... 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. ...   more »

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". ...   more »

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. ...   more »

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. ...   more »

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. ...   more »

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. ...   more »

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. ...   more »

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.   more »

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   more »

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. ...   more »

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. ...   more »

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. ...   more »