Green Acres

Your support since the start of the A4A campaign has enabled the addition of 187.14 new Master Plan acres, with 35.59 acres added just since 2022. A major goal is the missing protective plots near the Matrimandir – 11.81 acres have been acquired through your donations to date. The most recently purchased plot will house the new Reception Pavilion, but more land is needed for its full development. In this April 24th newsletter – the 105th anniversary of the Mother’s permanent arrival in India – we focus on the progress of the Matrimandir area, along with more stories of those who have contributed to building Auroville and its spirit. The newsletter summary also appears in French and Tamil: Version française en pdf … பிடிஎஃப்பில் தமிழ்ப் பதிப்பு

The Matrimandir, the heart and soul of Auroville, is a labor of love, built with the sustained and intensely devoted work of Aurovilians and so many friends, and is a source of inspiration too for the thousands of visitors to Auroville. The objective for the Matrimandir Team is to complete the rest of what The Mother had envisioned – all twelve gardens and the Lake – by February 21st 2028, the 150 birth anniversary of The Mother. Here we are happy to share how the Matrimandir Team is progressing on many fronts towards this great goal.

Aurovilian Giri has been involved with Auroville since his childhood, thanks to his father’s work, and aided in his life’s growth by Heidi and Patrick of Fertile East. Growing his skills step by step, he is a Web Developer and IT Support Person who has contributed at Aurelec, the Bamboo Center, Ness School, and at BlueLight and AV Web Services – his current two positions. Along with his wife Monica and his father Thirumal, he also produces food and milk for Auroville, and is a member of the Forest Group. Giri’s story is one of The Mother’s guiding hand and Grace.

“A House for the Third Millenium” published in 1986, is a series of essays by Aurovilian Ruud Lohman, who left his body just before its publication. Hailing from Holland, for 15 years Ruud was a member of the Franciscan religious order and for eight years, a Roman Catholic priest. In 1968 he was sent as a sociologist and missionary to India, where he sought out learning about the different forms of Yoga. This led him to coming to Pondicherry, and then arriving the next morning in Auroville on 21st February 1971. Ruud spent 15 and a half years of his dedicated life to the work of building the Matrimandir.

The Matrimandir Amphitheater is the site of many inspiring offerings to the community and guests. One was the recent performance of Divya Shakti, (Divine Power) – a collective dance offering for the birthdays of The Mother and Auroville. Today – April 24th – is the 105th anniversary of the Mother’s final arrival in India and to honor it, Divya Shakti will be screened at 12 Integral Yoga centres and Integral Education schools in India, plus in London and California . We are pleased to make it available here for you on this special day via our article’s link.

‘Money is the visible sign of a universal force, and this force in its manifestation on earth works on the vital and physical planes and is indispensable to the fullness of the outer life. In its origin and its true action it belongs to the Divine. But like other powers of the Divine it is delegated here and in the ignorance of the lower Nature can be usurped for the uses of the ego or held by Asuric influences and perverted to their purpose. This is indeed one of the three forces – power, wealth, sex – that have the strongest attraction for the human ego …’

In this newsletter, in addition to our A4A flier and LFAU letter, we present fascinating profiles of two young people in Auroville -one is Aurovilian Navanitha, born in nearby Nadukuppam, whose parents are longtime Aurovilians, and the other is Anita -a Newcomer from Zahedan, Baluchistan (part of modern-day Iran). We also cover the news of the latest edition of the Art for Land Exhibition and the three solidarity gifts that A4A has received. Our Inspiring Quotes this time presents a perspective on spiritual life and progress with an extract from Sri Aurobindo’s book “The Human Cycle”. All of this testifies to Auroville’s continuing creative energy, cultural diversity and future-oriented vision! The newsletter summary appears in French and Tamil: Version française en pdf … பிடிஎஃப்பில் தமிழ்ப் பதிப்பு

Aurovillian Navanitha was born in Nadukuppam, a nearby coastal fishing village. His father Jayamoorthi joined Auroville in 1997 and his mother Premalatha in 2000, and both parents instilled in him a belief in Auroville’s vision. Navanitha’s young years were filled with experiences of playing and interacting with peers from diverse backgrounds and cultures. After outside professional experience with to National Disaster Management program, he now works with Auroville’s Land Service on the Surveying Team for protection efforts against encroachments. He also participates in community activities and actions with young people. He wrote « Growing up in a family devoted to the ideals of Auroville, I developed an early appreciation for the values of unity, collaboration, and a sense of purpose ».

Auroville newcomer Anita was born in Baluchistan, an ancient region that is now part of Iran and which has many strong cultural links with India. Her life has been an intense quest for fusion – connecting the past and present, the traditional with the future, one culture with another. Her academic and professional life before Auroville was made of a constant search into these connections, as do her life, activities and work in Auroville. For Anita, «Auroville is like an endless ocean of cultural diversity; an ocean that offers the opportunity to explore, understand, and connect with other nations and cultures. This is a place where the boundaries between people not only dissolve but also seek connection and solidarity. Here, one can reach human commonalities. »

On February 2nd the Unity Pavilion hosted the inauguration of the Art for Land February 2025 exhibition – ongoing till March 30th. Flowers hold a profound significance in Auroville’s spiritual landscape since The Mother assigned deep symbolic meanings to various blooms. The exhibition honors this important theme with a dual presentation of original artworks: ‘The Spirit of Auroville’ with artworks from 1971- 1973 by Sri Aurobindo Ashram artists, inspired by flowers and qualities chosen by The Mother for Auroville, along with works by Dilip Patel and Jyoti Khare; and ‘Flowers by Hasi’ – a radiant tribute to the late Hasi Grandcolas.