Science, Culture and Integral Yoga

Hybrid power systems for rural Gujarat [and Auroville]

Ron — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:00:00 -0700

...The Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has already received expression of interest from 12 players, which include Supernova, Unitron Energy, Auroville and Vistar Electronics.

The capacity of these aero-generators is 2 Kwh to 10 Kwh and is in the ratio of 60:40, i.e., if the total capacity is 10 Kwh, 6 kwh will be generated by wind while 4 kwh by solar energy. -- These aero generators can be installed on rooftops and they work on solar energy during daytime and on wind at night. ...

Thailand Princess to visit Puducherry & Auroville

Ron — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:34:13 -0700

Princess of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will arrive here on March 21 on a one-day visit to the town.

The Princess would visit the Village Resource Centre (VRC) of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) at Pillayarkuppam, one of the bio-villages of the foundation, and acquaint herself with the works and activities of the centre, official sources said on Thursday.

She would wrap up her prgrammes with a visit to the Auroville, a universal township, near here. ...

Auroville, Cynosure of the World

Ron — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Travelling through a challenging and progressive path in the last 40 years, Auroville is moving towards forming a new society, a new way of living. The world is closely looking at Auroville for its efforts to find a new society, a panel of Aurovillians said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference here, member of the Outreach Media team of Auroville, Mauna van der Vlugt, said mankind is looking for a new unifying approach to tackle issues such as climatic changes and population explosion. Human unity is the first step towards a better world.

With around 2,000 residents from more than 40 countries, the Auroville community has a double role, secretary of Auroville International, Friederike Muhlhans, said. “We have to bring Auroville in contact with the outside world and bring the world in contact with Auroville,” she added. ...

After 40 yrs, Auroville still going strong

Ron — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Forty years after Auroville was inaugurated by Sri Aurobindo's leading disciple, Mirra Alfassa, popularly known as Mother, the new-age metropolis designed for 50,000 people today houses just about 3,000 people from 40 countries, with a floating population of temporary residents and transnational wanderers adding up to not more than 10,000. So is this the dusk of the 'City of Dawn'? Is Auroville a 1960s' idea whose time is past?

Member of the governing board Mallika Sarabhai, associated with Auroville for four years, disagrees. "I think it's a wonderful idea, even if a bit idealistic. True, Aurovillians have long way to go, and the world is changing fast. But it's in this fast changing world that the idealism of Auroville remains very much relevant."

Says another resident Claude Arpi, journalist and author, living here for the last 30 years, "I would say the biggest achievement of Auroville is that the project hasn't collapsed. The vision behind it is alive." ...

A French chemist and his fragrant enterprise at Auroville

Ron — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:00:00 -0800

The Maroma brand of incense, candles, joss sticks, perfumed sachets and air fresheners is well known worldwide. And it is manufactured right here in India, at Auroville in Puducherry.

The man behind Maroma is Paul Pinthon, a French pharmacist living in Auroville. Recalling his move to this spiritual commune from France, where he was working as an assistant chemist, he says he had felt "the call of Mother." Auroville's spiritual head.

Roger Anger passes away - Jan. 15, 2008

Ron — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:46:35 -0800

Roger Anger, chief architect of the international township of Auroville and member of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation, passed away on January 15 in France. He was 84 and is survived by his wife, daughter and grandchildren. Mr. Anger had been ailing for some time.

As the person who gave form to the Mother’s vision, Mr. Anger conceptualised the master plan of Auroville. Giving up commercial architecture, he dissolved his partnership in France to take up the Auroville project as a full-time work. A sculptor, artist, architect and planner, he designed the Matrimandir, the soul of Auroville. He was here in October last and was scheduled to come again towards the end of this month.

...The Auroville project, which began in 1964, was conceived by Sri Aurobindo’s French-born disciple, Mirra Alfassa — “The Mother.” She spoke of a place on earth that could not be claimed or owned by any nation, but where people from all over could live freely and in peace. ...

Auroville: A new way to live

Ron — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:53:19 -0800

Consisting of more than 100 settlements spread over 20 square kilometers, around 1900 residents from some 40 nations live together as one community in Auroville. Auroville was founded by the ‘Mother’, a disciple of Sri Aurobindo, in February 1968 as an international cultural township on the outskirts of Puducherry where a community of people of different nationalities, from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, could live and work together in a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration.

The true purpose of Auroville is a place for the realization of international understanding, peace and human unity in diversity based upon an inner discovery and transformation of consciousness, the way as shown by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. ...

Auroville, The City of Dawn is alive and well

Ron — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:55:14 -0800

The project was based on a 'dream' of The Mother, spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, an Indian freedom fighter and philosopher who continues to inspire millions the world over. A few years earlier, she had written: "There should be somewhere on earth a place...where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration could live freely as citizens of the world; a place of peace, concord..." Forty years later, one may ask: what has happened to her dream?

The first pioneers had their job cut out, to prevent further erosion. They did not have an easy life but their enthusiasm matched the tremendous difficulties. Their 'environmentally-friendly' actions (they planted millions of trees) were not moved by an ideology, nobody talked about 'ecology' in the 60s, but simply to get shade and prevent the sand storms.

Eventually they acquired some expertise; the world over, Auroville - The Mother called it the City of Dawn - is today synonymous with sustainable development, alternative energies and architecture. Ditto for those who began the first cottage industries, most of them had no prior skills in the field of handicrafts, they just needed to generate some income to build this "city the earth needs". It was much later that 'Auroville crafts' became a brand name. ...

Auroville's development work with the 40 surrounding villages

Ron — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:59:16 -0800

Auroville's development is inextricably intertwined with the surrounding villages, which are classified as part of a "most backward area in need of development" by the Tamil Nadu Government. There are 13 villages in the immediate area of Auroville, comprising about 40,000 people, and altogether 40 villages in the bioregional area. Some 350 people from the surrounding villages have joined or been born in Auroville.

Almost 5,000 local people are employed by Auroville, from sweepers to engineers; most of them have been trained in Auroville to improve their qualifications and skills. Most important is that Auroville provides for the young of this rural area a real and viable alternative to the migration to the cities and urban centers, which is so often the only option for those seeking self improvement and employment. ...

Karan Singh says "Pavilion of India has an active role to play in Auroville activities"

Ron — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:42:40 -0700

Chairman of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation Karan Singh said on Sunday that the Pavilion of India had an active role to play in cultural and integration activities of Auroville.

Speaking after performing the ‘bhoomi pooja’ for a housing complex and Swagatham, a VIP guest house, Dr. Karan Singh said there were many groups working towards their goals and they could work on various topics.

He said there was a very high concentration of creativity in Auroville and added that the residents were pursuing a collective yoga. “People of different religions, castes, creeds and communities are living together. There will be some inter-personal conflicts in such a situation but they have to live and work together to create a sense of community.” ...

Minority Institutions: Examining the Foundations (Sri Aurobindo Ashram School)

Ron — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 23:09:41 -0700

The Minority institutions [in India] that were typically envisaged to enjoy the state’s protection were those which would actually serve to preserve minority languages, customs and traditions but the question is, are they fulfilling their mandate? ...

Let me end with an example from my own life. I studied in a school run by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. The Ashram management in no sense of the term attempted to” convert” any one to Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy but in every turn and gesture, they indicated in word and deed, that they cherished Sri Aurobindo and his successor, The Mother and their teaching wasn’t just lip service for them. Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy is not easy to understand, but in the school assembly where his teachings were unabashedly taught, the school principal and other speakers made every effort to present them with passion and reverence and the atmosphere was live and electric and Sri Aurobindo’s thinking and influence was every where and it wasn’t phony.

My Ashram school of course wasn’t a minority institution, but to me it represents all that a minority institution should be. Its mandate was to promote the teachings and ideas of Sri Aurobindo and it did so earnestly and with compassion and grace. In the same way, the definition of what is a minority institution is not to be determined by who owns a piece of property or who sits in the board room but by the larger question ---- is the institution fulfilling its mandate? ...

ICPR, Dr. Kireet Joshi & the Auroville Foundation

Ron — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:00:00 -0700

The Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) is a unique institution, possibly one of its kind in the world... It started functioning [in]1981, thanks to the foresight and initiative of Smt. Indira Gandhi... The main argument in favor of the ICPR is that among various pursuits and disciplines of knowledge that came to be developed during the course of the long history of India, philosophy stands out as the single most outstanding endeavor. The classical Indian contributions in philosophy rival the very best any where in the world. If there is one single area of Indian excellence which would command respect and attraction from the contemporary world, it would be none other than the profound wisdom that is contained in Indian thought. So, it was felt that philosophy deserved to have a special agency in the country to help move it forward to new heights of excellence... Conceived as a crucible for molding thoughtful minds generating ideas needed for India’s development consistent with its national ethos, funded generously by the Government of India and led effectively by a series of outstanding scholars, today, the ICPR stands out as a beacon of light illuminating the intellectual landscape of the nation...

Dr. Kireet Joshi was the Chairman of ICPR from 2000-06. He was also its Member - Secretary for (1981-1990) 10 years. He was Chairman of Auroville Foundation and vice-Chairman of Maharshi Sandipani Rashtria Veda Vidya Pratisthan. He was formerly Educational Adviser to the Government of India and Special Secretary in the Ministry of HRD during 1976 to 1988. He has authored and edited a number of books in the areas of Value-Oriented Education, Indian Culture, Yoga, Sri Aurobindo and Mother. ...

Auroville: An experiment in urban planning

Ron — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:46:08 -0800

...Urban utopias took a new avatar in Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti where architecture and environmentalism hit a new [level of] collaboration. Auroville near Puducherry is one such utopian vision conceived partly as an ashram retreat and partly like a rationally organised urban precinct. This book is a documentation of the urban development and architecture witnessed within Auroville since 1964.

Mirra Alfassa, popularly known as the Mother visualised Auroville as an urban experiment to "undertake the work of evolution of consciousness." She commissioned the French architect Roger Anger to give form to her vision. Anger came with a spiral plan that resembled a galaxy with the Matri-mandir at its centre. The entire city was divided into industrial, cultural, residential and international zones with a green belt encircling it. The town was designed for a population of 50,000. The book discusses the features of urban planning and architectural accomplishments in three sections. The first section briefly documents the important stages of Auroville's urban development. It reproduces some of the archival images, sketches and notes that illuminate the ideas leading to its conception. In the second part, the details of the plan, the various zones and important buildings within them are listed and described. The last section profiles the various architects who are part of Auroville and gives brief description of their important works and views. ...

Clean air or TV: Where will Asia find more energy?

Ron — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:50:41 -0800

A toxic purple haze of diesel exhaust hangs over the rice and jute fields here in northeastern India, and bird songs are frequently drowned out by the chug-a-chug-a-chug of diesel generators. — Across the developing world, cheap diesel generators from China have become a favorite way to provide electricity. — They power everything from irrigation pumps to television sets, allowing growing numbers of rural villages in many poor countries to grow more crops and connect to the wider world. — But as the demand increases for the electricity that makes those advances possible, it is often being met through the dirtiest, most inefficient means, creating pollution in many remote areas that used to have pristine air and negligible emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases...

Another popular approach being tried in India and elsewhere -- using solar energy to recharge lanterns by day -- has run into difficulty even as diesel prices would seem to make it more competitive. — The problem is that prices for photovoltaic panels for solar energy have surged as governments in industrialized countries, especially Germany, have encouraged greater use of renewable energy, said Hemant Lamba, the coordinator of Aurore, a renewable energy service company in Auroville, India. — "It's harder to do any solar energy projects in India," he said. ...

Matrimandir live !

Ron — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:41:29 -0800

Click on the 'more >' link to see these beautiful new photos of the Matrimandir at Auroville, courtesy of Bhavana & friends:

Matrimandir is emerging from the soil of Auroville,

Inspiring the sky to also aspire

For That which is beyond the sky, beyond the soil,
beyond Auroville. ...

An Officer's Diary: Getting to Know Auroville (ChennaiOnline)

Ron — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 16:19:21 -0700

... Some years ago an inscription was found on the wall of an ancient temple in Auroville saying something like this: ‘Once upon a time this dry and arid place was a tropical forest. It would again become lush and green when people from different parts of the world will come here and work together’. I am sure ‘Mother’ would have known about this inscription when she conceptualised Auroville. -- The prophesy in the inscription has come true. Today Auroville has representatives from almost all parts of the world. It is truly an ‘International City’. The ‘Mother’s’ dream has come true. ...

Young Auroville girl stars in Bollywood blockbuster "Black"

Ron — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 12:00:00 -0700

CHENNAI: Ayesha Kapoor, who shot into limelight with her laurel-winning performance as a deaf, mute and blind girl in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's bollywood blockbuster "Black", is more keen to become a writer than an actress.

Ayesha, who received the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) award recently for the best supporting artiste for her role in the film, says she had acted only in a few school plays prior to landing the role in "Black". ...

Project Impact, Inc. - "Philanthropy bypassing the middleman ..."

Ron — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0700

Project Impact, Inc. ... is a non-profit organization dedicated to making medical technology and health care services accessible, affordable, and financially self-sustaining. Part of the International Federation of Impact Foundations, Project Impact focuses its efforts on avoidable disabilities-- most recently those relating to sight and hearing. Disability is often both a cause and consequence of poverty. Project Impact puts the disabled back on their feet and on their way back to economic independence. ...

Presently there are few examples of medical companies that maximize service rather than return on investment to shareholders. Aurolab, Lumbini, Aravind and other financially self sustaining programs demonstrate a unique and different economic paradigm embodying the concept of "compassionate enterprise." These programs are able to achieve profitability while serving the greater needs of humanity, most of whom are poor. It is hoped that these demonstrations will enable other medical companies and providers to understand how they too can control pricing and product distribution to poorer countries without jeopardizing pricing and profitability in higher income markets. By proving that markets exist in poorer countries, Project Impact creates a competitive environment for other companies to enter. ...

Video-Conferenced Testimony in AV case re murder of Sido by village "miscreants"

Ron — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:06:03 -0700

Hopefully, justice is moving forward in the Sydo murder case:

Sydo Van Loo, a Dutch national, and Mr Senesac were residing in the same block at "Udumbu" in Auroville near Pondicherry. On August 19, 2003, some miscreants made a robbery attempt at "Udumbu" and inflicted injuries on Mr Senesac and Van Loo.

The Auroville police filed a case of attempt to murder. During investigation, Van Loo identified the assailants. The culprits threatened Van Loo of dire consequences if he did not withdraw the statement, but he did not.

On January 31, 2004, Van Loo was found murdered. Later, Mr. Senesac left for the U.S. However, he was willing to give testimony, but his coming over here would cause delay, expenses and inconvenience. ...

Pondy set to drop French tag: Pondicherry to become "Puducherry" ?

Ron — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 11:52:07 -0700

Calcutta sheds Raj baggage, becomes Kolkata. Madras reverts to flavours of home, turns Chennai. Upmarket Bombay gives a thumbs up to amchi Mumbai. Blue chip Bangalore is lucky. It is yet to become Bengaluru. And now Pondicherry wants to snap its French link in favour of Puducherry. ...

Woodstock couple gives an update on their Tsunami work with Auroville

Ron — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 21:02:46 -0800

Against the advice of friends and family, Julian and Wendy Lines headed off to South India as scheduled last January, ten days after the Tsunami struck the coast of Tamil Nadu..

Reflecting on the past year and the subsequent natural disasters around the globe, Julian and Wendy will make a presentation at Mirabai Books on December 27th, the day after the anniversary of the Tsunami and recall on the spontaneous outpouring of generosity and the lessons learned in the aftermath. ...

Auroville Architect builds hopes and houses for tsunami victims

Ron — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 03:24:30 -0800

Architect Sharukh Mistry had a providential escape last year when the first monster wave hit the coast where he was holidaying. Undaunted, he is back on the beach - to rebuild houses for the tsunami-hit victims on the Pondicherry coast.

His firm, Mistry and Company, is in the process of constructing 800 permanent houses in the SOS Kinderdorf-Children's Village.

On the fateful Dec 26 morning, he was at one of the beach properties in a healing centre at Auroville, along with 12 other members of his family and friends. ...

Pondy forms renewable energy agency

Ron — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 11:08:31 -0800

Pondicherry, Dec 16: A renewable energy agency has been formed in Pondicherry..
...
After detailing the agency's activities, the notification also announced a 11-member governing body under the chairmanship of the Chief secretary. The governing body also has two non-official members, Prof C L Gupta of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Hemant Lamba of the Centre for Scientific Research in Auroville.

'My inspiration from Aurobindo, Divine Mother', says Pondy theatre genius

Ron — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 17:33:30 -0800

Veenapani Chawla is the Managing Trustee and Director of Adishakthi, a theatre group based in Pondicherry. The group is working towards enlivening dying theatre works while discovering new boulevards of ingenuity. Located near Auroville, the performance company is engaged in explorations of traditional forms of theatre, dance, music and movement. Presently, the troupe is here in city to take part in the National theatre festival, Bahuroopi. Here we publish an exclusive interview with Chawla by our special correspondent Geetha Shah. —Ed

Sigh of relief for clogged water bodies

Ron — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 17:06:53 -0800

Siruthuli plans to convert water hyacinth, a very good organic matter, into manure by administering microbes (micro organisms) available in concentrated liquid state..

The microbes technology has been adapted to perfection after a brief training in Auro Annam, an institute in Auroville, Pondicherry. ...

"Auroville - An Experiment in Collective Evolution"

Ron — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 04:04:36 -0800

Another interesting article re Auroville from Life Positive magazine:

The year is 1347 BC. General Horemheb, a dictator, has sent thousands of troops from his newly revived capital of Thebes to destroy Amarna, a modern city founded by the beautiful queen of Egypt, Nefertiti, and her husband, Pharaoh Amenophis IV, now known as Akhnaton. Akhnaton is a daring reformist. He has opted for a monotheist cult and worships only LIGHT, pure and free. This new city of Amarna is situated midway between Memphis (Cairo) and Thebes (Luxor), on the eastern bank of the Nile. At the center of the city, Akhnaton and Nefertiti have built a temple to the Light. Inside, there is no picture of any god, nor any image of traditional worship.

In this new city, everyone is equal: Egyptians and foreigners (many of whom are attached here), king and common people, men and women. Artists and craftsmen receive support and encouragement to express their skills fully. Money is not the sovereign ruler. ...

All Life Is Yoga," Interview w. Georges Van Vrekhem

Ron — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 03:22:29 -0800

Georges Van Vrekhem is best known for his two seminal works on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He spoke to Swati Chopra about life as an Aurobindonian and the next step in man's spiritual evolution.

One finds a lot of creative individuals being drawn to Sri Aurobindo. Why?
If you really study Sri Aurobindo's philosophy, you realize his profundity. He gives you a foot to stand on and look at the world. If you have worked out his philosophy, you can comprehend any topic under the sun.

A book I would like to write one day is *The Fifth Philosopher—Darwin, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, and Sri Aurobindo* as the fifth one. He is almost completely unknown, which is good. ...

Disaster survivors rebuild their lives with ‘tsunamika’

Ron — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:02:46 -0800
CHENNAI: It’s only made of used cloth and thread, but once it leaves the hands of fisherwomen, the materials have been transformed into a “tsunamika” or “child of the tsunami”, a doll that is empowering the lives of its creators.

The December 26 tsunami has pressed the fisherwomen of seven villages in Tamil Nadu state to come up with innovative ways to get their lives in order and earn a living again, and adversity here has become the mother of innovation in the form of the dolls..

Ipsita Sarkar of the Upasana design unit in Auroville, which supports the programme, said 474 women were trained in handicrafts in the area. ...

Interview: Dr Karan Singh re India Center in D.C., Talk re "The Auroville Experiment"

Ron — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:51:27 -0800
Dr Karan Singh, Deputy Leader of the Congress Party in the Rajya Sabha and the new president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, is optimistic that during his tenure, the much-talked about India Center in Washington will finally become a reality. ... Dr Singh, who also currently serves as chairman of the Auroville Foundation -- a UNESCO-sponsored international community in South Asia where residents from over 30 countries and many states of India are trying a 'hands-on' experiment in spiritual and ecological harmony -- also delivered a lecture at the Asia Society in New York on 'An Alternative Approach to Resolving Sectarian and Communal Conflict: The Auroville Experiment.' He spoke to Managing Editor Aziz Haniffa recently..

"Dr Karan Singh honored with Chinmoy award" (India Post News Service)

Ron — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 22:59:18 -0800
NEW YORK: Dr. Karan Singh, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), now on a visit to United States, was honored with Shri Chinmoy Award on October 27 in New York in recognition of his life long contribution to world peace and harmony. ...

2005: Auroville links from around the Blogosphere

Ron — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 12:00:00 -0700
This posting includes links to blog postings during 2005 that mention Auroville. It's a fascinating collection of articles posted by people from around the world who represent a wide range of contacts with Auroville, some brief, some by Auroville residents themselves. Reading them has given me a whole new sense of the diverse impacts & impressions that Auroville is making. I recommend checking this out for yourselves. ...