Iβm Generation X, and in the 1990s I listened to a French cultural radio program that shared a true story about people from all around the world experimenting with new ways of life in Auroville. I was fascinated and did some research about it.
I did not go to Auroville, though I spent a lot of time as a volunteer in a French community at that time for a few months , with people that knew about the work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in a certain way.
Time went by, and in the 2020s I became curious about how Auroville was doing. I discovered online that the city has been experiencing many troubles with the Indian government, and that the spirit of Auroville has been put aside, while parts of the forest have been destroyed and new rules have been set that are not aligned with the genuine spirit of the city.
My take on the whole present turmoil is as below.
The Indian State was called in, literally invited by the Auroville residents in 1970s, soon after Auroville’s formation, apparently to break free from the Sri Aurobindo Society. Now, after nearly 50 years there own wish to be governed by the government rather than those connected with Sri Aurobindoβs teachings has come back to haunt them. Governments, any government anywhere in the world, is governed by its own ideology and national interests. That is why the Mother wanted Auroville to be free from government and politics. But the damage was done by the earliest residents playing in the hands of political forces. Governments are governments. The present government places national interests above all, something which the previous governments didn’t care as long as its interests were kept intact. But from what many of us have noted, Auroville had become in parts at least, a hub of diabolic forces with their own personal interests. This storm was coming sooner or later, with drugs and money and apparently even anti-national NGOs taking refuge in the cover of a free life mistaking it for licentiousness.
Of course a strict government control will be as damaging as a complete lax affair. That risk is certainly there. This government is at least aligned with the ideals of Sri Aurobindo even if they may not fully understand it. Imagine a government totally misaligned stepping in later and creating a chaos! But personally I do not think this will happen.
The present imbroglio is more like a wake up call to the residents who had sort of strayed away from the core Ideal mistaking liberty for licentiousness, freedom for laxity and weakness, unity for a bonhomie of sorts. But the true unity, fraternity and equality which Auroville is meant to manifest can only arise and emerge out of a true living in the One Self. Auroville is meant to fulfill the higher human type which will eventually become the cradle of the superman. Man as he is today is far from that. All that is happening is simply a reminder to ignite the aspiration, to get back to the core, to put effort in living the core truth rather than indulging in the peripheries. A good start for Auroville residents would be to read the works of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and try to put a little bit of it into practice.
These apparent crisis that afflict communities come to remind us about the original goal, rekindle the fire of sacrifice and live for the truth of Auroville. I am aware that this has begun to happen spontaneously because events and circumstances are compelling in that direction. Of course there are always people who give up too soon and turn back to the old methods of litigation and accusation, the only methods they know. Others escape the struggle and leave the ship. But as Sri Aurobindo says in The Hour of God, those who shall stand in the truth of their purpose, those who shall use this turmoil as an opportunity to dive deeper and grow within are those who shall pass through the ordeal of the fire. Auroville is going through such a purifying ordeal. Governments and managers will come and go but the dream of Auroville will continue to grow not only despite everything but through everything.
This is my take on the ongoing issue.
Affectionately,
Alok da
