auroville

controversial as the statement could be, i dare to say that auroville is a utopia. a utopia, i found out, is a community whose modus operandi is firmly based on a certain ideology. set on the fringes of a society, it mirrors its contradictions just to find the contradictions of its own. and so, my inquisitive curiosity led me there to find out more of the rules and regulations of aurovillians; the experience of looking at others, the path to a better picture of ourselves.


established 40 years ago on what was then a desert and is now the closest thing to an oasis, auroville, in the words of the 'mother' who set the project in motion, '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. its purpose is to realise human unity.'. to this statement i would ad 'through the pursuit of knowledge'. that's all very well but, in reality, what does it mean?

well, i dared going there expecting to find a community of disillusioned hippies experimenting on sustainable living and was overwhelmed to find a level of sophistication i didn't expect to find at all in india. at first, auroville presents itself through a maze of dirt roads sided by trees, through which people circulate mainly by motorbike and scooter, but also cycling and walking. it's very low key until you come across some of the buildings. the city plan, in the shape of a galaxy, revolves around the matrimandir - a round shaped golden building that houses a silent chamber for meditation and is surrounded by peaceful gardens (pictured). everything has a strong aesthetic component which isn't a concidence. by the course of my stay i started to believe - or was remainded - that beauty plays a strong role in the elevation of the soul. i honestly felt this when i visited the matrimandir. the inside of the building is totally surreal, science fiction-like, and filled me with such extasis that i could only compare it with what i imagine the humble catholic pilgrim felt when entering the barroque cathedrals of its time.

the matrimandir, though, is only the tip of the iceberg and, although there are several other architectural gems, its in some of the projects developed here that the magic of auroville lies. entrerprises range from organic farming to language laboratories, with an emphasis on sustainable living, renewable energies and state of the art research. lots of communities have links with universities in india and elsewhere and with people who use aurovillian grounds to set in motion experiments they couldn't find resources or motivation for elsewhere. but it also aims to research and preserve traditional methods that have proven themselves against time and are used in the tamil (indian) villages around.

one particular community i visited was the sadhana forest. this project aims to reforest the area where it is set with the same indigenous trees that once abounded there. they rely on voluntary work and, after an initial personal investment, on donations. for the past 4 years, they have started to replant the 70 acres of land they acquired, doing water conservation work and practicing an eco-friendly way of life using solar energy, water resource management and composting toilets. i met aviram - who established this community with his wife and daughters - and his family on an open day, when he showed me and the other visitors around explaining what it was all about. a film night and dinner followed and there was a chance to chat with the people living there. i was really surprised to learn that osher, the eight year old daughter doesn't go to school. i asked if she was home schooled and they said 'no'. this startled me a little as i wondered what sort of doors will open to a person when they grow up if they haven't had the same opportunities as everybody else. i mean, it might be fine when you are eight, but then what? aviram must have read the aprehension in my face beacuse he went on to explain. he told me about 'learning all the time' and 'deschooling' and however strange this sounded at first, it was all very clear when i met osher and saw the whole family together. these might have been the happiest people i have met. i also find it extraordinary that this man, who had a vision of the world that was different from what he knew around him, managed to set in motion a project that fulfills the ideals he believes in. and in auroville he found the grounds where he didn't have to compromise these ideals.

so far, the aurovillian experience was already very rich but i was still to engage in my own personal development project. to the ones who've known me for a short time, this will probably come has a surprise but to the ones who've known me for longer this will come as an even bigger surprise: i came to auroville determined to master the art of bicycle riding. for me, the game of pedaling has always been daunting but, in the city where everyone moves around on two wheels, i decided it was time to face the challenge. in the guest house where i stayed, besides lodging, laundry and 3 meals a day, they also give you a bicycle and, with this i set off in my task to learn how to ride. i'm not going to dwell on the fascinating details of how i got my legs full of bruises, suffice to say that wobbly as i am, i managed. and i am proud.