Issue Nº399 – News in brief

On a lighter note, Aurovilians were surprised to learn, in a recent article on Auroville education in the Financial Express newspaper, that the aim of ‘the transition schools in Auroville’ is ‘to convert students into mystic beings’.

A First Aid Awareness Campaign by YouthLink, in collaboration with Auroville Safety and Security Team, was carried out on the 5th of August in the Solar Kitchen corridor. The objective of this campaign was to raise awareness of the importance of a quick response to medical emergencies, the possible lack of trained first aid people in our community, and to disseminate easily digestible information on how to preserve life in emergency situations.

Community members are showing solidarity by coming together on a weekly basis. Every Tuesday evening, a ‘Walk For Unity’ takes place, starting at the Solar Kitchen at 5.20 pm. The event has been taking place for several weeks and there is reportedly a good attendance and an atmosphere of community spirit.

The moving forward together team has announced a programme of events for October. They include walks for unity, body in light – energy healing and coaching, Tibetan mantra singing, and a silent receptivity gathering of members of the Residents Assembly.

At the recommendation of Dena Meriam, Chairperson of International Advisory Council, the Governing Board and Secretary, Auroville Foundation, Mr. Raghu Ananthanarayanan, founder of the Sumedhas Academy for Human Process, was invited to ‘help address some of the core issues dividing the community’ with the purpose of ‘enabling the stakeholders of Auroville to arrive at a consensus and commit to a way forward’.

Consequently, Mr Raghu had Zoom conversations with a variety of Aurovilians and groups to help him understand the present situation.

Some Aurovilians were concerned that the intention was to mediate the present conflict, and pointed out that the present environment was not conducive to this, and the stated aims did not acknowledge the core issue which, in their opinion, is an ongoing hostile environment created by the Secretary.

Mr. Raghu responded that after meeting with team members from the Resident Assembly Service (RAS), Auroville Council (AVC) and messages exchanged with both sets of the Working Groups (appointed by the AV Foundation Office and the selection process facilitated by the RAS), he understood that not everyone is ready for a formal dialogue process, but he remained open to hearing from anybody who wished to contact him.

The Council issued a statement that “During this painful and deeply saddening time for us all and Auroville, our best recourse is that of standing true to our values and ideals while also aspiring for a truer and more spiritualised way of being.

“With this in mind the Auroville Council feels strongly drawn to bring to everyone’s attention the persistent animosity expressed by certain individuals towards their fellow Aurovilians through certain public communication channels and platforms. We would like to say that regardless of one’s points of view, to ridicule and aggress our fellow brothers and sisters is not concomitant to the values of Auroville and is harmful to Auroville as a whole.”

Upcoming dates:

20.10.2022 – Supreme Court appeal regarding National Green Tribunal Ruling

10.11.2022 – National Green Tribunal hearing with regard to the Joint Committee report

To be announced – Madras High Court hearing on the FAMC case

To be announced – Hearing of Foundation Office appeal of the Madras High Court judgment of 12th August.

To be announced – Madras High Court hearing on the Office Order appointing the ATDC.

The ATDC appointed by the Foundation office issued a message recently reminding all residents/ groups and services of Auroville, that any work in Auroville, be it digging, fencing, demolition, building, or planting, needs the explicit approval of the Auroville Town Development Council. It also reminded residents that any money spent on any projects within Auroville must be routed through the Unity Fund or via an Auroville unit.

Elodie and Txuma, whose bathroom is on the proposed Crown Road, received a letter signed by Dr G. Seetharaman, AVFO’s ‘Officer on Special Duty’, informing them that they are illegal occupants of ‘public premises’, and threatening them with eviction if they do not move.

The letter says that alternative accommodation in Maitreye II was offered to them, but Maitreye II is a Government of India-funded apartment block intended solely for Newcomers, not for long-term Aurovilians.

On 1st July the Auroville Council were sent an email by a member of the Foundation-appointed Town Hall management teams telling them to vacate the Auroville Council room. The Council refused this request and since then a group of Aurovilians have kept a 24/7 vigil in the room, which is a vital resource for the continued functioning of the Working Groups of the Residents Assembly.

The Council reported that on the 14th September, the power supply to the room and to the Council desk had been disconnected.

The Housing Board and Housing Service appointed by the Residents Assembly received information from the Foundation office that they had been replaced by an Office Order and a new group appointed. In response to this, the RA-appointed FAMC replied by email to new members that the Office Order concerning reconstitution of the Housing Service is without merit and is unequivocally rejected, citing the results of the recent emergency Residents’ Assembly Decision.

Several communities have been visited recently by unidentified people who claimed their visits were due to ongoing land-exchange negotiations. A land exchange has been conducted recently between the Auroville Foundation office and a private party, in which a portion of Djaima land has been given away.

Land on the Abri/Ami corner and Evergreen which has been in the possession of Auroville and Mr. Michael Bonke for many years has been claimed by a local businessman.

A court hearing was scheduled on 22nd September to decide the matter, but this was subsequently postponed until 14th October 2022. On Friday 23rd September, one person showed up on site with around 100 women and other workers, and put up a gate and fence. Aurovilians trying to document the action were harassed.

After a delegation of Aurovilians met with the Collector, on Monday 26th a Status Quo order was issued by the Revenue Division Officer, instructing that no new development should take place until the court verdict.

In commemoration of Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary, an event was planned on 30th September at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Titled ‘Sri Aurobindo’s Dream of Human Unity: manifesting at Auroville’, the central theme was to be Sri Aurobindo’s five dreams, its message of a progressive unity and the next evolutionary step, along with a presentation of Auroville.

The event was organised by the Office of the Auroville Foundation, together with the Indian delegation to UNESCO, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India.

The programme included a panel focusing on “Building the city according to the Master Plan, presented before the world already in 1968” for which the Auroville panelists had been selected by the Foundation office. In response, concerned members of the Residents’ Assembly formulated an appeal letter, expressing gratitude to the Government of India and UNESCO for organising an event to honour Sri Aurobindo’s 150th anniversary, but also concern that this programme would not reflect the present reality or the aspirations of the community, and may be used to promote a dubious interpretation of Auroville’s aims.

A few days before the conference was due to take place, the Working Committee of the Residents Assembly reported that the conference had been postponed until further notice.

The Auroville Foundation has invited schools and college students to submit essays and short films in connection with Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations. The topic of the essay and short film competitions for schools is ‘Sri Aurobindo and Auroville: Reigniting India’s Greatness’ and for college students it is ‘Sri Aurobindo &Auroville: India’s Gift for Humanity’.