Acres for Auroville (A4A) – 24th November 2025 Newsletter
Acres for Auroville (A4A) – 24th November 2025 Newsletter.pdf
Photo: Lalit Kishor Bhati
Contents
1. A4A Flier – 24th November 2025
2. LFAU Letter – 24th November 2025
3. Returning Home in Auroville by Anandi Zhang
4. Inside the Living Curriculum of Auroville by Lalit Kishor Bhati
5. John Mandeen – A Commemorative Photo Exhibition – ‘Capturing Life’
6. The Matrimandir and the Twelve Powers of the Mother
7. Inspiring Quotes – The Flame of Love and Oneness
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Greetings dear friends and supporters of Auroville,
On this auspicious occasion of 24th November, which represents a special place in the evolutionary yoga of Sri Aurobindo & the Mother, we are happy to present to you yet another issue of our quarterly newsletter. It represents our hope for and commitment to the building and protecting of an integral, unified physical base for Auroville. In the 12 years of the ‘Acres for Auroville’ campaign, together with you, we have made significant progress towards this goal, and your goodwill and collaboration are at the root of this ongoing growth. Our newsletter is one of the means through which we respond to your encouraging support!
A Land Update
In our last newsletter, in August, we reported that a total of 187.14 acres have been secured over the 12 years of the A4A campaign. In this last quarter, another 45 acres have been added via transfer of their ownership titles. Let us explain: during certain periods of Auroville’s history, several plots of lands were registered in the names of individual Aurovilians or the Trusts constituted of Aurovilians. To align with The Mother’s vision of no private ownership, and also to have the legal means for protecting these plots in situations of attempted encroachments, they are now being registered in the name of the Auroville Foundation. This work requires much background preparation: communications with concerned Aurovilians, document-checking and survey tallying with the actual plots, meetings and co-ordination and finally, effecting the transfers. We are all grateful to the Aurovilians participating in this process, with more acres still in the process of being added to the legal land base. This consolidation involves registration and tax costs, which are paid for by Acres for Auroville to ensure the proper consolidation and legal protection of these new plots.
AVI USA Donation Matching Program
Following the beautiful and encouraging response to the earlier matching programs, Auroville International USA (AVI USA) has launched a fresh matching program, thanks to the generosity of anonymous well-wishers. It will officially commence on 1st December and remain open throughout December. Matthew, the chairperson of AVI USA, writes:
“By contributing to the 2025 Matching Funds Campaign—whether to a project you care about or to the Matching Fund itself—you help Auroville’s teams continue building, innovating, and serving their community … Together, we can continue the momentum, turning every $1 into $3+ for Auroville, strengthening projects, community, and connection.”
To donate, please click here (Acres for Auroville is at the top of their alphabetical listing of projects you can support)
Write to info@aviusa.org if you have any query. Of course, you can also write to us at lfau@auroville.org.in
This Newsletter
Through the seven articles of this newsletter, we continue to share inspiration from Aurovilians – coming from all over the world and all parts of India – along with wisdom from Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. In our last newsletter, we published the first part of the life story, experience and aspirations of Auroville architect and Town Planner Lalit Kishor Bhati. It was very much appreciated by many of you, and in this issue we are happy to publish his concluding contribution, focusing on his insights and perceptions for Auroville’s evolving future.
We are also happy to present in this issue the life path and aspirations of another beautiful soul – Aurovilian Anandi Zhang from China. Anandi’s sense of personal and collective evolution is expressed in her community contributions in myriad fields and her creative artwork which deeply inspires through the messages and aspirations she so beautifully shares.
Finally, it is our privilege to share images from the recent photo exhibition ‘Capturing Life’ held at Auroville’s Centre d’Art, honoring the work of our friend John Mandeen who passed from this life last year. John spent four decades capturing Auroville, starting in 1980. We also share the video clips of his work, made by Arnab Chowdhury of ‘Know Your Rhthm’.
Our two wisdom and quotes sections focus on The Mother’s Symbol and their corresponding energies which are incarnated in the Matrimandir.
An Invitation
In the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, birthdays have a great spiritual significance, and both spoke about our increased receptivity on our special dates. In one of her poems, our team member Daxa called these days “the festival of the soul”. To celebrate and help deepen this opportunity to renew and strengthen our own evolutionary journey, Daxa has volunteered to send beautiful and inspiring birthday e-greeting cards to all of you who wish to receive them. When necessary, they can be sent by post. If you would like to receive such beautiful and special messages on your birthday, please write and send us your birthdate at lfau@auroville.org.in
With trust in Auroville’s bright future,
Aryadeep and Mandakini
1. A4A Flier – 24th November 2025
November holds the days of Sri Aurobindo’s landmark spiritual realisation and The Mother’s departure from earthly life – both bestowing on us a heritage, and for those who choose, a responsibility as keepers of the Flame. And what is this Flame? It is the Flame of Consecration for building a New World – envisioned by Sri Aurobindo and initiated into action by The Mother in what she named The City of Dawn, Auroville. And the tools for realizing the promise of this Flame, she said, are to be found in “The Twelve Powers” and incarnated in the Matrimandir. Version française en pdf …பிடிஎஃப்பில் தமிழ்ப் பதிப்பு.
https://land.auroville.org/acres-for-auroville-flier-24-november-2025/
2. LFAU Letter – 24th November 2025
Today 99 years ago, Sri Aurobindo reached a milestone in his quest for a new principle of evolution which he termed supramental. Then, on 29th February 1956, The Mother had that decisive experience of the “descent of Supermind” in the earth atmosphere. One characteristic of Supermind is instantaneousness and we see how communication around the world has now become instantaneous. In the light of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother, these developments that transcend human limits are signs of the urges of Nature – the evolving spirit of which humanity is a part. Version française en pdf … பிடிஎஃப்பில் தமிழ்ப் பதிப்பு.
https://land.auroville.org/lands-for-auroville-unified-letter-24-nov-2025/
3. Returning Home in Auroville by Anandi Zhang
Anandi Zhang was born in China. A traveler at heart, she first discovered Auroville in 2014 and chose to belong to it even before setting foot here. Her love of Nature, encounters with human nature, and her aspiration to align with the Divine find expression through her poetry, stories, design, healing work, education, theatre, and more. Reconciling the dichotomies that shape human life, her process of integral growth is moulding an inner home within her. Auroville, she feels, is a home for wandering souls. This article shares the depth and creative expressions of Anandi’s path.
https://land.auroville.org/returning-home-in-auroville-by-anandi-zhang/
4. Inside the Living Curriculum of Auroville by Lalit Kishor Bhati
In his over 25 years in Auroville, the township became both teacher and mirror for Lalit, a lifelong living curriculum teaching through experience, churning, silence, service, and collective aspiration. Through his work in planning, youth engagement, bioregional collaboration, and institutional evolution, he has come to understand work as yoga, planning as consciousness, and community life as ongoing inner education. In this second and concluding article, Lalit shares his vision for personal and collective growth, and inner and outer sustainability for the next phase of Auroville’s manifestation,
https://land.auroville.org/inside-the-living-curriculum-of-auroville-part-2-by-lalit/
5. John Mandeen – A commemorative photo Exhibition ‘Capturing Life’
The photo of John on the in-construction Matrimandir, ‘captures’ part of John’s life – using a word he privileged, for he viewed photography as ‘capturing life’. Recently, a part of his immense work was honored at the exhibition ‘Capturing Life’ organised by Auroville’s Prisma Unit and held at Citadines’s Centre d’Art this past August. We are happy to share some glimpses of this photo commemoration for those who could not attend, along with the videos made of his work by Arnab Chowdhury of ‘Know Your Rhythm’. John Mandeen left for his onward journey on 7th July 2024.
https://land.auroville.org/john-mandeen-a-commemorative-photo-exhibitioncapturing-life/
6. The Matrimandir and the Twelve Powers of the Mother
The Mother stated that Unity is a fact of the new consciousness and it is there whether we feel it or not. So how do we build, manifest and live this underlying unity? To help us, Auroville has a unique tool – the energy of the Matrimandir, and its symbols. The Twelve Meditation Petals are based on the Twelve Powers of The Mother as incarnated in The Mother’s Symbol. In 1927, Sri Aurobindo assigned colors with their corresponding energies to each quality in her symbol – qualities which should be understood as powers, which can help us in this vital inner and outer work.
https://land.auroville.org/the-matrimandir-and-the-twelve-powers-of-the-mother/
7. Inspiring Quotes – The Flame of Love and Oneness
The Mother made the connection between the inner flame, love, unity, and our purpose in the world. Here is a selection from the inspiring quotes which she communicated in messages to disciples and seekers, starting in 1912 with “The Supreme Discovery”, written in her own personal writings in “Prayers & Meditations” and recorded in “Words of The Mother” and in the Agenda. They are followed by the profoundly moving section on unity, deep inner identification and universal oneness from Sri Aurobindo’s “Savitri” Book XI: ‘Built is the golden tower, the Flame-Child born.’
https://land.auroville.org/inspiring-quotes-the-flame-of-love-oneness/
There are many ways to make your donation. Please click here to know the details and recent changes for both foreign and Indian donors. When you donate, kindly send us a mail at lfau@auroville.org.in or write a letter or call us (see contacts below), informing us of your donation so we can better track and immediately respond to your solidarity!
Now in the 12th year of the A4A campaign
we thank all the many friends
who are bringing their encouragement and solidarity
for the City of Dawn, creating a dynamic space
for the ideal of human unity to flourish and grow – a hope for us all !
In solidarity and trust in Auroville’s bright future,
For the Acres for Auroville team
Aryadeep, Mandakini, Jothi
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A4A info and land news on our website
LFAU (Lands for Auroville Unified), +91 413 2622657, Town Hall, Auroville,, 605101, India
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