Authored by Sangeeta Rakesh Goswami
With technology taking an edge over
everything and the world getting flatter day by day, we are slowly but
consistently losing our cultural diversity. As universal declaration by
UNESCO says "cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature." In
this scenario have not you ever desired a place somewhere in the world
that no country can claim as its property, where no compulsion of any
facet of diversity become submissive to another, allowing each its
exclusivity and all liberty, and yet recognizing the equality of status
of each one?
An adventure by those who believe in
progressive universal harmony and willing to work for it. Where human
relations would not be based solely upon competitions and conflict,
where man would use all his fighting instinct to defeat the causes of
his suffering and misery and to triumph over his limitations and
inabilities. Where children grow and advance integrally without losing
the essence of life. An international township where aesthetics in all
forms, painting, sculpture, dance, music, literature will emerge to give
life the consciousness in all its freedom, the opportunity to share the
joys they bring would not be bounded solely by social or financial
position. A collective experiment bestowed to human unity and
international understanding for fairer, brighter and nobler life. By
now, you might have started wondering if I am talking something Utopian
and building castles in air. Nope!! Auroville, The City of Dawn is one
such place on earth which transcends the vision of an ideal society into
a reality. The city-in-the-making is located near Pondicherry in south
India. It draws its inspiration from the vision and work of the renowned
Indian spiritual visionary, Sri Aurobindo. His spiritual collaborator, The Mother, founded the township on 28th
February, 1968. It is proposed to be realized as the city of material
and spiritual researches for the next stride of human evolution, the
Supramental consciousness. In 1966 UNESCO commended
it as a project of importance to the future of humanity, thereby giving
their full encouragement. The city is designed for up to 50,000
inhabitants from around the world. Today its inhabitants number around
2,160 people, from some 45 countries. Architects and engineers from
different countries have volunteered their services. The common goal of
sustainable living has given rise to all sorts of environment-sensitive
architecture which mingles flawlessly with the natural surrounding
creating a harmonious mood in Auroville.
People from across the world meet each
other, interact, exchange ideas and take in each other’s culture and
heritage with a quest to discover the world. What better place to do
that than here! The work in Auroville is not any compulsion to accept
but a joyful means to express oneself and at the same time offer service
to the whole group. Each resident is free to choose the work for which
he has special aptitude, followed by the necessary training. There will
be no employment and no beggars. Guiding principles help each person to
develop self discipline in freedom; each nation plays its part in
projects in which it specializes. Activities are multifarious like
afforestation, organic agriculture, educational research, health care,
ecological accounting research, genetic conservation, village
development, building construction, information technology, and research
on renewable energy, etc divided in the following four zones:
-
The Industrial zone: This is for "green" industries. You can find here people working on a multitude of projects. They select the work according to their aspiration, like fashion and garment design, production of incenses, lighting fixtures, etc. to research on solar technology.
-
The Cultural zone: They are like pavilions of different nationalities; say if you enter the Japanese pavilion, you will see marvelous Japanese garden, room for Tea ceremony, a lake with boat pier, Ikebana- the art of flower arranging, buildings of Japanese style, meditation house, library, museum and an exhibition hall for Japanese handicrafts. One will experience all that which represents the artistic sense and culture of Japan in a gracious way. There could be an all night theatre festival in the village; there could be a literary talk on Future Poetry or the Vedas or a music concert or any such creative event which can bring a smile on your face. What better way to spend life than the one where each evening is soaked in performances from different countries across the world.
-
The Residential zone: It’s the largest of the four city zones comprising of houses spread in 189 hectares for all who work and live in Auroville. There can not be better place to spot a variety of innovative and green architecture than here.
- The International zone: It contains the Visitor’s Centre, shops for Auroville products and pavilions of various countries for exhibitions and information. It is the starting point for most visitors.
The green belt that surrounds Auroville
is residence to those who have dedicated their lives to farming. Because
of the efforts of the many “Green Belters”, the barren land of
Auroville has now been transformed into green oasis. Here are some
links you would like to go through, Centre for Scientific Research (CSR)
(Energy from the Sun, Energy from biowaste, Energy from wind) CIRHU (Centre for International Research in Human Unity) Life Education Centre
The Matrimandir soul of Auroville stands as the centre of the city and
it is in the form of a geographical sphere covered with golden disks,
symbolizing the birth of a new consciousness seeking to manifest.
According to The Mother it is the symbol of the Divine‘s answer to man’s aspiration for perfection.
Inside the globe is a circular meditation hall, with a pure
crystal-glass globe suffuses a ray of electronically guided sunlight
which falls on it through an opening at the apex of the dome. A beam of
solar light always falls on the crystal and its reflection faintly light
up the dark chamber. There are no images, no organised meditations, no
flowers, no incense, or religious forms. Those who want to concentrate,
stay there in silence trying to find one’s consciousness. The first impression the structure may evoke is the image of the New Consciousness breaking forth from Matter. The Divine Presence is signified in this Peace area by the timeless Banyan Tree standing majestically for more than 100 years and the Amphitheatre
with the Urn of Human Unity that contains the soil of 121 nations and
23 Indian states, and a lake to help create a calm and serene atmosphere
and serve as a groundwater recharge area. Unlike most of the
establishments, Auroville maintains a unique culture of non-hierarchical
society where decisions are taken in Residents Assembly Meetings where
all Aurovillans can speak their mind and propose things which add value
to the place. Involvement in party politics is ruled out in the city.
Auroville Foundation is the in charge of assets and overall
responsibility for ensuring that it attains its goals. Auroville has no
'authorities', but gives responsibility for certain key functions and
services relating to the community
Conditions for living in Auroville:
- To be convinced of the essential unity of mankind and to have the will to collaborate for the material realization of that unity.
- To have the will to collaborate in all that furthers future realisations. The material conditions will be worked out as the realisation proceeds
Above all, what matters the most is the
spirit of accepting challenges positively that may come up during the
period of entry, keeping in mind that Auroville's present state of
development is far from perfect. Though the whole process is complex and
challenging and the project is going through many hurdles, they dream
the city to become completely artistic. Appreciating humanity's
historic yearning for peace, eliminating the undesirables who are
holding up this brilliant evolution, Auroville is a place which
belongs to humanity as a whole. (For more info on its unique work
culture, health organizations, international university, legal body, go here.
No comments:
Post a Comment