Unity

As a child, growing up in a Hindu household in Odisha, I was always intrigued by the images of Lord Jagannath and his siblings. Like most Hindu households, an entire room was reserved for the gods, and the main icons from Hinduism’s rich pantheon of reportedly 330 million gods were prominently displayed and revered.

On 8th August, the Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, visited Auroville in commemoration of Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary.

The fourth volume of Bhavishyate, the Journal of Bharat Nivas, the Pavilion of India, contains two chapters that are of direct interest to Auroville: ‘A model town − a Conscious Collectivity’ and ‘The Soul of a Collective Yoga.’

The seventh Art for Land exhibition was inaugurated in the Unity Pavilion on 7th August by the Secretary, Dr Jayanti Ravi. This edition moved from its usual February slot to August due to the corona wave and to coincide with the 150th Sri Aurobindo birth year celebrations.

Over the past two months, a group of Tamil Aurovilians organised three community gatherings with the intention to bring together the residents of Auroville in unity.

For me, it was an absolute delight to listen to Kireet Bhai on the governance of Auroville. He, so beautifully, explains it in the larger light of Sri Aurobindo’s vision.

May 2021: empty streets, sweltering heat, very few masked people on the road… Sounds like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, right? Drone’s eye view of the roundabout, the glint of a huge inverted disco ball in the sun.

A new team – Axum, Elene, and Malcolm – has recently stepped forward to manage the African Pavilion, one of the more prominent pavilions in Auroville’s International Zone, due both to its high-visibility location next to the Visitors’ Centre and its regular cultural events.

I am Portuguese and 31 years old. I graduated as a nurse, but I consider myself firstly as a change-maker, a totally passionate defender of our environment and our planet.

Special events are celebrated in all parts of the world. Have you ever been in a big city, like Paris or London, when they are celebrating something like Christmas or the New Year?

On 23rd February, a one day event, The New Creation Emerges, was held in Bhumika Hall. The morning was a very special one as ten young Aurovilians shared about their lives and aspirations.

The highlight of this year's 50th anniversary bonfire was undoubtedly the moving water ceremony. Srimoyi, a member of the Matrimandir Events Team, describes on behalf of the team how it came about.

The Meditation and Water Ceremony

In October, there was a film festival in Cinema Paradiso and dialogue sessions on the theme of ‘Restoring Connection’ as related to the restorative justice movement.

A volunteer at Village Action (AVAG) shares her experience of this year’s Women’s Solidarity Festival

Two years ago, in its February 2013 issue, Auroville Today reported on the manifestation of the first three gardens of the Matrimandir. The Gardens of Existence and Consciousness were ready, and work on the Garden of Bliss would be completed by the end of the year.