Green Acres

Aryamani was born in a cacao plantation in the forests of Brazil. At Bahia University, she met the dance teacher Rolf Gelewsky who introduced her to Sri Aurobindo’s teachings, a life-changing event. After years of dance, study and contribution to expand the Integral Yoga in Brazil, she left for India and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. In 1979, she moved to Auroville with her partner Luigi, where they founded the Transformation community. Aryamani has been an Auroville teacher, and as a director, has creatively staged Sri Aurobindo’s plays, passages from Savitri and Indian sacred scriptures, and most recently an original work “To Her”, on The Mother. She is the translator into Portuguese of “The Life Divine” The Synthesis of Yoga and “Essays on the Gita”.

Did you know that every December, AVI USA doubles your donations to Acres for Auroville ? When you donate to A4A via AVI USA in December, your donation will be matched, and A4A will get double the money ! This great possibility applies to all donors and all donations, coming from any country and in any currency. As there’s a limit of $2500 total that can be matched, it’s best to give quickly in order to have your donation doubled !! If you would like to have your donation to Acres for Auroville doubled, donate in December at this link: https://give.aviusa.org/page/a4a

For this year’s August Art for Land Exhibition at the Unity Pavilion – “Unity, Kindness, Friendship” – the title came as a strong call ! This still-ongoing August AFL exhibition showcases Auroville artists together with Ashram-associated artists as well as friends of Auroville and the Ashram. The exhibiting artists in their generosity, aspiration, and inspiration took up the theme and its depth emerged, clearly speaking of the Unity within which is there and has to be made conscious in all of us. All the works can be viewed and purchased at the Unity Pavilion, and also online at the artforland website https://artforland.in/
The proceeds go for Auroville’s Master Plan consolidation and land protection.

This newsletter’s selection is an extremely rich and thought-provoking text, suited for the questions of our times : ” …once the conditions of the cosmos were laid down and the involution into nescience accepted as the basis of a progressive manifestation of the Divine out of all that seemed its very opposite, there took place a sort of division between the Higher and the Lower. The history of the world became a battle between the True and the False, in which the details are not all direct representations of the Divine’s progressive action but rather distortions of it owing to the mass of resistance offered by the inferior Nature … “

152 years ago, on 15th August 1872, Sri Aurobindo – the harbinger of a new age, a new world and a more evolved spiritualized humanity – was born, and Auroville was created to serve and hasten the realisation of his evolutionary vision. On August 15th 2014, one decade ago, we launched the Acres for Auroville (A4A) land campaign to help complete the consolidation of Auroville’s physical base. We are happy to share our particularly rich and inspiring newsletter launching Year 11 of our unity action, in support of the goals, purpose and realization of Auroville..

Acres for Auroville (A4A) was started on 15th August 2014 as a unity action for Auroville’s still-missing land. The Mother issued a message in 1970, calling on us all to contribute to support this vital need of land consolidation, and A4A is dedicated to raising both awareness and the needed funds. Our many support actions and your solidarity over the past ten years have enabled the addition of 181 once-missing City and Greenbelt acres. Here is a visual review of these 10 dynamic years … along with a reminder that the job is not yet over !!

Paulette Hadnagy was born in Italy of French and Hungarian parents. Her young life was marked by the devastation of World War 2 and her generation’s quest for unity and meaning. The discovery of Sri Aurobindo led her to her travel overland and alone to India, reaching the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1973. Living and working with the sadhaks there, she also started cycling to Auroville to participate in the monthly non-stop concreting on the roof of Matrimandir, and finally in 1985, she settled in Auroville. We are happy to share Paulette’s deep and moving story which carries great historical and spiritual significance (in two parts)

SVARAM started as an educational and cultural project launched by Aurovilian Aurelio who recognized the great talent of local children and the richness of the bioregion’s cultural heritage. From that origin, SVARAM has been honored by the UN initiative ‘Music as a Natural Resource’ and is the producer of over a hundred types of traditional and innovative instruments, exported to over 36 countries, all produced by its trained workforce of over 80 team members. It is now also a recognized training and research center into music and the healing effects of sound offering online and residential courses. In line with the Mother’s words on Unity and Harmony, SVARAM’s motto is “Bringing the joy of music and the magic touch of sound into everyone’s heart and hands.” which it does with extraordinary energy and inspiring creativity.

ART FOR LAND is a beautful action for Auroville’s land held at Auroville’s Unity Pavilion and now in its 9th year, Original artworks are donated by Auroville and friend artists whose sales proceeds go to the Acres for Auroville campaign for the consolidation of Auroville’s designated Master Plan area. This newest exhibition is organized on the theme of Unity, Kindness and Friendship and features works by 16 Auroville artists. In loving memory of Kratu, there is a special tribute exhibition showcasing his works that he generously donated to AFL. All the artworks can also be viewed and purchased at the AFL dedicated website https://www.artforland.in/

Many important messages were given by The Mother with her comments on the spiritual significance of flowers. In our A4A Flier, we quoted The Mother on certitude, transformation, and the victory that is assured. Here we share more of what The Mother and Sri Aurobindo said about these qualities. The quotes on physical transformation were provided by a friend who donates to support runners in the Auroville Marathon, seeing such efforts as important for the change that is in process.