Auroville's monthly news magazine 1988–2025

Issue Nº436

Nov 2025 (2 months ago)
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Landmarks

Feature, By Editors

Matrimandir completed (February 2008, No 227)

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.

To our readers

Editorial, By Editors

This is the last issue of Auroville Today. While this issue was in the press, the editorial team learned that a new media policy for Auroville is about to be implemented.

Auroville and accelerated evolution

Reflection, By Alan

Mother once described Auroville as a “centre of accelerated evolution”. (“Auroville is the place where this new way of living is being worked out; it is a centre of accelerated evolution where man must begin to change his world through the power of the inner spirit.”)

“The Inner found its way out”

A profile of Nishtha, By Chandra

Nishta

Nishtha (Siegfried) Mueller is a long-term Aurovilian, Sanskrit teacher, Veda researcher, and passionate life-long learner. For more than forty years he has devoted himself to Sri Aurobindo’s The Secret of the Veda and Hymns to the Mystic Fire, to the study and restoration of some of the ancient hymns and to sharing a living approach to Sanskrit with spiritual seekers.

We need a real Residents Assembly

An interview with Lakshay, By Alan

Lakshay

Lakshay Dharan shifted to Auroville in 2015 and became an Auroville resident in Feb 2018. Since then, he has been active in art, communication, strategy, and organisational work.

Isai Ragam: changing village lives

An interview with Brigitte Vink, By Alan

Village children practising the guitar

Aurovilians Ivar Jenten and Brigitte Vink, both originally from the Netherlands, have been working with village children for many years. In June 2021 they founded Isai Ragam under Auroville’s Auromitra Trust.

Notes on growth, geography, and grace

Experiences, By Daniel Helman Lee

Daniel Helman Lee

Daniel Helman Lee grew up in Auroville, graduated from Future School in 2019 and studied in Maastricht, The Netherlands, before moving to Israel, where she is now enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts creative writing programme in Tel Aviv.

AuroMag (Auroville Hungary Association)

Experiences, By Namu

AuroMag community members

I met Dr Boglarka Nagy (Bogi), a warm, smiley woman, at the Global Ecovillage Network Europe gathering in Hungary in August 2025. Hers was one of the best workshops I attended at the gathering.

The mountain glowed like fire

Book review, By Editors

The Mountain Glowed Like Fire

This is the charming illustrated story of a young boy who seeks, in the midst of an arid landscape, for a way to restore the monsoon, and who finds the clue while asleep “on the mountain where all journeys end”.

The thinking hand

Art review, By Alan

1

In October, the Centre d’Art hosted an exhibition by artist in residence Nandita Sharma. Titled “The thinking hand”, she explained that her work moves between words and images.

The death of public discourse

Reflection, By Alan

One of the many things which have changed in Auroville over the past four years is the contraction and virtual disappearance of public discourse, meaning the free exchange of ideas and perspectives between Aurovilians in a public forum.

IAC Statement to Auroville Residents

An open letter, By International Advisory Council

Dear Residents of Auroville, This month we complete our four-year term as members of the International Advisory Council of the Auroville Foundation.

Long-term residents face risk of expulsion In early September 2025, a number of long-standing residents and duly-appointed community representatives received emails from the AVFO’s ‘Admissions and Termination Scrutinizing Committee’ and ‘Admissions and Terminations Registry’.

Constitution of the Appellate Committee The Governing Board, in its 69th meeting held on 8 July 2025, has constituted the Appellate Committee to hear appeals arising from rejection of applications for admission as a Volunteer, Newcomer or Aurovilian, or removal/ termination of individuals from the Volunteer List, Newcomer List, and Aurovilian List / Register of Residents (RoR).

Afsanah Guest House On 16 October, a group of 15 people came to Afsanah Guest House, including executives of the Auroville Security Services appointed by the AVFO and broke open the doors of the office, the dining room and Room 7.

Auroville Dog Shelter The Auroville Dog Shelter (ADS) team was replaced without explanation via an Office Order issued on 30 August 2025. The GB and AVFO plan to build a VIP road directly through the shelter and through three established Auroville farms.

Annapurna farm support Since the news that the AVFO has signed an MoU with IIT Madras, agreeing to hand over 100 acres of Auroville’s certified organic farmland in order to build a ‘sustainability campus’, support for Annapurna Farm has poured in from many different quarters.

New oversight donation committee A new oversight committee (the ‘DCC’) for the AVFO ‘Donation Channeling Group’ (‘DCG’) has been announced via an Office Order. Since the ‘DCG’ was put in place by the AVFO, the number of administrative tasks that have to be fulfilled in order for units and trusts to receive their donations have greatly increased.

Establishment of paramilitary forces in Auroville The Governing Board recently approved the stationing of 15 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) members in Auroville for five years “to safeguard Auroville’s development zones and uphold law and order”, as well as the development of a new security complex with a “master control room”.

Paramilitary academy inaugurated by the AVFO On 28 August 2025, the Gujarat-based Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) and the AVFO inaugurated the “RRU-Auroville Security Training Academy (RASTA)” at Bharat Nivas.

Auroville Governing Board completes four-year term The newspaper The Hindu reported that the Auroville Foundation Governing Board held its 70th meeting on 1 October 2025, to mark the conclusion of its four-year term.

Trees cut along State highway According to a report in the Times of India, on 22 October residents of Kuilapalayam and Edayanchavadi villages objected to the Foundation’s decision to cut large trees along the highway connecting the two villages.

Proposed tram and toy train network A press release stated that the Auroville Foundation has proposed to launch a tram and toy train network in collaboration with the Indian Railways to improve internal transportation in Auroville.

A new service from the EcoService The EcoService has announced a much-needed extension of their regular waste pick up from residential, commercial and institutional establishments.

Evergreen forest site for new EcoService facility In August 2025, the AVFO ATDC announced their intention to allocate almost five acres of Evergreen land in an effort to expand the EcoService operations.

Coffee Ideas wins awards Coffee Ideas, a unit that was established in 2008 with the vision to spread knowledge and foster a community around Indian specialty coffee, won a number of awards at the 2025 Global Coffee Awards Origin Competition held in Houston, Texas in October.

Monthly meetings to improve communication Expressing that “one of the essential values of Auroville is collaboration – a spirit of shared responsibility and transparent communication”, the FO Working Committee has introduced a new initiative aimed at improving dialogue between Auroville residents and working groups.

Auroville Alignment Programme The Human Resources Service has announced the Auroville Alignment Programme which “is a collective effort to help each one of us – whether arriving, aspiring, or already rooted – live the ideals and purpose of Auroville in a more conscious, practical way”.

YouthLink moves YouthLink is moving its office space from Virundhu Canteen (Town Hall) to the Kailash building. As they put it, “the move comes as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen youth engagement and collaboration in Auroville”.

Farewell team Open House On Sunday 12 October the Farewell team hosted an Open House to update everyone on their work and its role and function in the community. They explained that “This is an impersonal work which demands sensitivity, equality, good practical sense, readiness to serve, emotional stability, acceptance of any bodily condition, receptivity to the inner reality, attention and plasticity and goodwill towards all.