Issue Nº369-370 – News in brief

From March 9th-11th, Auroville celebrated its ninth edition of this annual festival. Professional dancers from Argentina and Europe were invited to teach the dancing technique to the enthusiastic Tangueros in the community. Milongas and classes happened in different spots during the week. A public performance was put on at the Visitors Centre, and Argentinian food was served for dinner at the cafeteria.

Water is very much in the news at present. The Water Group launched a series of weekly Water Talks throughout March and the theme for this year is ‘Celebrating those in the field’.

The topics included the ecology of water, envisioning a blue-green Auroville, exploring water works in Darkali community, and new technologies for research on water conservation. All the talks were given by Aurovilians who work with water on a daily basis and who are concerned that we learn to live within our water means. Concurrently a group is putting up water/snowflake images all over Auroville reminding us that water is alive.

For more info go to www.aurovillewater.in

Red Earth Riding School held its annual equestrian competition from 28 February to 1 March. The Auroville Horse Tournament drew horses and riders from riding schools all around South India for a mix of dressage and show jumping events, with Auroville riders particularly excelling in the higher-level dressage and the fast-paced jumping relay. Horse shows have been taking place in Auroville since the early 2000s when the riding school was still in Kottakarai and have provided many young competitors from the outside clubs with their first glimpse of life in Auroville.

Sunday, 8th March, was the first day of the Citizens’ Assembly pilot project. 24 randomly selected participants of very different ages (the youngest is 18, the oldest 83) and from very different backgrounds and cultures met to get to know each other and listen to various presentations on water.

The next two sessions, which will happen when the corona virus threat subsides, will involve further presentations on water and small group discussions. On the final day participants will hopefully come up with a water vision for the community, along with practical proposals about how it can be implemented.

On the 28th February, the RE-CENTRE welcomed the community to the inauguration of a multi-discipline centre dedicated to tackling humanity's most dirty problem – waste. Envisioned as a campus for collaborative innovation in the field of waste management and circular resource use, the RE-CENTRE provides space for Ecoservice, Eco-Femme, Upcycling Studio Auroville and WasteLess.

Auroville Village Action Group held its annual International Women’s Day celebration on March 11th this year. Along with Aurovilians and invited guests and judges of various competitions, 350 representatives of the Udhayam Women’s Federation came for the event. Different activities, including singing, speech, drawing and kolam competitions, allowed the participants to showcase their leadership and creative skills. The highlight of the day was the debate competition where sixteen women passionately discussed the question “Which is more challenging – bringing up girls or boys?” The celebration ended with lunch for all, adding to the sense of solidarity and sisterhood that was felt during the whole day.