Conversation with an Artist: Birgitta Volz Profoundly shaped by transformative personal experiences at the threshold of life and death, I have devoted my artistic practice to explore the unseen realms of our existence. Central to my practice is the ambition to “make the invisible”, illuminating the latent stories embedded in places and the […]
On this auspicious day of, August 15th, we begin the 13th year of the Acres for Auroville land campaign. A4A is a dynamic collaboration of hearts and aspiration – a unity action for the consolidation and protection of Auroville’s designated Master Plan land, the physical home for the City of Dawn. It was launched in response to then Chairman Dr. Karan Singh’s call to the community to finish the work of securing Auroville’s future – and since its start on August 15th 2014 many thousands of donations have been contributed. This essential land consolidation is not necessarilly an easy task since land prices have mounted exorbitantly in the past 12 years – the result of Auroville’s success in building and inspiring, and of Pondicherry’s urban growth. Despite the pressures and constraints that have come from these developments, we are heartened to announce that 319.4 once-missing acres have been added to Auroville’s City and Greenbelt areas since A4A’s start – an increase of 132.26 new Master Plan acres gained in the past year (Summary in English, French & Tamil)
In “Conditions for Living in Auroville”, The Mother wrote as a first condition: “To be convinced of the essential unity of mankind and to have the will to collaborate for the material realisation of that unity”. Then, one year after Auroville’s inauguration, she affirmed her certitude of the arrival of a new consciousness, for a new creation. About this, she later clearly stated: “What the New Consciousness wants (it insists on this) is: no more divisions”. For the new consciousness, this necessity of no more divisions applies also to “the opposition” between spiritual and material life. Calling Auroville “Tomorrow’s City” she conceived it to be a place of non-division on every level: people, cultures, nationalities, matter, and spirit, with Auroville as the home for the new consciousness and the new creation it will bring. Version française en pdf … பிடிஎஃப்பில் தமிழ்ப் பதிப்பு
August 15th is Sri Aurobindo’s 154th Birthday. But this is only one aspect of its total reality, for The Mother called Sri Aurobindo’s birth “an Eternal Birth” with deep significance on many levels. We believe that this is also true for Auroville. Physically, Auroville is 58 – but its age in years is just one aspect of its existence on many dimensions. The struggles, successes, failures and delays are embedded into a larger reality – just as Sri Aurobindo’s physical embodiment is embedded in a vaster eternal dimension. At Acres for Auroville, we see the township’s multiple realities, phases and changes in the context of a larger evolution and continuity. This understanding gives us the vision to carry on with confidence as we launch Year 13 of our unity action for Auroville’s secure and enduring future. Version française en pdf … பிடிஎஃப்பில் தமிழ்ப் பதிப்பு
Antoine had never heard of Auroville, nor Sri Aurobindo and The Mother until he attend-ed a piano workshop in France in 2011 held by the nomadic pianist Marc Vella. Founder of the “Caravane Amoureuse” (Caravan of Love), Marc travelled the world to bring peace and understanding through music. Motivated, Antoine joined the 2013 Caravan whose destination was India. “It was there that I discovered Auroville, a learning experience which held so many great insights. And I discovered southern India, where I felt very much at home.” After subsequent visits, his life path was clear and Antoine joined Auro-ville in 2016. Following his work with Svaram and his years at Sunship, he is now an ex-ecutive at the Matrimandir, and also founder of the “Auroville Harmonies” choir. “I always trust Mother and I have always followed my intuition. Whatever trials life throws at us, I would say that I feel right at home here in Auroville.”
Brahmanaspati Kshetram – The Mother & Sri Aurobindo Centre is located in Edyanchavady and was founded by Aurovilian Rajan on 29 March 2014, the centenary of the first meeting of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. In this beautiful and evocative article, Auroville Newcomer Purvi Bhanot shares Rajan’s inspiring life story that led to the Centre’s creation, and her experiences there with its joy, humanity, and spiritual aspiration. What began as Rajan and Kasthuri’s quiet family meditation room has become a Centre dedicated to aspiration, study, meditation and service to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. With its weekly activities and its annual Darshan events and exhibitions, Brahmanaspati Kshetram lives up to its spiritual meaning: “field of action for the power and expression of the divine soul.”
It all began in 2018, during Auroville’s 50th Anniversary celebrations when a small group of flower lovers in Auroville came together with a simple yet profound aspiration—to offer something beautiful to the One who had awakened in countless hearts a deep love for flowers and revealed their hidden spiritual significance: The Mother. Their offering took the form of the Divine Flowers Exhibition, held at Savitri Bhavan. Then each year, the exhibition grew in size – and in spirit. People eagerly awaited the year’s new exhibition, returning again and again to experience its beauty, peace and quiet joy. Many within the team and the wider community began asking:”Why should this beauty exist for only a few days each year? Why not create a place where it can live permanently—a sanctuary open every day for everyone? From this aspiration, a vision was born: a garden that would one day bring together all 898 flowers to which The Mother had given spiritual significance.
“I gravitate towards art that is inspired by nature because I feel very little of human imagination can compare to the beauty and wonder of natural forms.” In Art for Land’s ‘Conversation with an Artist’ N° 3, Ashramite Dilip Patel shares his artistic journey starting with his early life in Uganda, where he was forever shaped by its natural beauty and his mother’s work with crafts. After his family relocated to India, he studied at the Ashram school and trained with Ashram artists. On his birthdays, he offered his work to The Mother and received her encouragement. Further influences came from his art studies in London. Returning to Pondicherry in the ‘90s, he became involved in the dynamic art scene of Auroville. Well-known for his work with lotuses and watercolor, he sees art as “a sadhana, an introspective search for the deeper truths … and an abiding joy.”
The new ART FOR LAND exhibition ‘FROM ASPIRATION TO INSPIRATION’ – launched at the anniversaries of Sri Aurobindo’s birth and India’s Independence – celebrates the spiritual aspiration that gave birth to Auroville, and the Township’s vitality as a hub of artistic expression, at the service of consciousness. This new exhibition presents a curated selection of works from the Art for Land archives alongside selected artworks donated towards establishing a permanent Auroville Art Collection. Featuring works by Ashramite Usha Patel, Auroville artist Crystal Michielsen, and Pondicherry artist Janakiraman, the exhibition offers a rare glimpse into each artist’s aspiration and inspiration. The sale of selected works also contributes support for Auroville’s vital land consolidation via the Acres for Auroville campaign. Ongoing till 10 October at the Unity Pavilion.
We are very pleased to present a special selection of The Mother’s conversations as recorded in the Agenda during the two years following the inauguration of Auroville. In it, we follow the development of her experiences and the unfolding of her understanding of the New Consciousness and the New Creation it wishes to create. While operating on multiple layers of the Being, it at the same time, makes an insistance on non-division on all levels. On March 29, 1969, The Mother received a persistant message as follows : “We will strive to make Auroville the cradle of the Superman”. When she asked “Why we’?” it answered, “It’s because the attempt will be to get those who will live in Auroville to COLLABORATE.”We are grateful to an Acres for Auroville supporter for contributing this enlightening and most encouraging compilation.
ACRES FOR AUROVILLE (A4A) – LFAU NEWSLETTER 15TH AUGUST 2026
THE ACRES FOR AUROVILLE FLIER 15TH AUGUST 2026
ACRES FOR AUROVILLE (A4A) – LFAU NEWSLETTER 15TH AUGUST 2026
THE ACRES FOR AUROVILLE FLIER 15TH AUGUST 2026THE LANDS FOR AUROVILLE UNIFIED LETTER – 15TH AUGUST 2026ACRES FOR AUROVILLE (A4A) – LFAU NEWSLETTER 15TH AUGUST 2026THE ACRES FOR AUROVILLE FLIER 15TH AUGUST 2026