around the white center sanctum, are smaller meditation rooms, each the tip of the 12 petals that surround the Matrimandir sphere.
Experiencing the tranquility of the gardens around the Matrimandir in the late afternoon as the sun is going down, is pure magic.
~ ~
In a few days, it will be Auroville’s 50 year anniversary celebration. The Prime Minister of India, PM Modi, will be present to celebrate Auroville, and remind the world of this unique experiment in social construction.
India itself today is very much different from what it was fifty years ago. India is now set to become the 3rd largest economy in the world, is a global leader in IT, and a major geo-political force.
International volunteers, who showed up to help build the Matrimandir structure, fifty years ago, can still be seen on the back of their motorbikes, reminders of an idealistic hippie generation that now seems anachronistic. And yet they persevered and Auroville stands, changed from its purest initial form, no doubt, but still a magnet for global citizens with an appetite for some form of positive, collaborative, creative, learning and self sufficient social experiment.
In Auroville, they ~ we ~ still can find that.
Extremely interesting post – I did a Google search after reading as I’d never heard of Auroville. Your pictures and description were better than Wikipedia – kudos!
Auroville is a microcosm of the Baha’i tenants which, I find, aspirational. May someday it become the macrocosm of our planet
Thanks Judith, it was not easy to write about the experience of spending time in a place that is so multidimensional. Just writing about the philosophy alone would be dry and just describing the activities we participated in would miss the philosophical underpinning of Auroville. So glad to hear we struck the right balance.
Ben
“Major disclaimer is warranted right off the start. We do not even begin to claim an understanding of Auroville, for that would require one to live here, for an extended period of time ~ months, years perhaps, to get to the core. That said, with an understanding that ours is but a superficial glance at a unique world experiment in social reinvention, let’s give it a go…..”
I’m an Aurovillian’s and what you say up here is right….
After 14 years I’m still looking for the core…thanks , nicely done…
Thank you. It is an honor (and relief) to have a long term Aurovillian give us a thumbs up for our attempt at a summary.
Peta & Ben
Fascinating look at this unique place. Many thanks.
Thanks Peggy, glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by.
P&B
Intriguing indeed to find out about such a place.
We have heard about Auroville from a few people over the years, which led us to be rather curious to discover it for ourselves. So glad we did as it has been a very interesting two weeks.
Peta & Ben
Usually dont read your posts as thoroughly as i did this. I even looked at it from Google Earth. So fascinating and like nothing i have ever heard of. Looks like from a movie set. Cant believe it was made from such a barren space. Must be so interesting to be there, but I wouldnt stay long.
Rochy, how nice to hear from you. Glad you found this post so interesting. Two weeks for us, was the perfect amount of time… enough to get a feel for the community and as well, to enjoy many of the variety of offerings. One thing we did, that you would really enjoy was called the OM choir. We sang for over an hour but only using the sound of OM. About a hundred people participated. Auroville is definitely not set up for “tourism” per se, not the kind of place one can swoop in and swoop out for a couple of days. Well one could, but you probably would not get much out of it in that short an amount of time.
Peta
Love this post! So interested to visit. Did you meet anyone from the capoeira community there?
So glad you stopped by to read and enjoyed this. We thought of you here! You would love it. It would definitely appeal to your intellectual side 🙂
We did not meet anyone from the capoeira community but we did see flyers for it.. so many activities are ongoing constantly, especially at this time of year, which apparently is the busy season.
Peta
yes there is capoeira group
What a fascinating place, especially the principles upon which it is built. Thank you for detailed info about Auroville. I still can’t understand the Matrimandir, but that’s my limitation. Trying to imagine the whole world built on the ideas of totally shared community values. Nice thought.
Shari, the “totally shared community values” is but one facet of the Auroville experience. One other very strong dimension is the pursuit of knowledge and “internal voyage”. There is a deep yogic dimension and philosophy based on the founders own extensive knowledge of yogic traditions.
The Matrimandir is built at the center point of the “town”. It is fundamentally a meditation structure, a very large and futuristic one. The experience of being inside this totally silent, minimalistic, beautiful white structure was like nothing either of us has ever experienced and it will stay with us for a long time no doubt. It is very hard to describe the experience which was why we came here for ourselves to discover it.
Peta & Ben
Really a fascinating read, Peta. I started to read this morning but had to stop as we were going on a group walk, but having returned I took it up again. It seems to encompass so many things of value to our world. We need more enterprises like this, don’t we? But not easy to initiate.
Of course there can be critical views about the pace of attainment of their vision and the inevitable shortcomings of achieving such a broad vision, but yes, there is much to be learned here. One of the noticeable achievements is the blending of the local Indian population and the mostly European one that resides here. Thanks for your feedback Jo.
Peta & Ben
I so much like your style of writing, Peta and Ben. I really feel informed. I think it must have been an amazing experience! Also love the background info that you give.
Thank you Anna, glad that the blog was informative. It was much longer to start out, as there is so much to observe here, but we did of course have to edit ourselves, lest we lose our readers. Good to know we struck the right balance.
Ben & Peta
What a fascinating post and I admit I had never heard of Auroville before. It would seem obvious that the word as a whole could take away many learnings from this cooperation of humanity. Beautifully captured in words and photos, especially the late afternoon walk.
Most people it seems have not heard of Auroville, but when we first did, we were definitely curious to find out more. We decided we had to experience it for ourselves. Along our travels we have met so many different people who have said they are looking for an intentional community, yet have not found it yet. Such “intentional communities” seemed so utopic and daunting to create and yet here we see one fully formed and robust after fifty years.
The grounds of the Matrimandir are a very special place. Carefully tended and so well designed with plants, flowers, rock gardens, a fountain…
Thanks for the compliments Sue.
Peta & Ben
Thank you for this insightful and interesting post, Ben and Peta! Mark and I have been wondering for a while whether there would be a community somewhere with like-minded souls we could ever live in, or at least visit. You put Auroville on the map for us! I love the photo of the shrine towards the top of the blog, where you totally blend in with it, Peta!
Liesbet, it is really great for us to read your comments about this blog post because we have met, along our travels, so many people looking for this kind of community. So knowing we put it on the map for you, is satisfying. As a European, you will appreciate the thriving European community here. (Mostly French, but Dutch, Swiss, Italian etc) There are many opportunities here for volunteering, depending on your specific interests. For example, just one of the 20 reforestation project has about 90 volunteers right now.
Peta & Ben
You really did strike the right balance between a dry recitation of the philosophy and the fascination of visiting such a unique community. I’m simultaneously intensely curious and moderately skeptical about such a place, and I particularly loved your list of what Auroville feels like at first, and your follow-up comment that it is more than the sum of those parts. I can’t imagine really understanding it unless one jumps in and lives it for a short time. Very cool choice to give it a whirl and report back to us!
Lex this is great feedback. We felt much like you before we visited and that is why we decided we just had to experience it for ourselves and not just with a 2 day breeze through.
Here is the interesting part: the Aurovillian experience is so multidimensional that one can extract value focused on one’s specific interest. One reforestation guy we met, does not resonate and is not particularly interested in the underlying yogic philosophy but he is very invested in his project here and has lived here for 2 years already.
For our part, the abundance of cultural events, combined with the blending of cultures between European and Indian, is a real draw. And then.. there is the food. Plenty of fresh organic produce being grown here and the French influence has delivered a gift to Auroville: bare none no question about it the single best croissant in the world (at “Bread and Chocolate”) and Ben definitely knows his croissant 🙂 Maybe we should add a photo of it?
Peta & Ben
Like many others commenting I had never heard of this place, but found it really interesting reading.
Good to hear it was interesting reading..
Peta
As usual, Peta, you have created a post rich in information, great photos, and a slice of world that’s so unusual from the one I live in.
I have never heard of Auroville, and I’m amazed when I look at this lush landscape compared to your description of a dusty, desert-like environment. I’m fascinated by the idea of “pioneer vegetation” as a step to revitalizing ‘dead’ soil … but I’m still not clear on where the water comes from.
I’m afraid I wouldn’t get very far while touring around here. There would just be so many wonderful distractions demanding I stop and take a photo. I love all the colours!!
Thanks Joanne. Glad to deliver a “slice of the world” to you. The water, like pretty much everywhere, comes from the aquifer, ie the layer of water that sits underneath the crust of earth that we live on. The Dutchman whose property we are staying at (Gaia’s Guest House) has made it his contribution to Aurovile to improve the health of the aquifer. How does he do that? Since there is a monsoon season in India which delivers a lot of water once a year, he has made it his mission to build a network of dams which prevent the water from running off into the sea, but rather seeps through the soil and eventually refills the aquifer. The healthier the aquifer, the more water is absorbed and kept in the area, the more water there is to be distributed around when there is no rain.
We love all the colors too and in fact there is nothing more fun than to just stop and sit somewhere and watch the colors go by… Nowhere in the world that we have seen, are there colors, like the colors of India.
Peta & Ben
There are so many places where it would be presumptuous to write about them without living there for months or years but I’m so glad you chose to introduce your readers to the fascinating Auroville. Something indeed, created from nothing! Your photos, as always, go a long way in supporting your narrative and I especially enjoyed the photos of the women and the gorgeous grounds. It looks like the arts are celebrated on many levels (cooking, movies, landscaping, etc.) and I loved the Kolam drawings as well as the whole post!
Thank you Anita for such comprehensive and substantive feedback. It is always nice to know which photos or descriptions resonate. Glad you liked the kolam drawings, we enjoy them too. After writing this post, we started noticing them a lot more and really enjoy watching as women draw them effortlessly with a very steady hand. Clearly something that they do each day, so that it becomes “second nature”.
We really enjoyed the beautiful grounds of our guesthouse. So nice to come back to each day, after dusty roads.
Peta & Ben
I’d never heard of Auroville but it is most certainly on my list now. Thank you for taking me there. Oh to walk in those endless gardens. And I love the colorful portraits of the workers and the Hindu god incarnate not to mention that adorable little child with the ankle bracelets. What a magical experience you had
Thanks Lisa for your compliments on the photography! It was extremely memorable and who knows maybe we will be back for another round of Auroville.
Peta
As others have commented, this is a fascinating place. I’ve always been interested in the concept of a utopian community, but also skeptical because most fall short—for many different reasons. Auroville seems to have succeeded, on many levels. So…my question…could you see yourselves living there? I mean, after all, there are those croissants! I’m teasing, of course, but really, could you/would you live there?
Laurel, that is a very good question, one that we asked ourselves a few times during our two week stay, as we do pretty much wherever we go. And the answer is that we went back and forth between, yes we could and no we could not. The component that makes it a viable location for us is the easy tuk tuk ride from Auroville to Pondicherry which allows for city living plus rural life and that is attractive. The one reason it ultimately and realistically would be a no for us, is that the Chennai airport is a long 3 hour drive away. There is a small airport in Pondicherry and there are plans for it to expand one day and that would be a game changer. Another factor that makes it a no for us, is the amount of dust in Auroville, and give that I (Peta) am allergic to dust, this is a definite issue for me.
Peta & Ben
We visited Pondicherry (for a friend’s wedding) in 2014. We didn’t have the time to make it to Auroville. Thanks for sharing this post. Looks like an interesting place to visit! 🙂
Thanks Cheryl for stopping by to read our post and comment. Yes it is very interesting but hard to see in a few days, it takes time to get around, find things and understand the place. Maybe next time around…
Peta
**There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path**
I am happy when I read your posts!
Thank you for the beautiful history lessons, insightful words, photos, & gorgeous pets!
xx Grateful from MN.
Thanks Kim for your lovely feedback on our post. Glad it made you happy and you enjoyed it so much.
Peta
You guys always have the most fascinating posts. I must claim ignorance that I have not heard of Auroville before now. The serenity of the gardens is very appealing and your photos are wonderful. Thank you for introducing me to this place!
Thanks Caroline, that is such a nice compliment! Glad to bring Auroville to your attention and that you have enjoyed the photos so much.
Peta
Congratulations, a beautiful page and photos on Auroville.
A link to your blog page has been in included in the official Auroville website:
https://www.auroville.org/contents/3780
Thank you. We are honored to be included in the official Auroville website. What a lovely surprise! We had a very special time in Auroville and hope to be back again in the future.
With respect and gratitude,
Peta & Ben
Intriguing; the only comparison I can envision with my limited imagination is the Chautauqua Institute in NY, but seriously, that sounds like summer camp compared to this. Is the experiment deemed successful? How is it financed? Is there a hierarchy of leadership/decision makers, etc. Congratulations on having your link added to their official website. Obviously, they aren’t shy about advertising. Wonderful piece. You have piqued my interest to want to know more.
Thanks Suzanne, those are all very good questions, which we will do our best to answer.
“Is it deemed successful?”
Yes, in the sense that Auroville has proven longevity and 50 years later the spirit of Auroville in its initial intentions remains strong. Also in the sense that it is recognized as an alternative model as illustrated by Prime Minister Modi’s forth coming visit. In terms of the size of the community, it is probably not as successful as the founders initially intended, as they had a vision of 50,000 strong community. (Yet it feels as though the community is not eager to grow just for the sake of growing.)
How is it financed?
Auroville as best we know is financed primarily by Aurovillians themselves in that they contribute when they first join and then as a “tax” which is levied on all services and sales of goods that goes back into funding the community. They also get a small annual financial contribution by the government of India and the rest is by donations.
Is their a hierachy of decision makers?
Yes very much so. There is an extensive network of committees and sub committees that address all aspects of community life. The most stringent apparently is the process relative to accepting new applicants to become permanent residents of Auroville (Aurovillians). New members need to be sponsored by several Aurovillians, the profile of the person is posted in a number of gazettes, allowing for anyone in the community to voice any opposition. From what we best understand, it is a rigorous process. But due to the twin administrative cultures of India and France, the two dominant cultures in Auroville, it is easy to understand that they err toward formality in decision making.
Thanks Suzanne, glad we have piqued your interest, we feel like we are just at the surface of understanding the Aurovillian experience after just two weeks of being there.
Peta & Ben
Thanks for getting back to me and thanks for sharing this experience.
Auroville, which I had never heard of before this post, really peaks my curiosity. I found myself wondering quite often while reading this if I could live in such a place. I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know I would love to experience it. Thanks so much for sharing Peta.
LuAnn, we asked ourselves the same question probably each day, at least once. On different days, we had different answers, but we did love experiencing Auroville and getting a firsthand feel for the place.
One can never really know ahead of time what it might be like to live somewhere, until one does. But what we can say, is that we left there with a really good feeling and a very positive memorable experience. We hope we will get the opportunity to return.
Peta & Ben
I’ve never heard of it. what an unusual place
Tanja, Auroville is unique and we have not experienced another place like it. Of course there are intentional communities in the world, kibbutzim etc, but nothing like Auroville.
Peta
Superb post with stunning pictures! These are actually most beautiful places to visit in tamil nadu.
Thanks so much Liam. Welcome to Green Global Trek.
Peta
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