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Auroville exists in more than one dimension – there is the occult as well as the material dimension – which makes it difficult to assess what really is most important or influential in terms of the community’s development.

On 13 August, the managers of Annapurna Farm received an email signed by three working groups constituted by the Governing Board – the Funds and Assets Management Committee, L’Avenir d’Auroville (Auroville’s Town Development Council) and the Farm Service – stating: “It has been decided to allocate 100 acres of Auroville land at Annapurna for the IIT [Indian Institute of Technology, eds.]

On 14 August Dr. Karan Singh, who has been Chairman of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation for more than 20 years, briefly visited Auroville.

From November 15th to December 4th, the Centre d’Art brought together two contemplative exhibitions: Pujasree Burman’s "Sacred Echoes" and Vasandan Virappan’s "The Symbol of Meditation."

Palani is the executive and product manager of Aureka, Auroville’s engineering company. Here he talks about his upbringing, his work, and his plans for the future.

On April 1st, 2024, the Auroville Boutique in Pondicherry closed its operations. More than 50 years ago – the exact date is lost in history – it was started by the visionary André Tardeil who felt that an Auroville outlet cum information office in Pondicherry was necessary.

On 29th February, Svaram inaugurated its new Sound Garden at the allocated 2-acre site for its projected campus in the Industrial Zone of Auroville, in the presence of Special Guests of Honour, Thiru R.N.

Recently, Jay Naidoo, an ex-freedom fighter from South Africa, visited Auroville and addressed an important question to the youth: “You say you are open to everyone and invite people from all over the world, but have you actually created an environment where African people can integrate into the community?”

Since the unit’s launch in 2010 with the large-scale Litter Free Auroville Campaign, WasteLess has featured several times in the pages of Auroville Today.

Antonello comes from Northern Italy and moved to Auroville in 2014, where he now lives with his partner and children. He runs ‘Gastronomica’, an Italian take away gourmet store - sometimes affectionately referred to as the Italian Pavilion - that has gained popularity within and outside of Auroville, thanks to its handmade pasta, Italian takeaway dishes, and imported Italian culinary products.

Marc Tormo Altimira is Auroville’s coffee entrepreneur, roaster, brewer and consultant. His journey started in Barcelona, Spain, at the age of 23, when he and his wife Matilde opened a few cafe boutiques.

This interview with Anupama Kundoo is the third article in the series ‘city perspectives’. Anupama Kundoo graduated from Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Mumbai in 1989 and received her doctoral degree from TU Berlin in 2008.

The following is the first in what may become a series of articles featuring Aurovilians who hold the city deeply in their hearts, even though they may disagree about the details of its manifestation

This small book is a recollection of J.R.D. Tata’s involvement with Auroville as well as a meditative reflection by the author, Frederick (Friedrich Schulze Buxloh), of his very special relationship with this great man, one of India’s foremost industrialists who in 1992 was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, for his contribution to India’s development as the head of the then largest industrial conglomerate.

The rooftop of Akash and Monica’s studio apartment in Maitreye looks futuristic. It is lush and green with lettuce and rucola plants, but they are grown without soil!

The word ‘pivot’ became the marketing buzzword of 2020 in many parts of the world. It captured the agility of businesses that could quickly change direction and move towards practical solutions to address the COVID pandemic.

Earthling Koushalya's new Tamil language short film En Udambu (My Body) has been making waves at various screenings in Auroville and Pondicherry.

When Eco Femme founders Kathy and Jessamijn started the initiative ten years ago, they couldn’t imagine that their dreams would find such fertile ground.

On World Ocean Day in June, a dolphin washed up on to Sri Ma beach. “It was a young dolphin that had not died a natural death, possibly related to pollution, or to swallowed plastic,” says Satya Agrawal, a teacher in NESS school, who was catalysed by this event to start collecting waste on the beach.

Lampshades were one of the first items produced by Auroville’s small handicraft units, which started up in the 1970s to provide an income for individuals and for the community.

Marc’s Coffee responds to the challenges of a pandemic.

As the corona virus started spreading in India, two Aurovilian teams were inspired to help the health service in India by producing cheaper home made ventilators.

In Auroville, the prevalence and the meaning of face masks has shifted radically in recent months. From something that was previously worn to protect two-wheeler motorists from dust and pollution, the mask has now become ubiquitous as a signifier of a public health disaster.

Auroville’s grocery outlets have begun to be stocked with an all-new collection of hemp-based products. Hempseed oil, hemp flour, and hemp hearts have hit the shelves thanks to Hemplanet, an Auroville unit that aims to promote the use of a wide array of hemp derivatives and eventually begin hemp cultivation in Auroville.

Ranging in activity from restaurants to consulting, fashion, construction and more, Auroville has over 250 commercial units. Many of them have developed a reputation for excellence that extends beyond the community, often becoming a first introduction to Auroville for those far away.

Sagarika Bhati was born and raised in Auroville. She is among the few students who chose to follow the Free Progress system of education offered in some schools in Auroville.

As the Auroville community concludes its 50th anniversary year, the Auroville Earth Institute is looking ahead towards its own 30th anniversary milestone in August.

The WasteLess team’s efforts to bring the issue of waste into our consciousness and inspire change in social behaviour through education have recently been taken up by the Tamil Nadu government.

On 5th December, Auroville Consulting launched the Solar Village Search Engine to help fund its Solar Village Initiative, which aims to power 100 villages in Tamil Nadu with solar by the year 2030.

Helping healing through humour, laughter and love.

On March 7, 2018, architect Balkrishna V. Doshi, former Auroville Governing Board member and Chairman of the Auroville Town Development Council (TDC) between 2009 - 2016, was announced as the Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2018.

Bindu reflects upon Auroville as a social experiment.

Auroville Today reported on the social outreach work of Upasana in January 2009, eight years ago. Today Upasana is 20 years old. What direction is it taking now?

It is this ‘decisive action direct from the Supreme’ and it alone that makes possible what used to be impossible. It is by tuning to this new and higher consciousness which has descended that the Aurovilians were able to be Mother’s instruments – and will continue to be her willing servitors.

Through an organization called ‘Art Therapy without Borders’ and with other numerous partners in this adventure, Krupa uses art therapy as a remedial experience.

On International Women’s Day, SHARAN founder and Aurovilian Dr. Nandita Shah received the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2016 from the President of India.

Throughout February, the walls and spaces of the Unity Pavilion were filled with over 300 artworks donated by over 70 artists from Auroville and around the world.

Sunlit Future, a unit offering solar technology expertise and Mason & Co, a unit producing high quality chocolate products, are exploring the possibilities of entering into partnership with non-Auroville organizations.

The Auroville Earth Institute (AVEI) managed by Satprem (founder), Lara, and Iyappan is internationally known as a centre for excellence in earthen architecture.

The Sacred Groves project is an experiment in sustainable construction that is gaining recognition in the larger India. However, it has become the focus of controversy in the Auroville community as some feel that it has cost too much and delivered too little.

Dasha came to Auroville when she was just one year old, and has been living here ever since. She is a self-taught artist who paints as a hobby and because she loves it.

In a homely rustic workshop opposite Svedam, Luca and Ami are diligently working on a sleek-looking racing motorbike. This one is a Yamaha model, and they are getting it ready for the racing motorbike near Chennai, where Ami regularly competes against two dozen other racers.

Juan and Samai, the brothers who started the surf school in Auroville, arrived in 1995 at the ages of 11 and 10 respectively. Within a year’s time, they were introduced to the surfing world by the Auroville surfing pioneers, André, Patrick, Jacky, and Andy.