Imagine a place where men and women of all countries are able to live together in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics, and all nationalities. This is the world as envisioned by the residents of Auroville, an experimental township created with the intention of realizing the ideal of human unity. Auroville is a commune of 2,100 (with a capacity for 50,000) encompassing 43 nationalities located in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1965 by a French woman, fondly referred to as “The Mother” by her disciples, the Auroville Project is an implementation of the principles left behind by her Indian guru Sri Aurobindo. It has been endorsed by the Government of India as well as UNESCO on multiple occasions, and its official charter states:
1. Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville, one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
2. Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.
3. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realisations.
4. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.
On a more practical note, all Aurovillians are expected to work and contribute to the community in any way possible. Newcomers must prove their commitment to the progress of Auroville before becoming full residents, and must help finance the building of their house as well as give a monthly contribution for the good of the community. Physical money does not change hands, and instead only account numbers or Aurocards are used as currency. Most of Auroville’s economy is driven by commercial endeavors and private donations. People are employed at the city’s guest houses, construction units, small businesses, and production companies manufacturing handmade items such as stationary, incense, clothing, and even cheese (something the rest of India is sorely lacking). Several schools exist to educate the children of all nationalities that are raised together within the community, and residents are encouraged to stay for life.
Fortunately the city also places a large emphasis on environmental sustainability and employs alternative energy installations such as solar panels, solar pumps, biogas, wind and steam generators, and 250 homes rely on solar power. They claim 1,250 acres of afforested land over which 1.5 million trees have been planted, and many work in the field of organic agriculture. Village development is also a major focus and the township works to help raise the standard of living for roughly 50 of the surrounding villages. Even with such significant community outreach, to an outside visitor it is very apparent when crossing the border into Auroville from the heavily polluted and underdeveloped outskirts. Riding in on a scooter, we were impressed by the clean, well-organized roads leading into Auroville.
Upon entering the city limits it appeared to be like driving through affluent residential neighborhoods and we passed several gated communities, only accessible to actual Aurovillians. The only place that outsiders are allowed is through the visitor’s center, inside which there are documents, books, and statistics, as well as small models of the city’s layout. As if this place doesn’t already sound like enough of a cult, every person who enters must watch a 10 minute video detailing the conception and creation of Auroville and the beliefs laid out by the The Mother. The society holds a lot of values and morals that seem different from normal ones that we’re used to. In particular, the “divine consciousness” aspect of the commune’s philosophy was never explained in a way that let us understand exactly what the beliefs of residents were, but we left the center feeling a little like we had stumbled into a nicer, friendlier Jonestown. No Kool Aid to be seen, but still–it was a little creepy.
Possibly the most bizarre and iconic feature of Auroville is its temple, the Matrimandir, which is a golden sphere resembling a giant golf ball at the center of the city. The Mother considered this place of worship to be the soul of Auroville and “a symbol of the Divine’s answer to man’s inspiration for perfection.” The Matrimandir is encircled by 12 meditation rooms named for specific qualities of The Mother as well as flowers of her choosing. Nearby is a Garden of Unity marked by a large banyan tree, and an amphitheatre which serves as a meditation gathering ground for followers. Only the most serious disciples are allowed within the Inner Chamber of the structure, and it is not a place for regular meditation but for extreme concentration to attaining one’s higher consciousness. Inside the temple there must be complete silence and there are no windows to the outside world; a spiraling ramp leads into the Inner Chamber, where a completely white marble room holds only a 70 cm crystal ball (the largest solid crystal in the world), and a single beam of sunlight pierces the roof of the temple and shines down to illuminate the crystal sphere for followers to direct their energies at in deep concentration.
Sadly visitors are not able to see more than a distant view of the Matrimandir, and we didn’t interact much with actual Aurovillians during our day trip out there. I was intrigued with the little that I did see of this experimental commune, and given more time would have loved to peer behind the curtain to learn more about the inner workings of this modern-day utopia.
Neil and I spent the rest of our time exploring the nearby city of Pondicherry, which was a former French colony and still retains some of its French flair. It is one of few places in India where you can indulge in delicious French baked goods, fine cheeses, and gelato. Aside from the cuisine, some elaborate cathedrals, and the occasional trendy boutique, the rest of the area is mostly typical Tamil Nadu with its insane honking traffic and bustling markets. A scooter ride around the city took us from the scenic waterfront to the cobblestone French district to the popular ashram of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother–these two icons are clearly the most important local figures. We also rode out to a few beaches in the beautiful surrounding countryside. Auroville and Pondicherry are bizarre but welcome islands of diversity in the otherwise homogeneous Tamil lands, and a reminder of just how varied this country is.
The Way and the Wayfarers 