Auroville (an international experimental community)

Day 21:

We hired a van to take us the 14km journey to Auroville. The other seven only had a few hours to walk around because they are all heading back to Bangalore on the bus tonight. I parted ways with them because I will be spending the next seven days here. Yes, one whole week. I've been moving around so quickly from place to place that this should be a real welcome change of pace.

I'm sure I will have much more to say about Auroville in the coming days, but I will offer a very brief summary here. Auroville is an experimental, international community. Its residents come from all over the world. Some live here for many years, some for a lifetime.

I highly suggest you check out the wikipedia entry on Auroville: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroville

and Auroville's own website: http://www.auroville.org/

In my very short time here I have indeed seen some sights that are uncommon anywhere else. A group of about 6 youths were getting coconut-like objects from a tall palm tree. Some were clearly Indian. Some were white, with European accents. They all live here and grew up here, and the conversation among them flows between Tamil (the local Indian language), English, and American pop culture references. They offered me one of the coconut-like objects which has small compartments of jelly that you suck out.

Right now I am at the internet cafe. There is a crowd of "tweens" (10-14 year olds) playing games and listening to pop music and giggling and basically being a nuisance, but I find it fascinating. They are Indian, Black, Chinese, American, European, and Israeli. Well, they are Aurovillians. That's how they would refer to themselves, rather than the country of origin of their parents. These kids of all different races and family backgrounds have all grown up together in South India. What a concept. And here they are singing along to Tatu, Eminem, Bob Marley, and garnering the admonitions of the Indian proprietor of this establishment

My guest house is awesome. I pay 385 rupees ($8.75) a night and that includes my room, 3 meals a day, a bicycle, and laundry! My room is the second floor of a little wooden hut. I've got an electric fan and the windows don't shut so there is a mosquito net. Its charming and rustic. Outside is a giant banyan tree which hovers over the entire compound. There is both outdoor dining, and indoor dining protected from the mosquitos.

Auroville is something like 40 square kilometers, very spread out, with several villages with named like "Tranquility", "Purpose", and "Wisdom". It will take a long time to explore, so it's good that I have a bike.

Have to go now. Dinner is being served back at the guest house.

Days 22-27

I've been in Auroville almost a week now and although my experience here has been full of thoughts, observations, and opinions, I find it difficult to put them into words. Auroville is a strange place. It can be wonderful, beautiful, fun, annoying, pretentious, silly, idealistic, and unrealistic all at the same time. They say that one week is nowhere near enough time to understand this place. Some have been living here since its founding over 35 years ago and they still do not fully understand it. There are only 1800 full-time residents, or "Aurovillians". But there are many more people here at any given time: visitors, guests, researchers, and tourists. I'm a "guest" because I'm staying in a guest house. Some guests, like me, only stay for a number of days. Others stay for weeks, or months. You could live here one or two years and still not be an Aurovillian. In fact, unless you are born here, you must live here at least two years before you can apply to become an Aurovillian. So what exactly is this place? It is neither cult nor sect. Neither is it a commnue. Nor is it simply a gathering of new age hippies. It is an experimental community. It is shaped like a circle (a galaxy actually) centered around a giant golden sphere called the Matrimandir. Inside the Matrmimandir is a solid white meditation chamber with the world's largest crystal at its focal point. I have yet to be allowed inside the Matrimandir (the rules for getting inside are quite convoluted) but supposedly I will be able to see it tomorrow, my last full day in Auroville. I have been inside the Matrimandir groudns, sat under the Banyan tree, and been inside one of the "Petals". There are ten petals aroud the sphere, like petals around a flower. Each petal represents a different state of human consciousness and contains a meditation chamber. Inside the chamber is a surreal space with mist and glowing lights. Banyan trees are really neat, and they can be found all over Auroville, and this part of India. One tree can have dozens of trunks. The tree begins with a single trunk, but its branches are so large and far-reaching, that they send out trunks of their own, which grow downward until they reach the ground and take root, thus becoming legs of support as on a table.

Auroville comprises several square kilometers of land, and it is still growing. When Auroville began in 1968 the land was barren red earth, but it has since been transformed, through intense reforestation efforts, into a dense jungle of tropical plants. Scattered across Auroville are nearly 100 different small communities, nestled in the forests. These communities have named like "certitude", "verite", "progress", "success", and "fraternity". They range in size from just a few residents to about 100 residents. These communities are connected by dirt roads, paths, and trails. There are only a fwe paved roads and they mostly skirt Auroville itself. Although I have a map of Auroville, it is very easy to get lost, and that is intended because Aurovillians say the best way to discover Auroville is to get lost. Aurovillians also are wary of tourists, especially the type who show up in busloads and expect to see everything in a day, and although there is a visitor center, there is very little support or infrastructure for handling these types of tourists.

Staying at my guest house I've come across a wide spectrum of visitors. Some come out of pure curiosity. Some want to become Aurovillians, and this is merely their first step. Some come to participate in classes, yoga, and meditation. And some are former Aurovillians who have gone back to their respective countries but return to Auroville every now and then to visit and keep in touch with friends.

My guest house is pretty awesome. Nestled under the jungle canopy, it is a collection of wooden huts around a banyan tree and central patio. My room is on the upper floor of one of these huts. It's a bit like a tree house. For 385 Rupees ($8.75) I get the room, 3 meals a day, laundry and a bike rental.The meals are all vegetarian, and by far the healthiest food I have encountered in India so far (everywhere else, even the vegetarian dishes are simply saturated in grease). In fact, so healthy, that I've developed a real habit for the fabulous croissants, pastries, and cakes which are so common in all the stores and bakeries around here.

Before I get into my criticisms and skepticisms (of which I have many) let me just say that I respect the overall concept of Auroville. I think most of the people here are good people with good intentions and they are trying to do something important. And there is a lot of good work going on here. This is a laboratory not just of human unity, consciousness, and spirituality, but for solar energy, alternative wastewater systems, farming, green building techniques, industrial design, art, music, and literature. Most people who came here in the beginning were typical idealistic 60s hippies who were sick of the mainstream materialisitc world. They sought in Auroville not a utopia (they hate to call this place a utopia, because it is not) but an alternative, a place where peace, cooperation, and brotherhood would prevail. No one here seems to know what exactly human unity is, and whenever I broach the subject they tend to shy away from it. No one expects Auroville to be finished, and human unity to be achieved, within a lifetime, a century, or ever... I think to Aurovillians, the process is more important than the outcome.

Arriving here I had certain preconceptions about what human unity was and what I would find here, and I quickly had many of them fall apart. I was thinking in the mold of an urban planner, and I expected to see centrally located facilities where people lived together, sharing living quarters, communal spaces, entertainment and recreational spaces, etc. What I just described is more befitting of a university campus than Auroville.Auroville is incredibly decentralized (despite the galaxy pattern centered around the Matrimandir. It seems that everybody is off in their own little communities, living in single family homes, going about their own business, interacting with others just as people do anywhere else in the world, at the cafe, school, beach, restaurant, etc. Aurovillians were quick to inform me that human unity is not human interaction, nor human sociability, nor human togetherness. Human unity is from within. It is finding the one thing that all humans have in common. Okay, well that's all well and good. But how? And why here? But there's much more to Auroville than this. Auroville is supposed to be an experiment in humans coming from all over the globe to live together in peace and harmony. But I don't think they've done very well with the diversity angle. There are 35 coutnries represented so far. By far the largest number of Aurovillians come from India itself. After that, French and Germans form a huge chunk (several hundred each). After that there are between 20-60 people from all the other European countries, about 50 each from America and Canada, fewer from Australia, and a handful from countries including Korea, Brazil, Morocco, Japan, and Mexico.

But in pure numbers this place is a European outpost in the middle of rural south India. By far most people you see are white, and their accents European. The representation from South America, Africa, the Middle East, and the rest of Asia is so small it's laughable.

Berkeley, New York, and London are far more diverse than Auroville. I've asked people why this is. They explain that some cultures just aern't interested in this type of experiment. And that most people in the developing world simply couldn't afford to come here. (India may be cheaper than the West, but it's more expensive than Africa) Which brings me to....money! A very interesting, and bewildering aspect of Auroville. Most Aurovillians don't really seem to have jobs. A few have their own businesses here. But most don't. Some work on the farms, or in construction. Or in research and development. Everyone here is expected to work towards the common good of Auroville. Would-be Aurovillians have to put in two years of hard labor on the farms. And there are some limited funds to reimburse people for the workd they do for Auroville. But not a lot. Auroville gets a little money from the Indian government, and some from the UN. But most comes in the form of private donations from Aurovillians, former Aurovillians, and benefactors around the world. Also, some income comes from the handicrafts that are made in Auroville, such as incense and tshirts. It seems that most Aurovillians must have some other source of income, such as a large inheritence, in order to withdraw from the capitalistic world and live here.

Auroville claims to be a "cashless" society because Aurovillians all manitain central accounts and simply use their "number" when making purchases or buying juice at the juice stand. But essentially this is no different than using a credit or debit card. And it can be annoying for visitors because certain venues, such as the Auroville grocery store, will not take cash, and I don't have an account.

There is nothing in the Aurovillian philosophy against disparity of wealth. That is why it is not a commune. The uneven distribution of wealth is quite apparent in the relationship between the Tamils and the Aurovillians. The Tamils are the Indians who live in this state, Tamil Nadu. They were here before Auroville, and they still live in and around Auroville in little Tamil villages. I actually think its funny that they call them "villages" and Auroville a "city" because the Tamil settlements are actually more "urban" than Auroville is! The villages are densely settled, with streets and back alleys, and several residences, businesses, and services in close proximity, and that's more than can be said about most of Auroville, which is more like a big camp.

Anyway, there is a complex relationship between Auroville and these Tamil Villages. They say something like 40,000 Tamils are employed in some way by Auroville. That's 20 Tamils for each Aurovillian. And you see them everywhere you go in Auroville. They are cooks, janitors, gardeners, maids, carpenters, and clerks. All of the industrial facilities and handicraft studios in Auroville employ Tamil men and women. And Auroville provides education and health care for the Tamils. Still, I can't shake this very uneasy feeling that it all resembles India under the British Raj: dark-skinned Indians as servants under the rich white people. On the plus side, none of these jobs would be here were it not for Auroville. But it still makes me very uneasy. Those Indians who are Aurovillians are usually from North India, with light skin, and wealthy, like the Europeans. Auroville also owns some beachfront property. The Auroville beach resembles a tropical beach resort, with hamocks, a fruit juice stand, and palm trees, all within a gated enclosure with a disclaimer: "Aurovillians and their guests only". I found this rather at odds with the founding principle of Auroville that "Auroville belongs to everyone". Someone explained to me that this isn't what it seems; it isn't to keep out the Tamils, but to keep out the middle class Indian day tourists who otherwise would overrun the place. Nevertheless the beach is a nice place to pass the time. The juices are fresh and cheap. And the beach is nice and flat and extends for miles in each direction. In fact, it's much nicer than the beach at Goa. And the water is better too. I joined crowds of Europeans frolicking in the waves. Aurovillians will wear bikinis, but at least they are polite enough not to go topless as European package tourists do in Goa and anywhere else there's a beach in the world.

I have more to say about Auroville, but the power went out, I am running on battery now, and the heat is swealtering. So it will have to wait!

Okay, I've got a few more minutes to write now and I want to write about transportation.

I see transportation as a big problem in Auroville. Because the place is so damned spread out! The villages are tucked away inside this forest. The roads are all dirt roads. Sometimes more like trails. Often very rutty. You get covered in red dust and dirt whenever you venture out on the roads. The roads are rarely signed. It can be a real challenge to find where you're going if you're not familar with the surroundings. Some people get around by bicycle. Lots of the Tamil villagers ride bicycles to their workplaces in Auroville. THe guesthouses give out or rent out bicycles, which I used for a few of my days here. But the bicycles are old, rickety, and have no gears, which can make riding them quite a challenge. So I have to admit I gave in and rented a moped for three of my days here. At $1.50 a day I couldn't complain. Riding a moped here is great fun, and it is, sadly, the only real way to get around here if you're going long distances. And because of the nature of the layout of this place, you're almost always going long distances. Whether you are going grocery shopping, or just to meet a friend at a cafe, restaurant, or house, chances are you'll have to go several kilometers. And so nearly all Aurovillians ride mopeds. Which clearly is not a sustainable form of transport because it uses petrol. All of which makes the reliance upon it here of all places all the more suspect and peculiar. To Aurovillians' credit, they appear to often "carpool" by moped (2 or 3 people on one moped) and they often pick up people on foot to give them rides. I've actually had a chance to do this a couple of times, both picking up and getting a ride.

The town planners at Aurofuture are calling for the population to increase from the present 1,800 to 50,000! The plans, sketches, and models show a much more urban Auroville. At least, the zone within a 1 km radius of the center would become much more urban, with a greenbelt preserved in the second km radius. I think this type of layout makes more sense. With density comes a pooling of intellectual and cultural capital, not to mention economic capital. It makes pedestrian life possible. It means a concentration of services, commercial retail, and facilities so that people don't have to traverse such long distances. The plans also call for banning private transport within this urban zone, and instituting public transport in the form of shuttle buses. This is what I would envision in MY ideal commuity. But Auroville today seemes such a different place. So much more rural, camplike. And I think most Aurovillians like it that way. I don't know how they would adapt to such dramatic changes. One of the guiding principles of Auroville seems to be to pursue ones own path, freedom, and individuality. With any sort of town or regional planning comes rules and guidelines passed down from some form of governing body. I don't know if Aurovillians are equipped to deal with that sort of authority.

Authority is an amorphous subject here in Auroville. On the one hand, as I said, everyone here seems to promote individuality and "doing ones own thing". "Human unity" does not mean that everyone joins together under the same set of morals and goals and holds hands and sings. Yet, many people here do ascribe to a higher sort of authority, and that is in the form of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, upon whose teachings and principles Auroville was founded. I have to admit that I have not read much of their writings. To become an Aurovillian, it seems you have to somewhat buy into their whole philosophy. Yet people tell me that their philosophy is incredibly open-ended, free-form, and non-dogmatic. In fact, Sri Aurobindo renounced all religions and pronounced freedom from religion and freedom to pursue enlightenment through meditation from within. So Auroville is techincally devoid of religion. But it is rife with spirituality. And I have to admit that I have difficulty separating the two.

I more or less consider myself an atheist, or at least agnostic. I follow no organized religion. I think evidence shows that religion certainly has the power to do much good, and I agree with many teachings of many religions. But I think these are all things that can be achieved, or at least pursued, without the guise of religion. All too often, history shows, religion is an excuse for hatred, violence, oppression, and war. I don't understand how so many human beings can be so dead-set in their own particular religions, how they can be so close-minded as to believe that only their religion is correct, and every other religion is wrong. We are all human beings. Either there can be only one God/Sets of Gods or there can be none at all. So call me an atheist. Call me a secular humanist. I don't know.

But then, here in Auroville, you have people gathering inside a giant golden golf ball to sit in a solid white chamber and worship a crystal. Okay, they don't "worship" it, they say....they use it to "channel" energy and spirits and such. The religion that is practiced here in Auroville perhaps bares more in common with pagan religions, wiccans, and indigenous spirit-worshipping religions around the world. I met a "rainbow person" at a cafe here who wore religious symbols of Christianity, Judasim, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and native American shamans. He said Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Shiva, etc are all the same, are all one. He said he believes in them all and at the same time in none of them at all. He's not an Aurovillian but a Rainbow person. I'd never heard of the Rainbows before, but he says they are the CIA's enemey #2 (after Al Quada, of course). They hold rainbow gatherings across the US and the world. THis rainbow's name is Jay and he's from Los Angeles. He personified every hippy-dippy stereotype possible. He literally spoke of all people gathering together in a circle to hold hands, sing, spread peace and love, and that this would somehow solve all of the world's patterns.

Who knows, maybe it would? But I doubt it. I hate to sound so critical, because I really would like to dig his vibe. I'm all for global peace and love. But I don't trust people enough. There is too much greed, ignorance, and malice out there in the human race, and I don't think simply holding hands and preaching love and tolerance, as nice as it sounds, is going to solve anything.

Back to religion, people here insist that the Matrimandir and The Mother's teachings are not the trappings of religion. I'm sure there is much wisdom in Her words. But merely the fact that I have to capitalize "Her" as Christians capitalize "God" bothers me. It bothers me to call her "The Mother". I don't think any human being, no matter how wise, is deserving of such a title.

I met a new Aurovillian (who shall remain nameless) who candidly pronounced that he thinks The Mother and Sri Aurobindo and all the spiritual side of things here is "bullshit" and he thinks that most Aurovillians feel the same way he does, but are afraid to speak out, and so they pretend to buy into it all.

Some people I think are here merely to experience a different style of life. They're here because it's different than their home counties, because it's cheaper, because the pace of life is slower, because they can go to the beach, because they have friends here. Some are here to work on important research projects. And others are here because of the spiritual side. It seems like there's room for everybody. Still, I wonder if it is really worth it to spend millions of dollars on the Matrimandir that could probably be more useful if spent on other areas of development here in Auroville.

Sidetrip:

With my moped I did some exploring outside of just Auroville itself. In fact, I braved Indian traffic and headed north along the beach road, through Tamil villages, to Pondicherry University. It was an interesting place. Much larger than the college I saw in Bangalore. Pondi Uni is quite spread out, occupying a large campus. I visited a dormitory (which they call "hostels") which was not that different than dormitories on the more austere end of the scale at American univerisities. Concrete slab architecture, boxy little rooms. But each one seemed personalized, with dorm decorations, computers, and blaring pop music. Common bathrooms, dining room, and "rec room" with a big TV.

Pondi University has a pretty substantial social sciences and humanities wing, with departments of history, sociology, anthropology. There is also a department of French Philosophy (obviously leftover from the days when the French probably ran this place), and a Centre for Womens Studies and Yoga Studies. Women and men live in separate dorms, but they appear to share classes together. There is a "Centre for Magnetic Studies" and an "Animal House" according to one directional sign. I dont think they mean Animal House in the vein of National Lampoon, but rather an actual building housing animals?

Anyway, still got more to say, but I gotta sign off now. Auronet is closing. This whole town dies at 9pm.