LFAU Darshan Letter – 24 April 2020.pdf
Lands for Auroville Unified
Auroville Centre for Urban Research, Administrative Area,
Auroville – 605 101, Tamil Nadu, India
24th April 1920 – 24th April 2020: the Century of the Mother’s final return to Pondicherry
“Gaining insight into how Auroville’s ideals were concretely articulated in its development as a society, and what sustained this process – one that I theorise as “prefigurative utopian practice” – would be relevant not only to Auroville, but also for other collective attempts at embodying and socially reproducing new paradigms of society, according to alternative and progressive ideals. Intentional communities are key sites of utopian practice, hence Auroville makes for an especially rich and relevant site…, given its exceptional combination of longevity, size, scope of activity, recognition, aims and experimental ethos.”- Suryamayi Aswini (in her recent doctoral dissertation on Auroville, Nov. 2019)
One of the strange and unconventional answers to what sustains the process for “concretely articulating Auroville’s ideals in development as a society” could be found in following words of the Mother.
“Auroville wasn’t preceded by any thought; as always, it was simply a Force acting, like a sort of absolute manifesting, and it was so strong that I could have told people, “Even if you don’t believe in it, even if all circumstances appear to be quite unfavourable, I KNOW THAT AUROVILLE WILL BE. It may be in a hundred years, it may be in a thousand years, I don’t know, but Auroville will be, because it has been decreed.” So it was decreed – and done quite simply, like that, in obedience to a Command, without any thought.” (Mother’s Agenda -, September 21, 1966)
The Force the Mother speaks of was not and is not an intellectual or idealistic or ethical or aesthetic force. Nor was it an economic or political or religious force. It was something more nuanced and deeper: it was the force of consciousness that creates the universe and impels the evolution. A few years ago, when India’s Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi concluded his speech at the Madison Square in USA with the words, “May force be with you”, he was also referring to this force of consciousness.
But the question then is how Aurovilians and, for that matter all workers for the “the new paradigms of society” have access to this Force? The answer lies in a quote that appears at the end of Suryamayi’s thesis:
“Take the psychic attitude; follow the straight sunlit path, with the Divine openly or secretly upbearing you – if secretly, he will yet show himself in good time, – do not insist on the hard, hampered, roundabout and difficult journey.” (Sri Aurobindo).
The more this truth is understood and adhered to, the faster the process of articulating concretely Auroville’s ideals and her relevance for “reproducing new paradigms of society” will be possible.
“Acres for Auroville” seeks to provide the unified geographical area for those projects and people who understand this great insight into the truth of things.
With trust in Auroville’s bright future,
Aryadeep Mandakini
Please specify “ACRES FOR AUROVILLE” (all Master Plan priority plots) for all donations via:
• Auroville Unity Fund (checks & bank transfers),
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• Auroville International www.auroville-international.org
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